Development of practical tools to realize the epistemic responsibilities of universities: a co-design study

Abstract

University rankings have strongly influenced the values, practices, and policies universities adopt to be considered good universities. Thinking in terms of epistemic responsibilities (ERs) of universities provides a novel framework that could counter the traditional use of rankings and its negative effects, by accentuating other and broader responsibilities for research, teaching, and in service to society. We conducted a co-design study to develop practical tools to foster ERs. Applied co-design methodology is characterized by creativity, collaboration, and democratic knowledge formation. In an iterative co-design process with 25 participants from a range of backgrounds, we co-designed three policy tools for fostering ERs at universities: (1) organization of events and activities about the ERs to create awareness about them, (2) establishment of red teams to critically reflect on ERs and (3) setting up co-creation spaces in which stakeholders prioritize and develop university actions to foster ERs. In this study, we showed how policy for higher education can be developed using co-design methodology. Lastly, these three co-designed tools focus on realizing ERs through collaborative bottom-up processes, while also valuing the particular contexts of universities.