Decolonizing Students as Partners: A Guide to the 7Rs

In this guide we describe research-informed strategies and practice-based examples for using the 7Rs – Respect, Reciprocity, Responsibility, Relevance, Relationships, Representation, and Reflection – as an interconnected, wholistic set of principles that guide authentic student-faculty partnerships. Transformative partnerships are not just collaborations; they require intentional, relational, and reflective practice grounded in equity and diverse ways of knowing. Our 7Rs framework offers a practical pathway to doing this work in meaningful and transformative ways.

This guide outlines research-informed strategies for teaching and learning practice that builds from our work on decolonizing students-as-partners (Hayman, Bui, Duke, Jomha, Peñas, Hill, and Smith, 2026) through a 7Rs framework, a model that can be used to create meaningful, equitable, and decolonizing partnerships in teaching, learning, and research.

Integrating a students-as-partners (SaP) approach can transform student learning when our actions are inclusive, relational, and grounded in shared power dynamics. Traditional SaP models emphasize collaboration, but they often centre Western viewpoints and individualistic assumptions, overlook Indigenous ways of knowing, and focus on classroom-level change rather than systemic transformation. The 7Rs framework expands SaP by weaving Indigenous perspectives with established partnership principles to support more inclusive and transformative practice.