Mid Sweden University

Research shows that students are increasingly active when being included (Bovill & Bulley, 2011), therefore co-creation and interaction are essential for increased student learning. Inclusion in course design is an important factor, to offer students support in forms of inclusion when it comes to learning in digital environments like course platform and other digital medias as well as on campus (Förstudierapport, 2022). Regarding active student participation, an inclusive teaching environment is important in order to facilitate deep and transformative learning and to increase student engagement. In an exploration of co-creation with learners from a universal design perspective, it is essential to integrate a norm-critical approach which stands for diversity thinking in order to achieve societal development. With equality in focus patterns of norm-deviation are increasingly challenged (Hedvall, 2022). In universal design key words are flexibility, proactivity and intersectionality (Hedvall, 2022). The starting point when co-creating with learners should be the students who have the most difficulties. If a course design works for those with special needs and educational support, it should work for everyone. Universal design principles could be used as a tool in designing a course or a course platform. Inequality is the starting point, learning from a universal design perspective can be about creating a flexibility to meet students differences. Also, learning is created in co-creation with the target group, instead of only with the perspective of the expert, the teacher. Dunne and Zandstra (2011) talk about how students can become agents of change, but believe that there are challenges for both staff and students. They believe that students should be involved in co-creation because then they have an understanding of the requirements for learning from a student perspective. At Mid Sweden University there are different projects exemplifying this trend, for example BLAD (needs-driven learning through adapted participation) which is about developing forms of lifelong learning and distribution of skills development, adapted to the requirements and needs that societal and technological development places on public organizations. Students need different forms of support to feel secure when it comes to digital education, also the digital tools are getting more common. There is a need to further develop course design in digital environments to create the best opportunities for student learning also regarding their expectations of future learning environments. The purpose is to explore how a universal design perspective and co-creation with learners could be the basis for increased learning and active student engagement and participation in curriculum design. In this way, social sustainable development is integrated into course design through designing in co-creation with the students. The method used is a qualitative content analysis. The preliminary results show that universal design could have a positive effect on active student participation in curriculum design and a learning experience more open, inclusive and equitable. The contribution of this study is knowledge in how to use a universal design perspective in course design together with the students to design sustainable course design approaches that work for everyone in different higher education contexts.

References

Bovill, C., and Bulley, C.J. (2011) A model of active student participationin curriculum design: exploring desirability and possibility. In: Rust, C.(ed.) Improving Student Learning (ISL) 18: Global Theories and LocalPractices: Institutional, Disciplinary and Cultural Variations. Series:Improving Student Learning (18). Oxford Brookes University: OxfordCentre for Staff and Learning Development, Oxford, pp. 176-188. ISBN9781873576809

Dunne, E., & Zandstra, R. (2011). Students as Change Agents. New Ways of Engaging with Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Bristol: Escalate.  

Förstudierapport: Framtidens arbetssätt och campus (2022). Diarienummer: 2021/1405

Hedvall, P-O. (2022). Framväxten av universell utformning – en kulturomdaning i Arnell-Szurkos (red) Kunskap för framgångsrik inkludering, ISBN: 978-91-979508-1-7.