Do students experience transformation through co-creating curriculum in higher education?

Abstract

Many studies highlight positive outcomes from curriculum co-creation including its transformational potential for students. In this paper, we explore how curriculum co-creation transforms students, drawing on Johansson and Felten’s (2014. Transforming Students: Fulfilling the Promise of Higher Education. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press) theoretical framework including four factors of student transformation: (1) disruption of previous ways of working, (2) reflection on experiences, (3) new forms of action, and (4) integration of new perspectives and ways of working. We present our analysis of student and staff experiences of actively engaging in curriculum co-creation at five Scottish universities to understand the ways in which students are transformed through this experience. Our findings focus on four themes of student transformation in curriculum co-creation: developing positive relationships and community; engagement and enjoyment; taking risks and overcoming challenges; and academic achievement and retention. We conclude that the risks and challenges inherent in curriculum co-creation may in fact be exactly those conditions conducive to student transformation.