New international journal explores Students as Partners in teaching and learning

(From left) Anita Ntem, an undergraduate student from Bryn Mawr College and Lucy Mercer-Mapstone, a PhD student at the University of Queensland. speak at the launch of the International Journal for Students as Partners. Both students are members of the journal’s editorial team. The journal was developed in partnership with the MacPherson Institute and is hosted by McMaster University Library Press.

(From left) Anita Ntem, an undergraduate student from Bryn Mawr College and Lucy Mercer-Mapstone, a PhD student at the University of Queensland speak at the launch of the International Journal for Students as Partners. Both students are members of the journal’s editorial team. The journal was developed in partnership with the MacPherson Institute and is hosted by McMaster University Library Press.


A new online journal, hosted by McMaster University Library Press, is exploring how students are working in partnership with faculty and staff to enhance teaching and learning in higher education.

The International Journal for Students as Partners (IJSaP) developed by the Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching – with the guidance of an advisory group made up of international experts – contains scholarship focused on emerging perspectives, practices and policies related to faculty-student partnerships in teaching and learning in higher education.International Journal for Students as Partners logo.

The journal, which is peer-reviewed and open access, is accepting scholarly articles, case studies, opinion pieces, reflective essays, and reviews in the area of “Students as Partners,” an emerging field of scholarship that involves students as co-creators, co-researchers, co-teachers, co-producers and co-designers in teaching and learning.

IJSaP is inviting international submissions particularly those co-authored by students and faculty or staff. The first issue was published in May and includes contributions by 21 students and 28 faculty or staff from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Vivian Lewis, McMaster University Librarian and member of the International Advisory Group for IJSaP, says increasingly, fully digital, open access journals like IJSaP represent the future of scholarly publishing.

“Times have changed and new, open access journals are emerging and beginning to take prominence,” says Lewis. “Also, the ‘born digital’ format both dramatically reduces the time from the original submission to final posting without jeopardizing the rigorous peer-review process, and allows visual and other digital media to be incorporated into submissions. We are proud to be a part of this innovative undertaking and to host this journal on our open access, online platform.”

In addition to IJSaP, McMaster University Library Press (MULPress) hosts a number of high-quality, peer-reviewed journals on its platform. To see a list of student journals published by the Library, please visit Student Journals @ McMaster University.

For questions about IJSAP, or to send comments, please send an email to ijsap@mcmaster.ca, or to start an open access, peer-reviewed, faculty or student journal, please contact scom@mcmaster.ca.

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