Curriculum:
Top tips for using our curriculum

Next: Co-creation tools

Top tips for using our Co-Creating Wellbeing curriculum

  • The full curriculum does not have to be used in every training programme, it can be chosen based on what is wanted and needed in each individual case.
  • Modules and module sections should be introduced at the beginning of each block of teaching with learning objectives and a delivery overview to allow the attendees to negotiate the course being delivered and manage expectations.
  • It is especially beneficial for attendees to have a co-creation idea they want to develop, whether at an individual or group level. 
  • Encourage trainees to give formative feedback throughout the training to be used to iteratively to tailor the training during delivery. 
  • When the main activities for course delivery are chosen, information of alternative co-creation activities can be provided to course attendees as a wider co-creation toolkit. 
  • Flipped learning can be used to make the most of any synchronous sessions, for example asynchronous videos and activities for key underpinning learning before a synchronous session to experience using co-creation tools. 
  • An online learning management system can be used to host the structure and building blocks of the curriculum delivery if appropriate.
  • Embed activities within and in between teaching presentations so that learning is underpinned by experiential and problem-based learning. 
  • Be explicit about the level of co-creation knowledge the delivery is pitched at (for example, beginner level) if advertising on to an open version of the training, or provide a series of levels that people can join (for example, if they already know the theory but wish to learn a more advanced level of co-creation then can they join at a later stage in the training)


Top tips on teaching presentations

  • It is recommended that presentations are a series of mini talks between 5-20 minutes long for optimal attention from the attendee. 
  • Where talks are pre-recorded, ensure captions and transcripts are provided for inclusivity. If talks are delivered live, then where useful a pdf of the PowerPoint slides could be provided to attendees with any accompanying notes.
  • Presentations are recommended to be largely picture based rather than text heavy. This can also be used to demonstrate the style of Pecka Kucha. However, these can be tailored for your trainees’ learning requirements.
  • Relevant citations/references should be used in the talks to ensure that the training is evidence-based. 

Key learning from delivering our pilots of the curriculum

Our attendees really liked:
  • The clarity of the learning goals
  • Having training tailored specifically to their needs after filling out a pre-training questionnaire.
  • Complimentary videos and digital resources.
  • Context specific simulations to learn from.
  • Face-to-face synchronous experiential and problem-based learning and interacting together with other peers (don’t make these too long because these can be tiring days).
  • Multiple, shorter, self-contained learning sessions as opposed to one long delivery over multiple back-to-back days.
  • A range of attendee types involved from early career to senior management.
  • Spaced out training sessions over time to enable the simultaneous development of co-creation processes in professional contexts
  • Having a reading list of further reading to go into topics in more depth
  • Having a series of examples of how co-creation has been used in real life practice
  • Specifically examining what co-creation tools can be used for online co-creation activities as well as face-to-face application.
  • Time to ask trainers questions (this could be embedded in to multiple points of the training session and not just at the end).
  • Time at the beginning for ice breaking activities and short activity-based presentations (especially summarising pre-training questionnaire) to allow time for people to introduce themselves to each other, gain trust and consider how they will work together in the training.
  • Working together with people in the same area or organisation. If attendees are from a range of backgrounds, finding common ground between them helps their collaborative learning journey (e.g., co-creating their future co-creation network after the training). 
  • If all have different backgrounds and co-creation ideas, they also liked having time to share their ideas with each other and receiving feedback from other attendees as peers.

For us, one of the most important things you can do is really understand your trainees’ contexts, motivations and needs for coming on the co-creation training before finalising the way the curriculum is flexibly applied in a bespoke way. Here are some examples of how you can do this:

  • If delivering to a group within a specific organisation, find out where the motivation to co-create has come from and whether this is supported across all levels within the organisation. For example, we faced challenges if management were endorsing the training, but employees felt under more pressure lacking time within their work. Alternatively, we faced challenges where employees wanted to co-create, but management did not understand its benefits. So negotiating and teaching buy in to co-creation processes became part of the training in these circumstances.
  • Find out if the trainees want to learn about the underpinning co-creation definitions, theory and applicable frameworks first before working on their co-creation projects (this worked well in a flipped learning style often with theory delivered asynchronously online and the experiential aspects delivered synchronously), or whether they prefer to develop a practical example as the focus while having underpinning theory embedded alongside this learning (this was particularly the case when the whole training was face-to-face only). Without understanding these needs before developing the training from the curriculum, it might result in people dropping out.
  • Curriculum delivery can be tailored to meet the needs and questions of the attendees, for example:
    • some of the pilots ended up teaching some of the planned topics in more depth. For example, skills for co-creation, or co-design and design thinking.
    • some of the pilots taught more on related co-creation topics, such as co-creation with sensitive topics, different learning needs, gaining ethical approval for co-creation projects, how it sits theoretically with other traditional methods (for example, interviews, focus groups, surveys).
  • Synchronous sessions (whether face-to-face or online) were particularly useful at the beginning and ends of the curriculum delivery, to allow for peers to engage with each other, network and ask more informal questions to trainers. This allowed for the asynchronous online activity and/or people applying learning in their own contexts to occur in between training sessions. 
  • For aspects of asynchronous online delivery, attendees could choose to fit these activities into their available time (e.g., whether they wanted to do a bulk all in one day, or whether they preferred smaller sections over multiple days). We found it better to provide the bulk of online asynchronous content to all attendees rather than release sections at a time to account for people doing it at different paces. The only exception to this was if synchronous experiential sessions occurred in between learning, and then some content was held back for attendees to receive after these sessions to allow for progression of learning. 
  • Online training sessions in between face-to-face ones allowed attendees to continue networking with other across their process of trying to apply co-creation in their own contexts.
  • Provide clear step-by-step guides beforehand on any online softwares being used. If the software is complex, then examine if an alternative simper version can be used instead or if additional learning sessions to use the software can be offered.
  • If using an online management system to host the asynchronous online aspects of the curriculum delivery, host asynchronous activities here and encourage people to engage with them and post their thoughts on the system.
  • Use gamification tools (progress bar, badges) to help maintain trainees’ levels of participation and sustain their engagement.

You can find further top tips for teaching co-creation from our previous  Co-Creating Welfare Project here .

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