Student Partners Program
We are pleased to announce that the Summer 2023 call for Student Partner projects is now open!
- Projects must be submitted to the SPP Project Call – Summer 2023 to be considered for inclusion in the Student Partners Program (SPP) in Summer 2023 (May 1 – August 31)
- The program review committee will vet these proposals, and projects appropriate to the program will be advertised to students in an open call.
- Faculty, staff and students (at all levels, undergraduate and graduate) are eligible to submit a teaching and learning project proposal
- We will be hosting a university-wide open forum to talk about the Student Partners Program, go over the application process, explain how project applications are reviewed/assessed, and answer any questions potential applicants might have. This meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 30th from 12:00-1:00PM
- Learn more about participating in the program, what kinds of projects are appropriate and what is expected of participants in the Student Partners Program Guidebook
Project Submissions are due February 3rd by 11:59PM
Please also see SPP Call for Projects (staff and faculty), SPP Call for Projects (students) and SPP FAQ for more info
Key Dates for Summer 2023
- Call for projects: Jan. 11 – Feb. 3
- Review of projects: Feb. 6-28
- Notified if project is successful: Feb. 28
- Call for students: Mar. 1
- Students notified by: April 21
- Summer 2023 Projects begin: May 1
Overview
The Student Partners Program (SPP) provides undergraduate and graduate students with opportunities to participate as partners with faculty, instructors and staff on projects that contribute to the enhancement of teaching and learning at McMaster.
The SSP was developed in 2013 in collaboration with the Arts & Science program. Since then the MacPherson Institute has engaged with students who are interested in pedagogical research and innovation by providing opportunities to contribute to activities such as: design and development of new courses, creation of resources for faculty and students, and collaboration with staff and faculty partners on research projects related to teaching and learning.
Several students have also co-authored research articles and conference presentations related to their work, co-facilitated at our International Institute on Students as Partners, or served as reviewers or co-editors for the International Journal for Students as Partners, which is housed at McMaster.
Funding
The Student Partner’s Program operates on an award-based model. Funds awarded and distributed up to a maximum of $2000 per project (to fund Student Partner hours). Project funds are transferred to the project lead and are held in departmental accounts.
Hiring
Student hiring is completed by the faculty/staff partner’s department. Student Partners are hired two times a year—typically in May and September.
Call for submissions
The MacPherson Institute continues to issue Calls for Projects, review submissions against SPP criteria and advertise projects to students.
Information Box Group

Interested in Getting Involved? Learn More
For more information about becoming involved, please see the Student Partners Program Guidebook.

Engaging Students as Partners in Learning and Teaching Watch Video
Peter Felten discusses the importance of student engagement in learning.

"Students as Partners" Watch Video
A video featuring Mick Healey, The Humboldt Distinguished Scholar in Research Based Learning.
Student Partners Program Network Events
The MacPherson institute has expanded its program of events to support students and faculty who are engaged in partnership work across campus. The program continues to offer specific support to projects funded through the Student Partners Program, such as research skills, project meetings, and an annual symposium. Through the expanded program, MacPherson will be offering events to the wider McMaster community who have an interest in the research and practice of partnerships in teaching and learning. New events will include journal groups to discuss the scholarship of partnership, project development workshops, an expert speaker series, and support for publishing work in this area.
Student Partner Project Awards
Expandable List
We would like to sincerely thank the following people for reviewing the Fall/Winter 2022-23 Student Partner Project Award Applications: Anita Acai; Elisa Do; Irina Ghilic; Sharonna Greenberg; Chad Harvey; Kelsey Harvey; Manahil Iftikhar; Kris Knorr; Chia-Yu Lin; Celeste Suart; Greg Van Gastel; Brandon Wooldridge; and Jennifer Zhu.
