Presentation at #CAN 2018 held at the University of Winchester by the University of Portsmouth

1. A co-constructed curriculum: a model for
implementing total institutional change in
partnership with students
Amy Barlow, Head of Academic Development
Dr Harriet Dunbar-Morris, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Student Experience)
Angel Layer, Vice President (Education and Democracy)

3. The National Union of Students (NUS) understands
partnerships as “…investing students with the power to
co-create, not just knowledge or learning, but the higher
education institution itself…a corollary of a partnership
approach is the genuine, meaningful dispersal of
power….shared responsibility for identifying the problem
or opportunity for development, for devising –
importantly – for co-delivery of that solution”. (NUS
2012, p.8).

4. Education Strategy
We will:
• Empower students as partners in a community of learning where staff, students,
practising professionals and employers can work together to learn, create,
research and solve problems
• Promote, develop and foster a culture of co-creation and partnership, and
extend the opportunities for students to engage in peer and inter-cohort
training and mentoring programmes
• Encourage feedback from our students and act upon it
• Engage with our students, including through working in partnership with the
Students’ Union, to ensure that their voice is heard in discussions and decisions
that impact on their education or the wider student experience

5. Education Strategy
We will:
• Empower students as partners in a community of learning where staff, students,
practising professionals and employers can work together to learn, create,
research and solve problems
• Promote, develop and foster a culture of co-creation and partnership, and
extend the opportunities for students to engage in peer and inter-cohort
training and mentoring programmes
• Encourage feedback from our students and act upon it
• Engage with our students, including through working in partnership with the
Students’ Union, to ensure that their voice is heard in discussions and decisions
that impact on their education or the wider student experience

6. Education Strategy
We will:
• Empower students as partners in a community of learning where staff, students,
practising professionals and employers can work together to learn, create,
research and solve problems
• Promote, develop and foster a culture of co-creation and partnership, and
extend the opportunities for students to engage in peer and inter-cohort
training and mentoring programmes
• Encourage feedback from our students and act upon it
• Engage with our students, including through working in partnership with the
Students’ Union, to ensure that their voice is heard in discussions and decisions
that impact on their education or the wider student experience

7. Education Strategy
We will:
• Empower students as partners in a community of learning where staff, students,
practising professionals and employers can work together to learn, create,
research and solve problems
• Promote, develop and foster a culture of co-creation and partnership, and
extend the opportunities for students to engage in peer and inter-cohort
training and mentoring programmes
• Encourage feedback from our students and act upon it
• Engage with our students, including through working in partnership with the
Students’ Union, to ensure that their voice is heard in discussions and decisions
that impact on their education or the wider student experience

8. Education Strategy
We will:
• Empower students as partners in a community of learning where staff, students,
practising professionals and employers can work together to learn, create,
research and solve problems
• Promote, develop and foster a culture of co-creation and partnership, and
extend the opportunities for students to engage in peer and inter-cohort
training and mentoring programmes
• Encourage feedback from our students and act upon it
• Engage with our students, including through working in partnership with the
Students’ Union, to ensure that their voice is heard in discussions and decisions
that impact on their education or the wider student experience

9. Education Strategy
We will:
• Empower students as partners in a community of learning where staff, students,
practising professionals and employers can work together to learn, create,
research and solve problems
• Promote, develop and foster a culture of co-creation and partnership, and
extend the opportunities for students to engage in peer and inter-cohort
training and mentoring programmes
• Encourage feedback from our students and act upon it
• Engage with our students, including through working in partnership with the
Students’ Union, to ensure that their voice is heard in discussions and decisions
that impact on their education or the wider student experience

10. Education Strategy
We will:
• Empower students as partners in a community of learning where staff, students,
practising professionals and employers can work together to learn, create,
research and solve problems
• Promote, develop and foster a culture of co-creation and partnership, and
extend the opportunities for students to engage in peer and inter-cohort
training and mentoring programmes
• Encourage feedback from our students and act upon it
• Engage with our students, including through working in partnership with the
Students’ Union, to ensure that their voice is heard in discussions and decisions
that impact on their education or the wider student experience

11. Education Strategy
We will:
• Empower students as partners in a community of learning where staff, students,
practising professionals and employers can work together to learn, create,
research and solve problems
• Promote, develop and foster a culture of co-creation and partnership, and
extend the opportunities for students to engage in peer and inter-cohort
training and mentoring programmes
• Encourage feedback from our students and act upon it
• Engage with our students, including through working in partnership with the
Students’ Union, to ensure that their voice is heard in discussions and decisions
that impact on their education or the wider student experience

