Eight Best Practices for Supporting Student Engagement in Post-Secondary Mental Health Research

Student engagement involves the meaningful and timely involvement of postsecondary students as experts with lived experience in the processes and decisions that affect them and their community.

In collaboration with post-secondary student advisors and researchers, the Inlight engagement team co-developed a list of best practices for student engagement to guide mental health research conducted in the post-secondary environment. This process was led in partnership with a Student Advisory Committee composed of current graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Toronto. The best practices outlined in this resource are based on learnings from previous research and research-adjacent activities and guided by community-engaged research principles.

Each best practice includes a brief description and several reflection questions that might be helpful when considering how you might apply it to your current work. How you apply these practices to your work will depend on your specific project, resources for engagement, and the students you are engaging.

Suggested Citation:

McCann E, Ewing L, Cleverley K, & the Inlight Student Advisory Committee (2024). Eight Best Practices for Supporting Student Engagement in Post-Secondary Mental Health Research. Inlight Student Mental Health Research Initiative, University of Toronto. Retrieved from: https://smhr.utoronto.ca/student-engagement/