Student Partners Program

Students can participate in the SPP in two ways: they can propose a project or they can be hired to a faculty/staff-proposed project. Projects run in either the Fall/Winter term (September-April) or the Spring/Summer term (May-August). The hours that students will be expected to contribute vary from project to project, but will generally fall between 5-10 hours a week. Students are paid for their work throughout the duration of their project (see Admin and Compensation section for details regarding pay).  

Any McMaster student is eligible to submit their own teaching and learning project for inclusion in the Student Partner Program. Please note that while students are able and encouraged to take the lead on projects they submit, for administrative reasons students submitting projects for consideration must do so in collaboration with a faculty or staff member. If you need assistance identifying a faculty or staff partners, MacPherson Institute staff may be able to help (see the Admin and Compensation section for details).  

Any McMaster student is eligible to be a Student Partner. Undergraduate students who graduate in April are eligible to work on projects funded in the Spring-Summer terms (May-August). Students who worked on a project previous can extend their contract on the same project even if they graduated.1 If you are interested in applying as a Student Partner, ensure to read project descriptions carefully as some projects indicate preferences for students with specific backgrounds, skills, and/or education levels. For more detailed information, see FAQ: Student Partner applications.

Any McMaster student, faculty, or staff member can apply for an SPP grant. Please note that student project leads will require funds to be transferred through their faculty or staff partner’s departmental account.  

Over the course of the year, there will be two calls for projects: one in January (for summer projects), and one in May (for Fall/Winter projects). When the call for projects opens, students, faculty, and staff can submit proposals through a form listed on the MacPherson Institute website.  

The proposal requires a brief description of the project (150 words), details regarding how the project aims to improve teaching and learning scholarship, and a rough summary of required funds and projected funding allocation (up to $2000). Each proposal will be reviewed by a volunteer review committee composed of students, staff, and faculty.  

If the project is approved, project leads will be notified (in February for summer projects and in late June-early July for fall/winter projects). The award money will be transferred into the project lead’s departmental account. For student proposed projects, the funding will be transferred to their faculty/staff partner’s account. Please note that funding can only be used to pay for student work hours.  

Once projects have been reviewed and successful applicants have been notified, applications for Student Partners will open on the MacPherson website (in March for the Summer term and July for the Fall/Winter term). A brief description of each project will be listed, and students will be able to apply for up to three projects using a form linked on the Student Partner Program website. 

 Student Partner applications will be sent to the corresponding project teams, and they will arrange interviews or further meetings as they see fit. Project teams will hire student partners directly. Successful Student Partner applicants will be notified by the end of April (for the Summer term) and the end of August (for the fall/winter term).