NStEP Case Study of Student Engagement Supporting student-staff partnership in Irish higher education

Peer learning has been an integral focus of the teaching and learning experience at CCT College Dublin since its foundation in 2005. The CCT Student Mentoring Academy is a key institutional student engagement and suc-cess initiative in which students provide peer guidance and support in the context of challenging IT and busi-ness subjects. In recent years, in tandem with the College's membership of the National Student Engagement Programme, the operation of the CCT Student Mentoring Academy is informed by an increased emphasis on student partnership and leadership. Student mentors now inform the design and delivery of mentoring activi-ties in partnership with faculty. Many student mentors now also occupy student representative positions on institutional committees such as the Centre for Teaching and Learning Forum, the Academic Council and the Academic Integrity Committee. One student mentor has assumed the role of Co-Chair of the Academic Integrity Committee with a member of CCT's Management Group. The CCT Student Mentor Academy has proven to be an important mechanism for promoting student partnership and leadership as well as student engagement and success.