The Co-creation of Exam Support: Students as partners in the research, planning, design and quality assurance of learning resources.

Abstract

This case study outlines the role of students as partners in the co-creation of workshops for the University of Manchester Library’s award-winning ‘My Learning Essentials’ (MLE) skills programme. It focuses on a new workshop – developed, piloted and delivered in 2017 and called ’Academic Writing for Exams’ – and situates it within the context of the wider MLE programme. The process of developing new workshops is outlined, to illustrate how student members of staff (the Library Student Team) contribute to the creation of new learning resources. The study reveals the extent of the Library’s partnership with students, in relation to researching the topic area, producing high-quality slides and materials and participating in the quality-assurance processes for all new and refreshed resources. The aim is to share best practice and explore how a student/staff working partnership can be mutually beneficial and lead to the design of excellent, inclusive and relevant academic skills support. The study includes valuation data from the live workshop and reflects on the partnership and the process, with a view to developing current practice for the future.