From Partnership to Governance: reconceptualising squeaky wheels and the ‘teach in’ for genuine student contribution

This presentation explores the problem in the dichotomy of the silent student and squeaky wheel and poses a solution in the form of the ‘teach in’. Drawing on the informal networking and learning opportunities of the 1960s student radical, this presentation proposes a new mode in contemporary higher education, which accounts for top-down and grassroots partnership and governance contributions. Rather than reinforcing and over enabling the squeaky wheel mythology to dominate committee positions, or denying the plurality of perspectives and student possibility, this presentation asserts partnered learning as a recognised and formalised mode toward genuine student contribution in governance, partnership and topic co-design spaces. Moreover, it poses legitimate models for recognising students’ contribution to their university in ways that do not require funding allocation – drawing on a combination of informal opportunities and formalised recognition in awards programs and topics designed to facilitate genuine participation. This presentation will draw on empirical data collected during my (current) PhD studies at Flinders University.