Curriculum Collaboration: Combining Strengths to Develop Student Learning

McKinney, Wood and Little (2009) point out the value of working with other professionals in ‘a coherent pedagogic framework’ and how this ’offers significant personal and professional rewards.’ As Learner Developers we work in partnership with a range of different colleagues (for example, subject specialists, librarians, learning technologists, technicians and student services) to develop learning and integrate academic skills into the curriculum, but the framework is not always clear and well defined to have the impact on student learning we work towards.
This workshop will share our experiences of collaborations through different case study examples, illustrating both the advantages and difficulties we face in providing timely and relevant learning development opportunities within a predetermined curriculum. These case studies range from one-off interventions through to carefully designed input which has been integrated into the curriculum based on a framework which maps the progression of learning development through the three years of a degree programme. Through group activities, we will invite participants to share and analyse their experiences of collaboration from being ‘parachuted in’ to becoming an integrated member of a teaching team. The aim is to provide an insight and work towards developing guidance as to what can make these collaborative ventures more successful.