Students as Partners
Collaborating to Enhance Teaching, Learning and Student Engagement
As part of a grant, Xavier University had the exciting opportunity to pilot a Student as Partners Program in 2024-2025. Building on the success of the pilot, the program continues to foster collaboration between faculty members and students to enhance student success, particularly in large-enrollment introductory courses.
The Students as Partners Program, facilitated by Xavier University's Center for Teaching Excellence, brings students and faculty together as collaborators in teaching and learning. Through semester-long partnerships, students and faculty work toward shared goals that enhance student engagement, strengthen learning experiences, and foster a more inclusive classroom environment.
Apply to Become a Student/Faculty Partner
What is Students as Partners?
Students as Partners is a pedagogical approach that positions students and faculty as collaborators in improving teaching and learning. Rather than viewing students solely as recipients of education, partnerships invite students to contribute their perspectives, experiences, and insights as valuable resources for course and curriculum development.
Partnership May Focus On:
- Student engagement
- Inclusive teaching practices
- Classroom climate
- Course design
- Assessment and feedback
- Belonging and student success
Partnership Stories
Students and faculty experience the Students as Partners Program from different perspectives, but both contribute to a shared goal: improving teaching and learning through collaboration.
Hear from Our Partners
Why Participate in Students as Partners?
The Students as Partners Program creates structured, paid pedagogical collaborations between faculty and students to enhance teaching, learning, and student engagement. Both faculty and student partners contribute distinct but equally essential perspectives to improve the learning experience.
For Faculty Partners
Faculty benefit from structured, ongoing student insight into how teaching and learning are experienced in real time.
Faculty partners gain opportunities to:
- Receive ongoing, formative feedback from a student perspective
- Better understand how students interpret course design, instruction, and classroom climate
- Make real-time, evidence-informed adjustments to teaching practices
- Explore new approaches to engagement, assessment and inclusivity
- Engage in reflective, collaborative teaching development
"Working with [Student Name] has helped me make intentional, real-time adjustments that aim to improve students' willingness to engage."
-Faculty Partner, Fall 2026
"Hearing [Student Name]'s and [Student Name]'s observations each week helped me to see how students interpret not just the content, but also my tone, pacing, and the overall emotional climate of my classroom."
-Faculty Partner, Fall 2024-Fall 2025
For Student Partners
Student partners gain meaningful experience working alongside faculty as collaborators in teaching and learning, while developing transferable professional skills.
Student partners gain opportunities to:
- Collaborate with faculty on teaching and learning goals
- Build leadership, communication, reflection and project management skills
- Develop confidence in sharing student perspectives in structured settings
- Learn about teaching, curriculum design and assessment practices at the collegiate level
- Contribute to improving learning experiences for peers
"Being in a pedagogical partnership has completely changed how I view teaching and learning from a student perspective. I’ve realized that effective learning happens when students and faculty share responsibility for creating an engaging environment."
-Student Partner, Fall 2026
"This program has increased my confidence in my own communication skills and my understanding of the importance of my own voice. I feel more capable as a leader, especially in regards to gracefully and respectfully delegating potentially uncomfortable conversations."
-Student Partner, Fall 2024-Fall 2025
Shared Impact of Partnership
Together, faculty and student partners contribute to:
- More engaging and responsive classroom environments
- Improved communication between students and instructors
- Enhanced understanding of student learning experiences
- Stronger academic community connections across campus
Next Step: Application Process
Interested in participating?
Learn more about expectations, responsibilities, and how to apply to become a faculty or student partner
More Information
For more information about Xavier's program, contact Nykara Brown, Assistant Director for the CTE.
Helpful research on the impact of pedagogical partnerships in STEM: Humanizing STEM Education Through Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnerships (29 June 2023).