Gain valuable skills, make connections with staff, be paid for your time, and make a lasting impact on improving the UTS learning experience. If you have an idea for a project, we want to hear from you!

About the program

The Students as Partners Project Grants program empowers students as change agents to actively improve the university experience for themselves and their peers by proposing, leading, and implementing a project in a particular area of focus.

Students work individually or as part of a small team and are required to engage with a staff partner to collaborate on a project with.

If your project proposal is selected, you or your student team will be employed by UTS for the duration of your project and will be paid through the grant funding. Individual projects will receive up to $5000 and group projects (2-3 students) receive up to $10,000.

Projects are chosen based on their:

  • Potential impact on improving the student experience.
  • Feasibility of project to meet outcomes within grant timeline and resources.
  • Sustainability of project outcomes beyond the grant period.
  • Partnership process and outcomes within the project.

The program is part of the UTS Student Partnership Agreement and is a Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF) initiative.

Get involved

All applications to the 2025 Students as Partners program have now closed. Thank you to all those who have applied.

Here is more information on how students applied to a 2025 Students as Partners Grant. 

If you are a UTS staff member interested in partnering in a project in 2026 or the following years, please fill in our Staff Partner EOI form to join our staff list for students to engage with. We will get in touch with you when the program begins.

Contact us

Get in touch with the team for more information on the Students as Partners Project Grants here.

Successful 2025 Students as Partners Projects

34 applications were received for the 2025 Students as Partners (SAP) program. 10 group projects and 2 individual projects were successfully completed. The projects ran from the 11th of June to the 24th of November, with a SAP presentation showcase held on the 26th of November. You can learn more about our 2025 project showcase on this blogpost. 

The following details the project title, focus area, group members and summary of each selected project. 

Access and Agency: A framework for inclusive class attendance policies

Focus area: Assessment practice & Inclusivity in learner engagement

Staff partner: Timothy Boye

Student partners: Evangelina Darmaputra & Laura Veasey

This project aimed to develop recommendations and a practical framework for attendance and participation that promote equitable access for students with disabilities or fluctuating conditions. 

Read more about their findings and recommendations on this blog post. 

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Timothy Boye. 

AI Agents: Industry Powered Simulations

Focus area: Teaching practice

Staff partner: Dr Amir Armanious

Student partners: Kayla Duncan & Eloise Spencer

The project aimed to explore how artificial intelligence (AI) agents can enhance experiential learning, bridge the gap between academic theory and practice, and prepare students for the AI-driven workplace within the Business faculty.  

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Dr Amir Armanious.

Communication in the Workplace Canvas Modular Expansion

Focus area: Academic support

Staff partner: Simon Au

Student partners: Joshua Liam Buxton, Kelly Thai & Phan Nguyen

This project aims to improve students’ professional communication skills and boost their confidence as they transition into the workplace by enhancing and digitising the HELPS Communicating in the Workplace resource into a flexible, engaging, and practical training module tailored to real-world professional contexts. 

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Simon Au. (Simon.Au@uts.edu.au)  

Enhancing online learning through modular active content for STEM students

Focus area: Academic support

Staff partners: Xianzhi Wang

Student partners: Jihoon Choi & Kimgech (Yong) Pov

This project aims to enhance student engagement and retention in STEM lectures by transforming traditional content into interactive, modular learning experiences to make learning more dynamic, accessible, and effective for students.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Xianzhi Wang.   

How to Present & Represent

Focus area: Academic support

Staff partner: Dr Sarah Kinkel Miller

Student partner: Ghaiath Almustafa

This project aims to equip students, particularly graduate and HDR students, with accessible and engaging tools to effectively present and clearly communicate complex research to diverse audiences. 

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Sarah Kinkel Miller. 

Learning On-Country

Focus area: Teaching practice

Staff partner: Professor Benny Wilson

Student partner: Kate Kelly & Nour El-Zmeter

This project sought to explore the impact and potential benefits of an immersive learning in Country experience on preservice teachers and shed light on the ways it could be implemented within the Secondary Education courses at UTS.  

