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The CTL is pleased to continue and expand our Students as Partners program! 

First Expansion: One-Year Partnership Model

Our first expansion efforts are offering this program as a one-year opportunity! Over the past three years, we’ve structured this program as a one-semester opportunity. However, we’ve found that many of our participants have extended their partnerships through a one-year cycle. This change is mostly due to our student partners, who wanted to continue meeting with their partners and to see their perspectives being implemented. 

In Fall 2026, faculty and student partners will attend a seminar and engage with topics related to student-faculty partnerships, such as power dynamics, creating and contributing toward an inclusive partnership, navigating differences, and building empathy.   

In Spring 2027, partners will work interdependently on a student-centered project. Examples of past projects can be found on the Students as Partners Portfolio webpage. We will be accepting up to six faculty members for the AY 26/27 cohort. 

The call for faculty participation is open through August 17, 2026.

Second Expansion: Community Engaged Partner Program

The second expansion is a collaboration between the Office of Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) and the CTL to support educators who are interested in creating Community-Engaged courses. This collaboration incorporates the complementary approaches of Community-Engaged Teaching and Learning (CETL) and the Students as Partners (SAP) framework. 

In Fall 2026, faculty and student partners will attend a seminar and engage with topics related to student, faculty, and community partnerships, such as community-based learning, learning communities, and learning about and interacting with diverse cultures and practices.

In Spring 2027, partners will work interdependently on a student-centered project. The call for faculty participation is open through August 17, 2026.

What is Students as Partners?

Students as Partners is a collaborative pedagogical approach that pairs faculty and students to improve teaching and learning. Bovill, Cook-Sather, and Felten define student-faculty partnership as a “reciprocal process through which all participants have the opportunity to contribute equally, although not necessarily in the same ways, to curricular or pedagogical conceptualization, decision-making, implementation, investigation, or analysis” (2014, p. 6-7).

In Spring 2024, CTL (formerly ASSETT) launched its inaugural Students as Partners Pilot Program. This pilot partnered an equity-minded undergraduate student with a faculty member who sought to improve their teaching and their students’ learning. Through this one-semester partnership, pairs worked together to incorporate the student perspective into a course, assignment, or project design. Each pair determined how frequently they met and what the expectations were for each meeting. They also met as a large cohort throughout the semester to engage in pedagogical discussions and community building.

Program Compensation

Faculty participants receive a $500 professional development award and are provided with a student partner. Student partners will be compensated as hourly employees for the hours they contribute to their project. A cohort of up to 6 pairs will be invited to participate. We will meet 4 times throughout the semester as a cohort for 1.5 hours. The schedule will be determined by the participant's availability and preference for in-person or synchronously on Zoom.

Program Commitment

After being paired, partners will spend the first meeting getting to know each other and discussing interests and strengths. Pairs should also discuss partnership norms, schedules, and expectations. Only then should pairs start to consider projects that may develop as a result of the partnership work. Pairs will be expected to meet regularly outside of the cohort meetings. Each individual will also commit to working on projects independently. A Student’s Perspective for a Successful Partnership provides faculty partners with ideas as they enter a pedagogical partnership.

Program Goals

The goals of this program are to:

• Improve teaching and learning through a shared partnership.
• Challenge deeply held beliefs about the traditional roles of teachers and learners.
• Provide spaces for equity-seeking individuals to improve teaching and learning.

Interested faculty should be reassured that engaging students as partners does not cede power to students or invite them to tell them what they are doing wrong. Rather, it is a dialogic process where faculty (who are subject matter experts) and students (who are experts at being learners) work together interdependently, bringing their strengths to create a student-centric product.

No one partnership is the same, as the nature of each project differs from its objectives and outcomes. The Students as Partners framework encourages each project to have its own personality, objectives, and outcomes, with the goal of the final product being more student-focused.

Who Should Apply?

Ideal candidates desire to create an inclusive and equitable educational experience for their students, increase engagement in their classrooms, and engage with a diverse community of scholars. We also seek candidates who are interested in and committed to excellence in teaching and learning. If this is you (or who you want to be), we encourage you to !

How to Apply?

To apply, by January 11, 2026. Further details and instructions will be provided soon.

Questions about the program or the application process may be directed to Jacie Moriyama, CTL's Student Initiatives Program Manager.