Creating collaborative spaces: Applying a “student as partner” approach to university peer mentoring programs

Globally, access to higher education (HE) has reached unprecedented levels with almost a third of school-leavers worldwide attending university and some countries approaching or exceeding 50% participation across populations (Marginson 2016). This increase in the volume and diversity of students is partly determined by government-driven participation targets for equity groups, which are generally framed by social inclusion imperatives and economic or productivity goals. This creates an uncomfortable dialectic, wherein institutions invite students from diverse backgrounds into further learning for the national good, yet expect individuals to pay for this endeavor and adapt themselves to institutional expectations of the “successful learner” (O’Shea and Delahunty 2018). This chapter critically analyzes how HE participation not only provides access to new knowledges and learning but is equally a deeply embodied and emotional experience. Focusing on the importance of relational connections within this landscape, we show how the “students as partners” (SaP) approach offers an alternative discourse to those that focus on skills acquisition and knowledge gain only.