Working Towards a More Inclusive Reading List within the Context of Decolonisation

Next week I'm looking forward to delivering a session on inclusive reading lists at the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education’s Quality Insights Conference. This is taking place fully online on 23 and 24 February so please do check out the full programme and book a place to join us! The details of my lightning talk session are below, drawing on similar themes from the recent event I presented at that focused on Decolonising the University within and Beyond the Curriculum.

This lightning talk will present visual slides to share key learning and areas for reflection with respect to auditing a reading list within the context of decolonisation. This evaluation was inspired by good practice across the sector to develop more inclusive curricula and, particularly, to diversify reading lists that will better support learning and reflect our diverse student body. The evaluation of the resources for the initial module on a Postgraduate Certificate in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education aimed to: A) evaluate how to make the reading list more inclusive of diverse authors and perspectives, and B) model good practice so that students on the module (who are also staff teaching across the university) may conduct similar work in the future. The evaluation analysis focused on ethnicity, gender, and national origin of authors. This brief presentation shares initial findings from the audit of the 2021 resources for the module (inherited from colleagues) as well as enhancements made in advance of the module running in autumn 2022. It shares reflections on the findings and also offers a provocation for others who may seek to conduct similar work in future.

By the end of this session, delegates will have reflected on the power of the resources we use in learning and teaching, and the importance of making the curriculum more inclusive. After seeing one approach to auditing a resource list and efforts to enhance it, delegates will have learnt about key findings and challenges from this evaluation.

 

A Three-Pronged Approach to an Inclusive Curriculum: Reading List Decolonisation, Learning Agreements, and Inclusive Assessment

The University of Winchester has been running the Decolonising the University within and Beyond the Curriculum symposium for several years now, and I was delighted that this year it was open to others beyond Winchester to join the fantastic conversations. I was quite nervous to present on the topic since it can be sensitive and I was aware that others have been working on decolonising curricula for much longer than me, but I was relieved to have a supportive audience and that my presentation was well-received with colleagues interested to learn about the practical steps I had taken.

During this presentation, I shared steps I took to audit and decolonise a reading list, develop a shared learning agreement, and enhance assessment to make it more inclusive of diverse learners participating in the Designing and Facilitating Learning module at the University of Stirling. The reading list audit revealed a propensity of UK-based, white authors which then led to revamping the resources to include more diverse perspectives. I worked with the other tutor and the students to engage in developing a learning agreement together to foster an inclusive and supportive learning community. Furthermore, the move to a portfolio-based assessment that I introduced was seen to be a more inclusive, authentic, and creative form of assessment. 

This presentation explored how the practical approaches of the reading list audit, learning agreement development, and portfolio assessment contributed to decolonisation efforts at the modular level. These three elements helped our learning community examine questions of race and representation in terms of academic perspectives from the literature, the backgrounds of the module teachers, and the diverse student body. Participants learnt about these three approaches to decolonising the curriculum and examined what approaches may work best for their own contexts. We reflected on the power of the resources and approaches we use in learning and teaching, and the importance of an ongoing, enhancement-led approach to making the curriculum more inclusive.

Curriculum Co-Creation and its Potential for Transforming Student Wellbeing

 I was delighted to lead a webinar on curriculum co-creation, exploring its potential for enhancing student wellbeing, for the QAA Scotland Enhancement Theme collaborative cluster on mental wellbeing. See a recording below if you are interested in these themes.

Free Webinar: Curriculum Co-Creation and its Potential for Transforming Student Wellbeing

 I'm delighted to have been invited to speak at the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Scotland webinar on 1 September (10am - 11am BST) on my research. I will outline current principles and understandings of curriculum co-creation, drawing from my research. I will provide practical examples of co-creation practices and outcomes, focusing on themes relating to student mental wellbeing and learning and teaching transformation.

This webinar will explore:

• Key principles of curriculum co-creation
• Practical examples of co-creation practices and outcomes
• The connections between curriculum co-creation and student mental wellbeing

Learn more and register for the free webinar on the QAA Scotland Eventbrite page.

