Gustavo R. Espinoza-Ramos 2026. Repositioning Students as Partners: Building Sustainable Student–Staff Partnerships for Employability. 18th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN26). Palma, Spain 29 Jun - 01 Jul 2026 IATED Digital Library. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2026.0559
| Title | Repositioning Students as Partners: Building Sustainable Student–Staff Partnerships for Employability |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gustavo R. Espinoza-Ramos |
| Type | Conference paper |
| Abstract | Enhancing student engagement and graduate employability remains a pressing concern in higher education, particularly within increasingly competitive environments. For example, declining attendance, graduate underemployment, and persistent skills gaps highlight the need for pedagogies that actively engage students while developing transferable skills. Although active learning and authentic assessment are widely adopted, research suggests that the quality of interaction, rather than participation alone, determines meaningful outcomes. Co-creation has therefore emerged as a pedagogical approach that repositions students from passive recipients to active partners in curriculum design, pedagogical innovation and research. Evidence indicates that co-creation enhances motivation, confidence, collaboration skills and inclusive practice while strengthening student–staff relationships. Student–staff partnerships, also termed Students as Partners (SaP), co-production or curriculum co-design, are underpinned by processes characterised by dialogue, voice and agency. Conceptually, co-creation operates across two interrelated dimensions: co-production (shared design and implementation) and value-in-use (personal and professional development outcomes). However, persistent barriers remain, including power imbalances, limited inclusivity, institutional constraints, and difficulties sustaining student participation. In addition, limited attention has been given to how co-created outputs are strategically disseminated and scaled to generate impact beyond the immediate partnership. For that reason, this presentation aims to: examine the advantages and challenges of co-creation projects; share a practical framework for sustaining participation in co-creation projects; and explore how dissemination strategies can extend the impact of student–staff partnerships. The study draws on five Students-as-Co-Creators projects developed at Westminster Business School since 2021. These projects were designed and implemented using a structured framework that includes expectation alignment, team formation, transparent decision-making, training, continuous feedback, and planned dissemination pathways. This approach enabled the development of diverse outputs, including co-authored reports, blogs, conference papers and academic publications. The impact of these initiatives was evaluated through participation in international webinars, download metrics, conference dissemination, and evidence of enhanced student agency, research literacy, and professional confidence. Building on these findings, the session presents practical strategies for embedding sustainable co-creation in higher education. A key insight is that sustaining participation depends on students’ perceived value of involvement. This requires clearly communicating employability gains, confidence development and networking opportunities, alongside formal recognition through bursaries or paid roles. Participants will therefore gain a clear framework for designing and managing co-creation projects; practical strategies to sustain student engagement; and approaches to maximise employability outcomes and scale impact beyond the classroom. By conceptualising co-creation as both a pedagogical practice and an impact infrastructure, this session demonstrates how student partnership can enhance engagement, strengthen employability and extend global educational innovation. |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | 18th International Conference on Education and New Learning Technologies (EDULEARN26) |
| Publisher | IATED Digital Library |
| Publisher's version | |
| Publication dates | |
| Published | Jun 2026 |
| Journal | EDULEARN26 Proceedings |
| Journal citation | Article: 0559 |
| ISSN | 2340-1117 |
| ISBN | 9788409884445 |
| Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2026.0559 |
| Web address (URL) | https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2026.0559 |