Exploring the Interplay Among Student Identity Development, University Resources, and Social Inclusion in Higher Education: Analyzing Students as Partners Project in a Hong Kong University

Peter LAU and Jiahui ZHENG
The University of Hong Kong

Social inclusion is vital in teaching and learning, particularly within collaborative educational frameworks like the Students as Partners (SaP) initiative. This article delves into selected SaP projects regarding social inclusion in a Hong Kong university, focusing on understanding the complex interplay among student identity development, university resources, and social inclusion. To achieve this, the study employs a qualitative research methodology, which allows for an in-depth exploration of the experiences and perspectives of students involved in the scheme. By analyzing student interview data, this article delineates the identity development process in SaP projects. Additionally, it explores aspects related to the university resources that support student partners throughout the social inclusion project implementation in the Hong Kong context. The results indicate that students are generally aware of social inclusion. Some of them developed a new identity to sustain a positive influence on social inclusion through SaP projects, along with the necessary university resources.

Source
Lau, P., & Zheng, J. (2025). Exploring the Interplay Among Student Identity Development, University Resources, and Social Inclusion in Higher Education: Analyzing Students as Partners Project in a Hong Kong University. Social Sciences, 14(3), 119. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14030119

Fostering educational innovations in the era of global digital futures with students as partners (SaP) – Agency of university students in the Asian context

Peter LAU1, Kevin Chan2, Anna Kwan3, Beatrice Chu4, Paul Lam5, Theresa Kwong6, Crusher Wong7, King Chong8
1 The University of Hong Kong | 2 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University | 3 HERDSA Hong Kong | 4 The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | 5 The Chinese University of Hong Kong | 6 Hong Kong Baptist University | 7 City University of Hong Kong | 8 Lingnan University

Most studies on Students as Partners (SaP) in the literature have been found to be western-centric, highlighting a significant lack of SaP studies in Asian countries. Higher education in Hong Kong is still developing its SaP practice. This article aims to address this gap by examining how student partnership fosters education innovation in the era of global digital futures, particularly through the Redesigning Student Learning Experience in Higher Education (RSLEIHE) project scheme in recent years in Hong Kong.

Believing that meaningful and impactful student partnership relies on the student agency developed during the projects, this study discusses factors facilitating student agency development through SaP projects of the RSLEIHE scheme in an age of digital futures. The two-stage research design (including student responses on a quantitative survey and a ranking task) allowed for a comprehensive exploration of student perception of student agency levels among a diverse cohort of participants from local universities in Hong Kong.

The findings revealed interesting patterns and variations in student agency across different demographic factors such as gender, level of study and academic disciplines. Notably, graduate students exhibited higher levels of agency compared with undergraduate students, while female students perceived significantly more peer support. Overall, this study emphasises the significance of support systems, trust-building, and opportunities for students to make choices in shaping the student experience.

Source
Lau, P., Chan, K., Kwan, A., Chu, B., Lam, P., Kwong, T., … & Chong, K. Fostering educational innovations in the era of global digital futures with students as partners (SaP)-Agency of university students in the Asian context. Journal of Applied Learning and Teaching, 8(Sp. Iss. 2), 64-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2025.8.S2.6

Cross-Institutional Service-Learning in Orthopedics Curriculum in Traditional Chinese Medicine Education: APRS Service-Learning Model

Peter LAU1*, Chun Hoi CHEUNG2*, Feng TU2, Dong Fang HAO1, Kenny Kiu Lam CHUNG3, Judith Hang Tsz WONG2, Angela Tzi San NG4, Shane Sheung Yuen SIU4
1 The University of Hong Kong | 2 Hong Kong Baptist University | 3 The Chinese University of Hong Kong | 4 Northeastern University | * Co-first authors

Previous studies showed that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) students experienced low confidence in using discipline knowledge/skills due to the lack of practicum opportunities in the curriculum under the current TCM law in Hong Kong. In this study, TCM students participated in service-learning in Orthopedics curriculum as partners. Detailed arrangements of the service in this study were self-determined by the student partners. In such a partnership, TCM students were empowered to take control of their learning. They gained additional exposure and authentic experience of working with TCM professionals and communicating with the local social workers and patients. As TCM students made significant decisions on what specific activities (home visits, consultations, or health care education) to hold, how to carry them out, and how frequent and when to execute, they reported a greater sense of control of their learning, as a result of reinforced Autonomous Motivation (Hagger et al., 2014).

Source
Lau, P.*, Cheung, C.H.*, Tu, F., Hao, D.F., Chung, K.K.L., Wong, J.H.T., Ng, A.T.S, & Siu, S.S.Y. (2024). Cross-institutional service-learning in orthopedics curriculum in traditional Chinese medicine education: APRS service-learning model. Journal of Service-Learning in Higher Education. [Link]

Student partnership in assessment in higher education: a systematic review

Cecilia Ka Yuk CHAN and Siaw Wee CHEN
The University of Hong Kong
This systematic review explores how student partnership is enacted in higher education assessment using a community of practice and liminality of student roles as the conceptual framework. Forty-three empirical studies were analysed. Thematic analysis results show that students adopt the four roles of co-designers, assessors, consultants and decision-makers in assessment partnerships. Such partnership occurs in four major areas of assessment: assessment and feedback design, execution and implementation, quality assurance, and policy establishment. To facilitate an effective partnership, essential knowledge, training and coaching, accuracy and quality check and partnership management are crucial supports from university staff. A framework is proposed to elucidate student partnership in assessment as situated learning in a community of practice.