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Professor Benny WIlson.

Normalising and opening a dialogue about disability support 

Focus area: Policy and process review & Inclusivity in learner engagement

Staff partner: Esita Sogotubu

Student partners: Jennifer Latif & Juliette Latif

The focus for the project was to understand the extent to which UTS supports enrolled students with disabilities (SWDs) across three domains; study, employment and work integrated learning (WIL). Through identifying these gaps, they aimed to formulate recommendations on how everyone at UTS can work collaboratively to improve SWDs' experiences.   

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Esita Sogotubu.

Online clinical placement exchange platform for Bachelor of Nursing Students

Focus area: Policy and process review

Staff partner: Dr Elizabeth Brogan

Student partners: Jessica Pan, Massimo Fathulla & Natalie Nguyen

This project aims to support the clinical placement experience for Bachelor of Nursing students by streamlining the process of navigating and swapping placements to improve placement flexibility, reduce administrative burden, and empower students in managing their clinical experiences. 

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Dr Elizabeth Brogan.

 

Pathways and progress

Focus area: Academic support

Staff partner: Lee Wallace

Student partner: Peter McKenzie

This project aims to build confidence among UTS sport science students by increasing awareness, guidance, and access to career pathways and external qualifications to help students navigate their academic and professional journeys more effectively. 

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Lee Wallace.

RUSE: Student Centre AI chatbot 

Focus area: Academic support

Staff partners: Angelica Syed & Lilieta Fauonuku

Student partners: Ayush Prajapati, Jongmin Kim & Muneef Azwad

This project aims to enhance the student experience at the Student Centre by reducing barriers to information, improving service accessibility, and supporting academic success through seamless administrative processes. 

  For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Angelica Syed & Lilieta Fauonuku.

 

Supporting student mothers at UTS

Focus area: Academic support & Inclusivity in learner engagement

Staff partner: Elaine Laforteza

Student partners: Paskalina Faidiban & Napoleon Charles Kambu

This project aims to create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment for UTS student parents by creating recommendations based on student experiences, challenges and support needs. 

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Elaine Laforteza.

 

Measuring Student Use and Perceptions of FEIT Labs and Workshops

Focus area: Academic support

Staff partner: Marc Carmichael

Student partners: Jeremy Chu & Mike Engelsman

This project aims to evaluate the accessibility, awareness and utilisation of FEIT LAB and Workshop spaces at UTS. It aims to look into the barriers to LWS accessibility and usage (booking systems, awareness of lab availability, opening hours), student satisfaction with LWS and existing resources, and opportunities to improve lab scheduling, resource allocation, and communication systems. 

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Marc Carmichael. 

Thanks to Adithya Kumar for his preliminary research, collecting data, and assisting in the design and development of the project.

Thanks to Sam Ferguson for his excellent mentorship and assistance provided throughout the entirety of the project.

Successful 2024 Students as Partners Projects

2024 Students as partners cohort

11 projects successfully completed the 2024 Students as Partners (SaP) program. A showcase was held to celebrate and present the diverse 9 groups projects and 2 individual projects. The below details are a summary of each successful SaP project of 2024.

Enhancing the Student Experience for Bachelor of Nursing students by Addressing the 'Pain' Points

This project aimed to address challenges first-year Bachelor Nursing students face such as fast-paced learning, gaps in scientific knowledge and inadequate study strategies which hinder academic success and clinical confidence. These issues were addressed by implementing weekly workshops and podcasts focused on study techniques, content mastery and clinical preparedness. These strategies resulted in better content retention, increased confidence, boosted preparedness and reduced feelings of anxiety within students.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Jack Cornish.

Fostering Openness: Open Science, Education and Publishing  

This project aims to assess the perceptions and attitudes of UTS HDR students and recent graduates towards open science and open-access publishing. Based on the findings, recommendations have been provided to increase awareness and engagement with open-access tools and practices among students, better preparing them for the evolving landscape of academic publishing.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Helen Chan.