If you would like to serve as a reviewer for a future round of applications, please email mi_sap@mcmaster.ca
Faculty, Staff, & Students
Partners’ Names |
Project Title |
Gemma Repiso-Puigdelliura, Jessica Latimer, & Varun Jonathan Kitson | Authentic Assessment in a Programming Class for Linguists: The Creation of a Coding Portfolio |
Ruth Chen, Teresa Chan, & Eshaan Maneyapanda | Spark Podcast: Digital Transformation of Faculty Development |
Aytak Akbari-Dibavar & Faezeh Daemi | Stories, bodies, archives: un/Learning in Movements |
Anthony Chibba, Linda Davis, Marly Mikhail, & Layan Al-Dabbagh | Social Media Digital Content Creation and Engagement for Introductory Chemistry (CHEM 1A03/1E03/1AA3) |
Anthony Chibba, Kylie Luska, Brendan Lee, & Wissam Qureshi | Social Media Digital Content Creation and Engagement for Large Enrollment Organic Chemistry Courses (CHEM 20A3/2E03/2OB3) |
Anita Acai, Dante Duarte, Alexander Dufort, Anthony Levinson, Karen Saperson, & Sawayra Owais | Designing and Evaluating an Educational Intervention in Geriatric Psychiatry |
Amanda Kelly Ferguson, Rebecca Taylor, & Maham Afzaal | Evaluation of Teaching: Instructor Experiences at McMaster University |
Amanda Kelly Ferguson & Manahil Iftikhar | Evaluation of Post-Secondary Teaching Using Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET): Pilot Testing a New Approach |
Sarah Wojkowski, Jasdeep Dhir, Leonardo Giron, Jenna Smith Turchyn, Patricia Miller, & Conner McQueen | Continuing towards inclusive education: mapping learning objectives that exist outside of academic courses in the MSc(PT) Program |
Samantha Clarke, Christine Yachouh, Kim Dej, & William Teal | Improving Teaching and Learning at McMaster through the Partnered in Teaching and Learning Implementation Grants |
Kristina Durham, Sarah Wojkowski, Krista Howarth, & Ebuka Osuji | AnatoME: Removing Barriers to Representation of Skin Tone Diversity in Anatomical Sciences Education |
Yufei Zheng & Ulas Tastekin | International Grad Navigator Program Evaluation |
Gregory Spadoni, Jasdeep Dhir, Emma Plater, Sarah Wojkowski, Zeina Abu-jurji, Nivethan Jeuaseelen, & Riley Pedulla | SRS[PT] Video Project Phase 2 |
Sonya de Laat, Sue Barclay, & Kelly-Anne Dela Cueva | Online Global Health Learning Symposium: Enhancing Student Engagement |
Ariel Research Centre & Gwenyth Lu | Science Communication Bootcamp |
Christy Gombay & Kelly-Anne Dela Cueva | Peer Mentoring for Academic and Inclusive Excellence in Global Health Graduate Education |
Shelir Ebrahimi, Bosco Yu, Liza-Anastasia DiCecco, Dakota Binkley, & Parizad Katila | The Impact of Experiential Learning Opportunities Within the Faculty of Engineering: The Effect of First Year Engineering |
Jennifer Zhu, Kelsey Harvey, Celeste Suart, & Martha Cassidy-Neumiller | Differentiating Students-as-Partners from Students-as-Employees |
Kim Jones, Shelir Ebrahimi, & Shayna Earle | Maximizing coding confidence in first year engineering students |
Alison Sills, James Wadsley, Paul Ayers, Ana Campos, Erin Clements, Rosa da Silva, Matheus Grasselli, Cécile Fradin, Fiona McNeill, Paul McNicholas, Bruce Newbold, Gianni Parise, Sarah Robinson, Mel Rutherford, & Farah Chin | Embedding Computational Skills in the Undergraduate Experience across the Faculty of Science |
Miranda Schmidt, Pat Clancy, &Ella Buchnea | Exploring student motivations and interest in Physics; A comparative study |
Catharine Munn, Lynn Armstrong, Allan Fein, Emma Bruce, Annie Xu, & Jayden Rivers | Professor Hippo-on-Campus: Student Mental Health Education Program for Educators and Navigators at McMaster |
Randy Kay, Dave Heidebrecht, & Darina Vasek | CityLAB Semester in Residence Course Redesign |
Jasmin Dhanoa, Alise de Bie, Katie Moisse, & Ana Tomljenovic-Berube | Equitable Access to Learning Opportunities in Large Enrollment Programs: A Deep Dive into the Life Sciences Program |
Ivona Kučerová & Nadia Lana | Expanding the reach: Developing an engaging and interactive resource hub for effective community outreach |
Kim Jones & Mohammad Riaz | Linking research and applications more closely in Bioreaction Engineering (CHEM ENG 3BK3) |
Tara Zabella, Bhagwati Gupta, Alice O’Carroll, & Alexandra Milmine | Embedding EDI in career education and professional development |