Creativity and Collaboration: An Exploration of Empathy, Inclusion, and Resilience in Co-Creation of the Curriculum

The call for papers for a special issue highlighting creativity in higher education practices inspired me to write an article drawing out the many interesting facets of creativity within co-creation of the curriculum. I enjoyed leading a discussion session today focused on the paper at the St Mary's University Festival of Learning and Teaching with this year's theme focusing specifically on co-creation of the curriculum. Thank you to the participants and chair for a fascinating discussion!

The article abstract, link to the full open access paper, and discussion questions from the session are shared below.

Abstract
This research article uses an inductive approach to analyse the nuanced nature of creativity within co-creation of the curriculum in higher education. Co-creation of the curriculum is one form of engagement in learning and teaching in which students and staff work in partnership so that each has a voice and a stake in curriculum development. Using qualitative research methods, this research focuses on the creative practices of co-creation of the curriculum and draws new connections between student engagement, creativity, and authenticity in learning and teaching. Themes that are explored include: (A) innovation through dialogue and collaboration within the community, (B) play and creatively trying new things despite risks, (C) enjoyment of creative learning and teaching, (D) shared ownership leading to intrinsic motivation and creativity, and (E) creatively challenging the status quo. The author suggests that it is the inclusive processes and products of creativity within co-creation of the curriculum that helps students and staff to develop essential skills and attributes – such as confidence, empathy, and resilience – that help them engage in authentic learning and teaching experiences and learn to cope with supercomplexity in today’s ever-changing world.

Read the full article: Creativity and Collaboration: An Exploration of Empathy, Inclusion, and Resilience in Co-Creation of the Curriculum in the Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal.

“More than Just a Student”: How Co-Creation of the Curriculum Fosters Third Spaces in Ways of Working, Identity, and Impact

In my recently published article, I analyse further qualitative data from my doctoral research on co-creation of the curriculum to draw out the theme of Third Spaces that has emerged. My work takes on new theoretical perspectives drawing on theories of the Third Space which I engaged with as a result of being inspired by the special issue theme of the International Journal of Students as Partners focusing on this topic. I also draw on literature on the Third Mission of universities which I was first introduced to while participating in the Central European University's summer school last year focusing on the theory and practice of contemporary adult education. The abstract is below as well as links to the open source article.

“More than Just a Student”: How Co-Creation of the Curriculum Fosters Third Spaces in Ways of Working, Identity, and Impact

Abstract:
The Third Space (Bhabha, 2004) represents non-traditional roles, processes, relationships, and spaces in which individuals work and have impact. This article presents qualitative research into 13 different curriculum co-creation initiatives at five Scottish universities and analyses the forms of Third Space that emerge.The findings highlight that curriculum co-creation can foster Third Spaces that include: new ways of working in learning and teaching, student development in a space between traditional student and teacher roles and identities, and impact in civic engagement within and beyond the university. The respect and reciprocity that characterise curriculum co-creation can greatly benefit students’ personal and professional development as individuals. In addition, I suggest that the Third Space of civic engagement can advance the Third Mission of universities (beyond impact in the first two missions of teaching and research) when students and teachers work in partnership to have a positive effect on the wider society.

The full article can be accessed here.

Reimagining the Place of Students in Academic Development

It's been such a pleasure to collaborate with an international team of staff and other PhD students on the journal article 'Reimagining the Place of Students in Academic Development' in the International Journal for Academic Development. I have learnt so much from Peter Felten, Sophia Abbot, Jordan Kirkwood, Aaron Long, Lucy Mercer-Mapstone, and Roselynn Verwood as we developed the ideas and 'reimaginings' of student-staff partnerships in academic development. Use the link above for free access to the article, and see the abstract below:

As calls for student-staff partnership proliferate across higher education, academic development must re-examine and reimagine its relationship to students. Students generally occupy roles with limited agency in academic development. We argue that this needs to change. We propose re-articulating the purpose of academic development toward the creation of conditions that liberate everyone involved in teaching and learning in higher education. We offer four vignettes that illustrate what is possible when students have the opportunity to embrace their essential roles. We conclude by reflecting on the human implications of student agency in academic development and higher education more broadly.