Students as Partners in Research: Using Evidence Synthesis Projects to Innovate on Mentored UR Models

“Students as partners” in teaching and learning is a rapidly growing pedagogical practice in the higher education context (Healey, et al., 2016). Within this framework, students are positioned more as co-equal collaborators, thus empowering students to be more actively engaged in their learning. In this presentation, we propose that certain types of undergraduate research experiences especially lend themselves to application of the students as partners paradigm, highlighting a scoping review (a form of evidence synthesis [ES] research) that has employed multiple undergraduate researchers collaborating with a multidisciplinary research team. We explain how ES projects provide a critical space for innovation in relation to undergraduate research where students can be co-creators and equals within the process, even if they lack formal research experience or domain knowledge. As a result, we offer that such projects are an effective way for students to develop and strengthen their information and data literacy.