Tara Zabella, Bhagwati Gupta, Alice O’Carroll, & Alexandra Milmine | Developing a framework for EDI in Career Development |
Caroline Junkins, Sylvia Rudnicki, & Sajjha Nawab | Uncovering authentic connections between Calculus for the Life Sciences and other undergraduate courses |
Sean Beaudette, Katie Fitzgerald, & Nicole Robb | Assessment and Mapping of First-Year Curriculum Strategies Related to Inclusive Excellence |
Faculty, Staff, & Students
Partners’ Names |
Project Title |
Brenda Vrkljan | Co-designing a new curriculum using a student-informed approach: A cross-faculty Rehabilitation & Humanities collaboration |
Ruth Chen | Digital Transformation to Enhance the Learner Experience in the Health Professions |
Constance Imbault | Creating engaging science of learning content for educators and learners |
Chia-Yu Lin | Expanding the reach: Developing an engaging and interactive resource hub for effective community outreach |
Mariam Bekhet | Tik Tok Takeover – ARiEAL Research Explained |
Gregory Spadoni | SRS[PT] Video Project |
Scott Martin | Decolonising Ontario Archaeology: An Indigenous Voice for Indigenous Pasts |
Amanda Kelly Ferguson | Implementing program change: A participatory action research approach to developing inclusive assessment practices |
Brandon Wooldridge | Evaluation of Teaching Implementation Groups |
Amanda Kelly Ferguson | Evaluation of Teaching: Instructor Experiences at McMaster University |
Catherine Anderson | Knowledge in Action: Investigating the place of community-engaged learning in GSJ |
Samantha Clarke | Improving Teaching and Learning at McMaster through the Partnered in Teaching and Learning Implementation Grants |
Sonya De Laat | Where are they now?: Global Health MSc Program Alumni Survey |
Sonya De Laat | Evaluation and syllabus refinement for new course, ‘Circumpolar Health: A Global Health Perspective’ |
Krista Madsen Baker | Designing rubrics to improve feedback retention |
Hiu Ming Yu | Evaluating First Year Engineering Experience & Program Stream Selection for Marginalized Groups |
Deborah DiLiberto | Creating a Global Health Doctoral Skills and Competencies Resource Portal |
Alice O’Carroll | Creating Individual Development Plans for Science Graduate Students |
Kelsey Harvey | Students as Partners in McMaster’s SPP program |
Kelsey Harvey | Age, power, and partnership: Intergenerational relations in formal student, staff, and faculty partnerships |
Chad Harvey | Open Education Resource – Biology 2e:Canadian Edition – Diverse Canadian Research Case Studies |
Alexander Skipper | Students Supporting Students: An Exploration of Peer Mentorship to Enhance Learning and Foster Confidence in Accelerated Nursing Students. |
Sarah Wojkowski | An Interprofesssional Education LibGuide: Connecting Students and Faculty to Interprofessional Education (IPE) and Collaboration (IPC) Resources |
Robert Cockcroft | Increasing Diversity in Astronomical Knowledge through Community- and Curriculum-Building |
Devon Jones | Revitalizing the SCIENCE 1A03 course for return to in-person tutorials in Fall 2022 |
Zaineb Hamoodi | Assessing Student Perception of Online Assessments in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences |
Zaineb Hamoodi | Assessing the Online Learning Environment Through the Lens of Students with Disabilities |
Navya Sheth | Teaching for a Better Tomorrow: Developing an Effective Altruism Curriculum for McMaster University |
Ilana Bayer | Ed Tech QUESTS for Faculty Development |
Duncan O’dell | Designing a course on practical quantum computing |
Sharonna Greenberg | Examining the undergraduate laboratory experience |
Ana Tomljenovic-Berube | Curricular Review and Skills Mapping of the Life Sciences Program |
Sharonna Greenberg | Creating a high school outreach experiment in sustainability |
Lydia Chen | Enhancing Learning Needs and Lowering Potential Learning Barriers in CHEMBIO 2L03, Pharmaceutical Chemistry Laboratory I: Biomolecular Interactions |
Sarrah Lal | Leveling the Playing Field for Multi-Disciplinary Teams in Health Innovation |
Faculty, Staff, & Students
Partners’ Names |
Project Title |
Anita Acai & Sawayra Owais | Designing and Evaluating an Educational Intervention in Geriatric Psychiatry |
Robert Fleisig & Monica De Paoli |
Making Teaching Portfolio Conversations Easier |
