Transcript Title here - University of Stirling

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
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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?
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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
Students in control
Students as full
members of
curriculum design
team
Partnership - a
negotiated curriculum
Student control of
some areas of choice
Students control of
prescribed areas
Wide choice from
prescribed choices
Limited choice from
prescribed choices
Participation claimed,
tutor in control
Dictated curriculum –
no interaction
Bovill & Bulley, (2011)
Students control
decision-making and
have substantial
Students
designing
influence
their own learning
outcome(s)
Students have
some choice and
Designing
a VLE
influence
Tutors control
decision-making
informed by
student feedback
Stud
ents
incre
asin
gly
activ
e in
parti
cipat
ion
Gathering feedback
Tutors control
from
students…
decision-making
Depends what you do
with the feedback
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…
I teach first years and
Wethey
are don’t
all have 20
years
of and
experience
like
overstretched
this
IWe
only
have
teach
a these
me
tolike
know
what needs
more
professional
studentssounds
for
body
twothat
weeks
to
be
work…
constrains
and the course
what
we
is in
co-the content of
first year chemistry
ordinated
can do with
bythe
our
someone
curriculum…
else… 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?
Evaluation
• 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