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 4th 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 responsibilitygroup cohesionautonomy and self-directed learningconfidence 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 Stu
dents increasingly active in
participation
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