Karen Mcgarry, Lyanna Ramos, & William Baird | The Role of Anthropology in High School Outreach |
Alise Das & Ami Patel | Peer Review Team for the Book, “Reflections on Teaching and Learning at McMaster: 50 Years of Stories” |
Maria Pratt & Habiba Helmy | Remote Teaching Resources for PBL – Awarded for the Spring/Summer Terms 2021 |
Colleen Cupido, Claire Tuckey, Giulia Coletta, & Michelle Ogrodnik |
Virtual offering and validation of the Senior Fit Test for community clients from McMaster’s Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE) |
Chia-Yu Lin, Nadia Lana, & Siyuan Huang | Expanding the reach: Developing engaging and interactive virtual youth outreach modules |
Chia-Yu Lin & Nadia Lana | Oh the Places You’ll Go: Resources for graduate students to explore non-academic opportunities |
Michael Wong & Emma Marsden |
Comparing open-access programs to mitigate student stress |
Elizabeth Hassan, Ariana Mitchell, & Kate Jamieson |
Understanding factors contributing to student design decision quality |
Sean Park, Fatima Gafoor, & Eman Chowdhury |
Design for Behaviour Change: New tools for student time management |
Rebecca Taylor & Jesse Staats | Indigenous Education Primer |
Robert Cockcroft & Maggie Ward |
Furthering Indigenous Astronomical Knowledge and Dissemination |
Robert Cockcroft & Naman Jain | Developing a Two-Eyed Seeing and Astronomy Undergraduate Course |
Rebecca Taylor | Evaluation of Teaching Advisory Committee |
Jennie Vengris & Maddie Brockbank |
Investigating a Teaching Site Model for Helping Professionals in the Homelessness Sector in Hamilton |
Lynn Martin, Jessica Xiao, & Sarah Curtay |
Virtual Simulation Game Development in Nursing Education |
Michelle Ogrodnik, Dan Mulla, Jennifer Williams, & Steven Bray |
Department of Kinesiology: Data Collection for Curriculum Review |
Catherine Munn | Allying with teaching assistants to improve mental health on campus: Exploring key issues and evaluating a new case-based workshop |
Kelsey Harvey & Anthony McDermott |
Evaluation of an award-based and virtual models for Students as Partners Projects |
Chad Harvey | OER Biology Textbook: A diversified Canadian edition. |
Ana Tomljenovic-Berube & Jayco Cheng | Interactive E-Modules for Data Literacy Skill-Building in the Life Sciences |
Devon Jones & Ramitha Muralitharan |
Improving Level I Science Gateway Student Resource Navigation through SCIENCE 1A03 |
Miranda Schmidt & Nitara Fernando |
A comparative study of Introductory Physics streams: investigating student perceptions and motivations |
Alise Das, Betty Huang, Tiffany Chen, & Vikita Mehta | Developing an educational resource and mentorship network to support student awareness and involvement in provincial peer movements |
Zaineb Hamoodi & Manahil Iftikhar |
The Quality of Learning in an Online Environment Through the Lens of Students with Disabilities |
Faculty, Staff, & Students
Partners’ Names |
Project Title |
Dr. Nikolai Penner | Publishing course materials for German 1Z06 in textbook format |
Chia-Yu Lin & Paniz Tavakoli | Making science more accessible through collaborative peer review process |
Bosco Yu | Enhancing First-Year Engineering Learner Engagement and Experiential Learning Opportunities in Materials Science Education Through the Development of Virtual Learning Modules |
Bosco Yu | Enhancing engineering students’ learning experiences in the Pivot program through well-designed student surveys and focus groups |
Erin Allard | Supporting and Planning for McMaster’s Paid TA Training |
Steven Bray, Krista Madsen & Michelle Ogrodnik | Department of Kinesiology: Strategizing for Curriculum Review. |
Frances Tuer | How Students Define “Teaching” in Online Courses |
Sharonna Greenberg | Creating a formative assessment study tool |
Ruth Chen | “Program for Excellence in Clinical Instruction” |
Kelsey Harvey | Evaluation of an award-based and virtual models for Students as Partners Projects |
Kyle Ansilio | “Assessing outcomes of the MacChangers Program” |
Amanda Kelly Ferguson | Clarifying evaluative expectations through rubric development |
Rebecca Taylor | “Indigenization of teaching and learning practices” |
Kelsey Harvey | Environmental Scan of Teaching & Learning Scholarship at McMaster University |
