WHO WE ARE

Students as Partners at Deakin is proudly managed by the Office of the Dean of Students.

Students as Partners (SaP) at Deakin is a student engagement approach that recognises the expertise of our students in enhancing the student experience. By collaborating with students, staff can reposition their work from ‘creating for’ students to ‘creating with’ students. SaP projects conceptualise student expertise through their lived experiences as students and seek to harness those lived experiences, as well as students’ ideas, perspectives, and opinions in order to improve pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, services, or resources.

Deakin’s Equity-First Students as Partners Microgrant program is funded by the Higher Education Participation and Partnership Program (HEPPP) via the Office of the Dean of Students.

Professor Lisa Hanna

Dean of Students

Professor Hanna has been a teaching and research academic in the Faculty of Health at Deakin for over 10 years, has taught widely at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and is passionate about facilitating and promoting excellence in all aspects of the student experience. As Dean of Students, Lisa is committed to working in partnership with students across the Deakin community. She will help to resolve student issues, use student feedback to improve policy and practice and promote academic integrity at Deakin.

Dr Cassandra Iannucci

Senior Lecturer, Equity-First Students as Partners

Cassandra’s main teaching and research interested include (physical education) teacher education assessment and student voice, agency and democratic practices across the education sector. More recently, she is drawn to exploring what learning is privileged and valued in physical education with a particular emphasis on increasing capacity for social and emotional learning

Dr Cassandra Iannucci joined the School of Education in October 2018 and teaching predominantly on the Bachelor of Health and Physical Education teacher education program. Cassandra joins the Students as Partners team in 2023 to build Deakin’s capacity for student partnership.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cassandra-Iannucci

Sam Geddes

Senior Officer | Equity-First, Students as Partners

Sam Geddes is a Senior Officer who works closely with the Dean of Students and the wider professional and academic network to coordinate and support all Equity-First, Students as Partners projects at Deakin University. Her work means building relationships with staff and students to deliver meaningful and productive student-staff partnership. Sam is also studying a Bachelor Health and Physical Education (Secondary) at Deakin.