Source
Chan, C. K. Y., & Chen, S. W. (2023). Student partnership in assessment in higher education: a systematic review. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 1–13. DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2023.2224948

Six-stage Student Partners Identity Development Framework

The qualitative data revealed a systematic progression of identity that participants underwent during their involvement in SaP projects. As the project progressed, they explored and defined their identities in six stages: Awareness, Exploration/Engagement, Identification, Differentiation, Generativity, and Integration.

Students progressively transitioned from “helpers” to “peer leaders” or “partners” in their teams. “Peer leaders” and “partners” were characterized with (self-)defined power, responsibilities (such as making decisions, defining missions, seeking sponsorship), and roles (such as promoting, recruiting, and training new members). Some of them eventually found ways to sustain project impacts by extending the practice to a new project setting (a wider context). This process of identity transformation was shaped and influenced by various factors. First, mentorship or guiding support provided by university staff or faculty was instrumental in fostering student confidence, skills/knowledge development, and leadership potential. Second, engagement and collaboration with peers facilitated the development of students’ role recognition and sense of responsibility within the team. Finally, the supporting resources and environment in the university, such as funding/financial support, facilities (laboratory), administration support, academic support, etc., significantly contributed to students’ growth and development. The students’ sense of growth and responsibility was exercised and strengthened in this process, enhancing their ability to adapt to challenges and assume higher-level responsibilities.

  • Awareness

    In the Awareness stage, students’ identity development is outside Student as Partner (SaP) projects, individuals began
    to recognize SaP as a distinct concept, albeit without a personal connection or identification with it.

  • Exploration/Engagement

    During the Exploration/Engagement stage, students engaged in tasks related to their interests, often motivated by curiosity or a desire to contribute meaningfully to their projects and sometimes collaborating with peers.

  • Identification

    In the Identification stage, students began to recognize and embrace their roles as active partners in the SaP projects. At this stage, students started to see their engagement as integral to the collaborative efforts of the group, focusing on the responsibilities associated with the partnership.

  • Differentiation

    In the Differentiation stage, students assumed various responsibilities and duties gradually. They began to recognize that student partnership is a collective process shaped through collaboration, inclusivity, and shared goals rather than a fixed position held by a single person.

  • Generativity

    In the Generativity stage, students recognized the constraints and limitations of their abilities and transcended to a greater cause. They began to focus on nurturing and mentoring others, emphasizing the importance of developing leadership potential within their peers. At this stage, partnership was perceived as a shared responsibility that fosters community contributions and collective success, rather than a singular achievement.

  • Integration

    In the Integration stage, students began to fully integrate student partners into their identities, viewing it as an intrinsic part of who they are
    rather than merely a role they assume in specific contexts. At this stage, leadership behaviors and values aligned seamlessly with their belief
    systems, allowing them to enact leadership authentically and consistently across all aspects of their lives—personal, professional, and social.

Four approaches of starting SaP projects

Peter Lau
Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre, HKU
After analysing 40+ Students as Partners (SaP) projects in Hong Kong local universities, four effective approaches are identified for attracting student partners at the initial stage of SaP engagement. See below brief descriptions:

  • Creating values for actions

    Considering students as co-advocates for universal values (such as equality, SDGs, etc), university staff could invite student partners to discuss how to incorporate those values in a course assessment. For example, in a course on non-discrimination laws, a student-led symposium replaces the traditional presentation assessment setting. In the public symposium, student groups report an analysis of the court cases assigned (such as discrimination in the workplace) and present how they organise a relevant campaign on campus. At the early stage, student partners engage mainly because of the shared values leading to value-based missions. Project ownership is shared equally.

  • A call for innovative ideas

    University staff raises a general problem statement in a field and makes a call for innovative solutions/ideas. For example, in student incubation projects, teachers engage student partners by providing feedback on the proposals and then supporting them to apply for project funds/resources for project development and implementation. In this situation, student partners have more ownership of the project (student-led), while teachers only play supportive or administrative roles.

  • Seeking help or expertise

    University staff reaches a “bottleneck” in their own T&L projects and seeks others’ help. Based on the well-defined project objectives or research questions, students are invited to contribute their expertise, such as student-perceived motivation, workload, etc. If students will, they could join as student partners (with or without payment) to further contribute to project implementation and execution. Teachers take more control at the early stage, i.e., a teacher-led partnership. However, student partners will gain some control if empowerment is given to them in collaboration in later stage, for example, when student partners add new directions for investigation, or take facilitation roles in some project activities.

  • Learning communities

    Given that teachers and students are members of a Community of Practice (CoP) on specific T&L themes, they have equal opportunities to contribute ideas for positive impacts on the existing practice. As student members already demonstrated a sense of commitment to the CoP, teachers can naturally invite them as partners. Compared with the other approaches, this partnership is free from the traditional power relationship and hence more sustainable.
For further information, please contact Dr Peter Lau, Teaching and Learning Innovation Centre, at pfmlau@hku.hk.