GenAI Literacy Across Disciplines 

AI Across Disciplines project aimed to improve Generative AI (GenAI) among UTS students from non-technical disciplines. Through research, a short, non-reward course was built on Canvas UTS. The course aims to engage students by providing foundational AI knowledge in an accessible manner and equip students with the skills to navigate and apply AI technologies responsibly in their academic and professional careers.

Read more about their GenAI Literacy course on this blog post.

The course is now available for self-enrolment on Canvas.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Dr Antonette Shibani.

HIPPOS (Hand’s-On Innovative Professional Prep Orientated Students)

The HIPPOS project aimed to raise students' awareness on building professional portfolios by utilising their university projects to showcase their skillsets, helping them become more adaptive, employable, and prepared for their future career. A Canvas site on portfolio building and reflective learning was developed and tested with a group of Games Development students. A showcase was held for student participants to display their portfolios to faculty staff, academics and peers. Five student participants expressed that if it wasn't for this project they would not have had a portfolio.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Jason Do.

Inclusive Instructions in Creative Production  

This project sought to identify gaps in students knowledge and comfortabilities surrounding audio technology, jargon, and radio journalism. A set of 11 informative and accessible zines were developed and distributed to students to empower and enhance their engagement to university content. Areas addressed include choosing microphones, organising and structuring Digital Audio Workstation sessions, patching, using the radio panel, producing interviews and using different online programs necessary for radio.

You can view the zines on our UTS Library Digital Collections page here.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Dr Liz Giuffre.

Keeping BCII Warm 

'Keeping BCII Warm' explores insights and recommendations into the Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII) student experience on the challenges faced during interstitial breaks between BCII subjects. Recommendations explored include strategies for retaining knowledge, strengthening skills and taking opportunities to connect amongst peers.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Beate Mueller.

Human Centred Approach to Loss and Bereavement into Special Consideration

This project seeks to examine the current application of loss and bereavement policies, with a focus on special consideration procedures at UTS. The findings aim to guide the development of a comprehensive systematic, and trauma-informed framework that can support students in navigating the administrative processes associated with special consideration in the context of bereavement.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Jo Tilly.

 

Tapasā: Pasifika Student Empowerment Initiative  

The Tapasā: Pasifika Student Empowerment Initiative was launched to support Pasifika students at UTS by addressing their unique challenges, including isolation and limited access to culturally relevant academic resources. This initiative aimed to foster belonging, confidence, and academic success while celebrating Pasifika cultural identity. A project launch showcase was hosted in collaboration with the Tapasā: Pasifika Student Empowerment Initiative.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Christine Afoa.

Timetable Tune: Improving the Timetabling System  

The Timetable Tune project sought to gain insights into the needs of students during their timetabling and enrolment experiences, using a human-centred design approach. The outputs included key recommendations for optimising the student journey, and key digital systems including 'MyTimetable'  interface, with the aim to reduce student stress, confusion, and cognitive load, and enhance the overall navigation experience. The result will lead to more satisfied students who feel empowered, and confident for their studies ahead. 

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Mischa Damon.

 

Understanding and Supporting ADHD in the Classroom  

This project aims to investigate challenges faced by ADHD university students and identify practical and proactive strategies. These proposed recommendations seek to create a more inclusive and supportive academic environment that enables ADHD students to fully engage with their education and succeed academically.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partner, Nathan Langford.

UTS First-Year Narratives 

The First Year Narratives project is a collection of digital stories that amplify the voices of students typically marginalised and underrepresented in universities. Through recorded in-person interviews, these narratives reveal knowledge gaps amongst community and support systems offered at UTS and enhances the understanding of unique cultural needs of UTS's diverse student body. A project launch showcase was hosted in collaboration with the Tapasā: Pasifika Student Empowerment Initiative SaP group.

For more information, please contact the Staff Partners, Amanda Moors-Mailei  and Regan Gauci.