Students and staff co-creating curricula: exploring practical ways of engaging students in designing their own learning & teaching Dr Catherine Bovill, Senior Lecturer, Academic Development Unit University of Stirling 4 th December 2012

Overview  Background and definitions  Why co-create curricula?  Possible and desirable levels of participation  Examples of different types of participation  Challenges and solutions  Key design decisions influencing student engagement

What is the curriculum? Fraser & Bosanquet’s (2006) curriculum definitions a) Structure and content of a unit b) Structure and content of a programme of study c) The students’ experience of learning d) A dynamic and interactive process of teaching and learning (p272)

HE Lit supporting co-created curric  Students as co-creators/co-producers of their learning (Bovill et al, 2011& 2009; McCulloch, 2009; Neary, 2010; SFC, 2008)  Literature calling for student participation in curriculum design from critical pedagogy and popular education (Darder et al, 2003; Dewey, 1916; Fischer, 2005; Freire, 1993; Giroux, 1983; Rogers and Freiberg, 1969)  Specific student participation in curriculum design  Breen & Littlejohn (2000) Language teaching  Scandrett et al (2005) Environmental justice  Fischer (2005); Delpish et al ( 2010) Education  Bovill et al, (2011); Cook-Sather (2010) non-disciplinary specific

Why would you co-create curricula?  My course was broken  My students are not engaged  I want to make my classroom more democratic  The benefits look worth exploring  The university was going through a structural change  There was a small amount of funding available

Student benefits Enhanced meta-cognitive understanding of the learning process  collective and individual responsibility  group cohesion  autonomy and self-directed learning  confidence and motivation Enhanced student performance in assessments Enhanced meta-cognitive understanding of the teaching process (See for e.g. Bovill et al 2011; Delpish et al, 2011; Mihans et al, 2008)

Staff outcomes Enhanced meta-cognitive understanding of the learning and teaching process Nerve-wracking Intense / demanded a lot Rewarding experience from genuine dialogue with students and witnessing benefits for students Transformatory (See for e.g. Bovill et al 2011; Delpish et al, 2011; Mihans et al, 2008)

Ladder of student participation in curriculum design Partnership - a negotiated curriculum Stud ents incre asin gly activ e in parti cipat ion Students in control Student control of some areas of choice Students control of prescribed areas Wide choice from prescribed choices Limited choice from prescribed choices Dictated curriculum – no interaction Participation claimed, tutor in control Students control decision-making and have substantial influence Students have some choice and influence Tutors control decision-making informed by student feedback Tutors control decision-making Gathering feedback from students… Depends what you do with the feedback Students as full members of curriculum design team Designing a VLE Students designing their own learning outcome(s) Bovill & Bulley, (2011)

Words of caution… Higher up the ladder is not necessarily ‘better’ Beware of chasing the nirvana of total participation and totally equal participation Different points on the ladder might be possible or desirable in different contexts The ladder is simply a model to facilitate discussion

Examples of co-created curricula Do you have any examples of co-created curricula?

Examples of student participation students choosing the topic for their research project students co-designing marking criteria with staff students and staff collaborate to choose a course text book students influencing the content of the curriculum students’ work forming the basis of the curriculum students co-creating course resources students co-designing the assessment

Some big questions… We have a professional body that constrains what we can do with our curriculum… I only teach these students for two weeks and the course is co- ordinated by someone else… We are all overstretched and this sounds like more work… I teach first years and they don’t have 20 years of experience like me to know what needs to be in the content of the first year chemistry curriculum…

Challenges to the co-creation process What are the key challenges to you co-creating curricula in your context? How can these challenges be overcome?

Pre-design decisions Tutors as gatekeepers… Which students? Retrospective, current or future design? Selecting students – if not all students by interview/criteria Do you reward your students? Course, programme or extra-curricular? Students involved in designing curriculum process or content? Bovill (forthcoming)

Any questions?

What would be a good question for me to ask the group if I wanted to get some feedback on the session today? Choose 1 or 2 of the suggested questions and write a response to the question on the paper provided. Please leave these behind at the end of the session Thank you Evaluation