Lori Goff | Advancing changes to the end-of-term course evaluations |
Dani Pryke; Kate Brown; Anne Pottier; Alise de Bie; Emunah Woolf | “MI’s 50th anniversary anthology” |
Rachel Guitman | Developing Connections at The International Journal for Students as Partners |
Randy Kay | CityLAB Semester: Enhanced Opportunities for Engaged Learning |
Robert Fleisig | Making Teaching Portfolio Conversations Easier |
Maria Pratt | Remote Teaching and Learning Tools for PBL |
Alice O’Carroll | Preparing Science Graduate Students for Career Success |
Leahann Hendrickse | MCE Instructor Training Program: Navigating Mental Health and Wellness Resources for Adult Students |
Katie Harding & Abeer Siddiqui | Addressing the needs of independent research students in STEM |
Dr. Michelle MacDonald, Zaineb Hamoodi, Manahil Iftikhar, & Keshikaa Suthaaharan | The Feasibility of Implementing Aspects of Online Learning to In-Person Learning Based on the Perception of Students with Disabilities. |
Dr. Michelle MacDonald, Zaineb Hamoodi, Manahil Iftikhar, & Keshikaa Suthaaharan | Assessing the Implementation of Online assessments to In-Person Learning Based on the Perception of Students in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences at McMaster University |
Colleen Cupido | Virtual offering and validation of the Senior Fit Test for community clients from McMaster’s Physical Activity Centre of Excellence (PACE) |
Sarah McMath | MCE Mentorship Program for Newcomer Online Learners |
Anthony Chibba | “Bringing chemistry into secondary classrooms” |
Janet Pritchard | “Numeracy skills in educational co-ops” |
Colleen Cupido | Creation of Virtual Interactive Human Performance Lab experiences for community secondary school students and sports teams |
Miranda Schmidt & Pat Clancy | Improving the first year Physics experience: A comparative study of Introductory Physics courses for students in Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering |
Alise de Bie | “arts-based approaches to educationl development: the impact of “zines” |
Sharonna Greenberg | Understanding the student experience in upper-year laboratories |
Alise de Bie (on behalf of project team) |
“Anthology of community-engaged learning at McMaster” |
Shelir Ebrahimi | Improving the Capstone Course Experience for Graduating Students of Chemical Engineering Department |
Sandhya Narikuzhy and Jeremy Sewnauth | Learning without Borders: An introduction to Experiential Learning |
Christopher Anand | “teamwork in the compuer science classroom” |
Dr. Stacey Ritz; Jennifer Williams | “Co-developing a sex and gender in health certificate program and network” |
Sarrah Lal | Virtual PBL for Health Innovation Education |
Melinda Gough | Bridging the (Close Reading) Gap: A Resource to Inspire and Embolden Students’ Creative and Critical Engagement with Shakespeare and/as Adaptation |
Sarrah Lal | “The innovator games” |
Alise de Bie | “Anthology of social movements and studnent activism at McMaster” |
Lori Goff; Alise de Bie | “Reflections on Teaching & Learning at McMaster” |
Sheila Sammon | History of Community Engaged Education at McMaster. |
Faculty, Staff, & Students
Partners’ Names |
Project Title |
Lori Goff | Triangulating document analyses with perception data to better understand institutional teaching cultures |
Pat Clancy | Improving the first year Physics experience: A comparative study of Introductory Physics courses for students in Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, and Engineering |
Emunah Woolf | Politicizing Self-Advocacy to Address Disabled Students’ Experiences of Ableism |
Janice Chaplin | Creating a Social Work Practice Lab |
Allison Leanage | The Effectiveness of the Social Statistics Course in the Social Sciences |
Allison Leanage | Online Courses and Mental Health in Post-Secondary Education |
Alise de Bie | Service user approaches to educator development: Enhancing equity/accessibility through zine-based pedagogy |
Cheryl Fenn | Fundamentals of Math |
Cheryl Fenn | Social Inquiry |
Sarrah Lal | Innovation simulator: Enabling learners to engage with industry and health professionals to advance innovative projects |
Fei Geng | Engineering labs reinvented through experiential learning: Enhancing student outcomes through the flipping of virtual laboratories |
