Curriculum:
Structure and flexibility
The overarching structure of the curriculum is based around these three modules:
- Introduction to co-creation
- The three co’s framework
- The co-creation toolkit.
This overarching structure allows for flexibility in curriculum delivery, for example:
- Adaptable timeframe
- Adaptable to different countries and wellbeing contexts
- Adaptable format (e.g., online, face-to- face or a mixture of hybrid delivery).
- Pick and choose what learning is covered and focused on based on needs
Curriculum outline and the 3 co's framework
Module 1: Introduction to co-creation
This module aims to introduce the definition, underpinning theory (including Participatory Action Research and Design Thinking), benefits, structure, barriers with solutions, competencies and top tips for co-creation. Accompanying activities includes attendees starting to develop ideas for applying the co-creation approach in practice. This module will also examine the competencies useful for mediating co-creation and includes facilitator reflections with top tips (for example, the co-creation setting, managing group dynamics, and sharing responsibility for sustainability).
Module 2: The three co’s framework
This module aims to examine how to apply co-creation processes through the structure of the three co’s framework of co-define, co-design and co-refine (Pearce & Magee, 2024):
- Co-Define: Identifying needs, collaborative problem formulation and identifying resources and managing conflicts, deciding how to embed co-evaluation throughout.
- Co-Design: Collaborative problem solution (including co-planning) and co-designing actions to implement solution, and starting the co-production process. Continual co-evaluation throughout the co-design process.
- Co-Refine: Evaluating the planned actions, iterative development, continuing co-production, dissemination and impact, co-evaluating the process and outcomes.
Module 3: the co-creation toolkit
This module aims to provide tools to support the application of co-creation in practice, including examples from case studies, activities that can be used, and evaluation guidance. A key aspect to this module is experiencing the use of different co-creation tools for different purposes through action and problem-based learning.
Flexibility of the curriculum
Bitesized chunks
Each module can be broken down into small sections so trainers can either decide to bulk multiple sections together or deliver sections individually in smaller bitesize chunks.
Trainers may also decide to focus on some sections more than others.
Needs analysis
The trainer might know the attendees first and therefore wish to work with them to tailor the modules / sessions covered in their delivery of the curriculum to meet their specific needs, or the trainer may choose the overarching learning objectives first and then advertise this so that people can choose to be attendees.
Either way, a pre-questionnaire can be sent out to potential attendees as a needs analysis to examine their previous co-creation experience, what they wish to gain from the training and any key areas they would like to be focused on.
Mode of delivery
This curriculum could be delivered in-person, online or as a hybrid mode. It can either all be synchronous delivery or with a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous activities.
Mode of delivery can be chosen flexibly by the trainer, or the trainer can ask the attendees what mode of delivery they would prefer to receive.
Potential delivery modes could include:
- Educational presentations – either pre-recorded videos to be watched asynchronously by attendees or live and synchronous
- Knowledge building, co-creation experience and deep discussion/reflection sessions with feedback from trainees in-person or online
- Assignments to learn and get experience with some tools – these can be embedded as activities within presentations or as bridging activities from experiential sessions.
- Provide a toolbox of accompanying resources, including case study examples, useful co-creation methods to use and signposting to current links and further reading.
Flexibility in focus and topic
If you have attendees all from one organisation or one co-creation project group then you may wish to allow them to use the curriculum to actually co-create an output as they learn the stages and techniques. If you do this then you will need to ensure that you facilitate them to co-define the rules fully to decide how to handle copyright, information sharing and responsibility appropriately.
Alternatively, if you have a mixture of attendees from a range of backgrounds then you could ask them to develop hypothetical examples from their experience to work on the activities, develop an overarching goal for them all to focus on during the training so a group output is achieved, or you can provide them with different example scenarios to complete the activities with (e.g., like in the simulation game). You can also ask them to apply the activities to discussing co-creation (e.g., challenges and solutions to co-creation in practice generally).
Evaluation of curriculum delivery
Evaluation of the training should occur throughout and not just at the end (i.e. formative and summative).
Evaluation activities should be collaborative as well as individual. This can include ongoing reflection together on whether attendee’s thinking and approaches have changed as a result of the training and their application of co-creation.
Bridging activities can be used between delivered sessions to encourage attendees to try to use learning in their day-to-day lives and practice. This means that the challenges and successes to their co-creation can be collated before the next session, not just to fed back but also to allow the training to be iteratively tailored to address attendee’s key barriers to co-creation.
Note: it is important to distinguish between evaluation of the curriculum delivery, and the teaching and learning of evaluation, including evaluation of the co-creation itself (co-evaluation), and evaluation of the process and outputs being created.
