Students as the Co-creators of Curriculum and Materials: Insights from Two Co-creation Projects at the Bedford College Group

This presentation will focus on the lessons learnt from two co-creation initiatives undertaken at the Bedford College Group. The first project, titled 'Students as the Co-creators of the Sustainability Curriculum: Developing an Introductory Course on Climate Change, Social Justice, and Sustainability', received funding from the British Educational Research Association (BERA) and completed successfully last year. The ongoing second project, 'Students as the Co-creators of Learning Materials for the Introduction to Climate Change, Social Justice, and Sustainability Module: Exploring the Experiences of Students and the Effectiveness of the Co-creation Process', is generously supported by the Skills and Education Group Foundation. Drawing from my involvement in these projects as the lead researcher, I will explain the collaborative process undertaken with students and colleagues. Specifically, I will outline our journey in co-designing and refining the curriculum for a Level 4 module. Additionally, I will highlight some of the aspects of the development process of teaching and learning materials guided by the developed module handbook and informed by student perspectives. From this presentation, attendees will gain actionable insights into the details of student-led co-creation initiatives, including strategies for effective collaboration, challenges encountered, and the pedagogical implications of integrating student voices into curriculum design and material development.