Graduate students as partners in academic development: benefits, challenges, and lessons learned

ABSTRACT

In response to calls to revisit the engagement of students in academic development, the authors - an educational development consultant and a graduate student - share the findings of a nation-wide study which explored how Canadian teaching and learning centres (TLCs) partner with graduate students in academic development (AD). This paper highlights the benefits and challenges identified by the participants and draws on students-as-partners (SaP) literature to frame the recommendations and lessons learned about how to engage graduate students meaningfully and ethically in AD activities. We share pragmatic strategies while emphasizing the importance of aligning partnerships with the SaP principles of respect, reciprocity, and responsibility.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic development
• students as partners
• agency
• graduate students

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all participants and acknowledge that this work was supported in part by a grant from the Educational Developers Caucus of Canada. In addition, we would like to thank our colleagues at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary for helpful discussions and feedback.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Educational Developers Caucus of Canada.

Notes on contributors

Kimberley A. Grant

Kimberley A. Grant has a PhD in Curriculum and Learning and holds a faculty position in educational development at the University of Calgary’s Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. In this role, Kim collaborates with colleagues as they review and develop curriculum and also leads the Academic Staff Certificate in University Teaching and Learning. Her current research interests include partnering with graduate students in academic development and the use of exemplars in postsecondary assessment.

Muhammad Adil Arshad

Muhammad Adil Arshad is a PhD student in Adult Learning at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Canada. Adil held a faculty position in the Department of Education at the Forman Christian College in Pakistan, where he taught a range of teacher preparation courses. Adil holds an MA, International Higher Education, Boston College and an EdM in Science Education, Boston University. While at Boston College, Adil worked as a graduate instructional design consultant in the Center for Teaching Excellence. Adil’s research generally explores teaching and learning in post-secondary contexts, internationalisation of the curriculum, educational development, and experiences of international teaching assistants.