Freedom to experiment? Design as an impetus for collaboration

Abstract

This contribution is a collective autoethnography conducted by the co-authors to capture their experiences within the Discovery Delivery Group, a group which has been tasked with re-imagining complementary learning opportunities to broaden students' horizons beyond programme boundaries as part of the Discovery offering at the University of Leeds, U.K., aligned to its ambition for flexible, inclusive and transformative student education. Design thinking and further participatory curriculum design strategies were used to experiment and to explore more novel approaches in this two-year project. In this autoethnographic work, the researchers and members of the Discovery Delivery Group participated in an inquiry to share and gain insights into the experience of participation in this group, reflecting on a shared appetite for change and innovation as transformative educators and colleagues. The study reveals how such transformational pedagogical project groups can create a space for learning, experimentation and innovation.