12. Listening and responding to
the student voice
• Gathering information
• Triangulation of information
• Acting on information

13. • Assessment & Feedback
Listening and responding to
the student voice

14. Portsmouth graduates will
be knowledgeable,
informed, intellectually
curious, responsible, self-
aware and self-motivated,
independent learners set
for success in their future
careers
Portsmouth
Graduate
EVELOPING THED

15. STUDENT FEEDBACK

16. STUDENT FEEDBACK
• Some units I feel have a perfect workload i.e. ones which include two 2000 essays/reports which are
due in at the end of first term and end of second term. However there are other units which have two
hours worth of lectures per week plus two hour practical which have assignments due every 3/4 weeks.
• Not having all the assessments due in on the same date.
• All the exams are close to each other at the end of the year.
• All artefacts due in the same time.
• I like when the units have a clear assessment guidance.
• Not enough tests and oral presentations.
• I think have summative examinations at the end of the academic year in May-June work well. Could
possibly introduce a more formative exam period in January.
• I think it really does depend on the content of the module and the way it is assessed and run. If a
module is heavily theoretical, with a big exam, 6 modules may be about right. But if you have more
practical based modules, or essay type exams then an additional module, I think, could allow for so
much more development and scope within the course.
• I think [6 units at once] is too much especially first year, it feels overwhelming especially when you have

17. STUDENT FEEDBACK
Volume & Timing
• 84% of students are satisfied with the volume, timing, and nature of their assessments. They told us
that they have lots of preparation time, that deadlines can be negotiated, and that lecturers can adapt
assessments to suit their needs. However, even more students highlighted that there are recurring
issues in deadline bunching, both in terms of multiple deadlines being set at the same time, often the
same day, and little time to complete assignments after finishing a topic or receiving feedback, both of
which have resulted in difficulties in managing workloads. The 2015 NSS supported this feedback, and
qualitative data also showed disparity in word count allowances, which should have more consistency
across courses.
• The University should review communications, both across units within a course, and across courses for Joint Honours
students to reduce clusters of assessments
• Staff should continue to work to ensure that core exam and assignment dates do not clash
• A working group of students should be setup to develop a unified strategy based on the NUS ‘Assessment and
Feedback benchmarking tool’ to create an Assessment & Feedback charter

18. CURRICULUM 2019
- Revised credit structures across our course portfolio
- All courses mapped to deliver the Hallmarks of Portsmouth Graduate
- Co-construction of new modules
- TESTA targeted to improve low NSS Assessment and Feedback Scores
- Student Union representation across steering and project groups

19. 5 minute discussion activity
Student Hallmark: Have an enterprising spirit, bringing innovation and productivity to
the groups and communities to which they belong.
Student Hallmark: Be informed citizens, with a sense of responsibility allied to a
commitment to ethical practice and social justice issues, such as equality, respect and
sustainability.
How do you interpret these Student Hallmarks?
How would you measure achievement in these areas?

20. Hallmarks in Curriculum Design
Ensuring an excellent student experience through the delivery of courses
that provide the knowledge, skills and attributes for success, as defined in
the Hallmarks of the Portsmouth Graduate.
e.g.:
• Be able to synthesise new and existing knowledge to generate ideas and
develop creative solutions of benefit to the economy and society.
• Be intellectually curious, embrace challenges and seize opportunities for
development.

21. “Assessing Graduate Attributes is essential to their successful
implementation “.
(Hughes & Barrie, 2010; Fraser & Thomas, 2013).
How can we measure behaving ethically?
How can a contribution to society be quantified?
What does curiosity and seizing opportunities look like in a Course
Specification?

22. Learning Outcomes?
Ipperciel and ElAtia (2014)

23. A Reflective Tool for Course Teams

24. A Reflective tool for Students

25. What are we learning
Agreeing on a shared language and terminology, through co-
construction does not guarantee that all staff and students will have
shared interpretations
- and that’s ok

26. What are we learning
Different disciplinary interpretations are an important consideration
when embedding an overarching strategy such as the Hallmarks

27. What are we learning
Live communication channels between students, staff and
management are equally as important to success as the co-
construction activity

28. Thank you
amy.barlow@port.ac.uk
harriet.dunbar-morris@port.ac.uk
angel.layer@upsu.net

29. Barrie, S. C. (2007). A conceptual framework for the teaching and learning of generic graduate attributes. Studies in Higher Education, 32(4), 439-458.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03075070701476100
Ipperciel, D., & ElAtia, S. (2014). Assessing graduate attributes: Building a criteria-based competency model. International Journal of Higher Education, 3(3), 27.
References