Robert Fleisig | Making Teaching Portfolio Conversations Easier |
Behrouz Bakhtiari | Examination in the Age of Wearable Technologies |
Kyle Ansilio | MacChangers – Research Study |
Veronica Rodriguez Moncalvo | Online Delivery of the SIS Teaching Assistant Development Program |
Faculty, Staff, & Students
Partners’ Names |
Project Title |
Catherine Grise | Enhancing tutorial teaching and learning in English and Cultural Studies |
Jennie Vengris | Improving preparation for Social Work field education |
Kim Dej & Lori Goff | Advancing changes to student evaluations of teaching |
Kyle Ansilio | MacChangers: Program design |
Chia-Yu Lin, Kelly Nisbet & Chelsea Whitwell | Your abstract has been accepted – now what? Creating an educational repertoire of contemporary and practical resource on presentation skill development |
Stephen Mattucci | Integrating reflection into 1st year Engineering |
Rebecca Taylor & Stephanie Verkoeyen | Indigenous education guide for McMaster educators |
Stephen Mattucci | A module approach to high-demand curriculum in Engineering |
Andrea Cole | Graduate student supervision at McMaster University: Survey analysis and knowledge mobilization |
Allison Van | Masters in public policy seminar development |
Alise de Bie | Mad student peer support and community organizing on campus: Documenting the work of the Hamilton mad students’ collective from 2012-2016 |
Lisa Dyce | Changing conceptions of quality in Ontario Universities |
Sarrah Lal | Innovation simulator: Enabling learners to engage with industry and health professionals to advance innovative projects |
Olga Perkovic | Extending the OER by discipline guide for McMaster |
Mark Busser | Developing open resources on time management and stress management skills |
George Dragomir & Sarah Symons | Pedagogical interventions and evaluation: Perspectives on communication with students |
Lori Goff | Analyzing strategic documents to better understand institutional cultures |
Behrouz Bakhtiari | Examination in the age of wearable technologies |
Jennifer Williams & Dr. Krista Howarth | Investigating the perceptions of medical school students and faculty on development and implementation of a physical activity curriculum at McMaster University’s medical school |
Catharine Munn | Professor Hippo-on-Campus: Student mental health education program for educators and navigators |
Sarah Symons | Assisting Level I science students in determining honours program preferences |
Mary Vaccaro | Advancing the study of social policy in social work education |
Sean Park | Advancing designerly ways of knowing: Building campus wide capacity for design thinking *this project is being funded through the LTL program |
Student Partners Program Conference Funding:
Application Criteria:
- Applicants must be current McMaster students (or within 8 months of graduating from their program) and must demonstrate how the conference will advance or support their Student Partners project.
- Applications from undergraduate student partners will be prioritized.
- Applicants cannot hold more than one professional development award per fiscal year (May 1 – April 30).
- Application for funding must not exceed $500 (except under exceptional circumstances which should be clearly articulated in the application)
- Applications to attend local or national conferences are preferred
- Note: The pool of available funding is limited, and MacPherson Institute would like to maximize the number of professional development opportunities it can provide to Student Partners each fiscal year.
- Applicants must be partnered with a McMaster faculty or staff partner who supports the application/request for funding. McMaster faculty or staff partner will need to sign off on the application for funding.
- Applications to attend teaching and learning and/or educational-related conference are preferred, and accepted abstract should focus on enhancing the overall practice and/or understanding of teaching and learning within the McMaster context.
- Applicants should demonstrate that they have tried to secure funding in other ways.
Applications should be emailed to misap@mcmaster.ca. Applications should normally be submitted at least FOUR weeks prior to the conference. Applicants can expect a TWO-week response time.