Learning & Teaching

This project sought to address Eurocentric biases within the IESR course by incorporating perspectives from the Global South and historically marginalised communities. Its aim was to improve representation, contextual relevance and inclusivity across the course content, assessment methods and feedback practices. 

Through a review of existing materials, consultation with relevant stakeholders and the development of practical resources, the project aimed to support more inclusive and critically reflective teaching practice. The intended outcomes include a report for the Learning and Teaching Student-Staff Partnership Scheme, a practical guide or toolkit on decolonised teaching for staff, a conference workshop presented in March 2026, and a subsequent journal article planned for publication in 2027 

Several practices contributed to the effectiveness of the collaboration. The team established regular meetings, agreed clear objectives and maintained a consistent commitment to progressing the work despite competing priorities. Meetings were structured around pre-agreed targets, helping to maintain momentum and accountability. 

The partnership also adopted a reflective and iterative approach, regularly revisiting sections of the toolkit and report to refine and improve outputs. Recognising the importance of ensuring recommendations were informed by a range of student experiences, the team sought an ethics amendment and conducted a student focus group, enabling additional student perspectives to be incorporated into the project findings. 

The collaboration was effective because it was built on genuine partnership, shared ownership, and continuous dialogue between staff and student partners. 

The collaboration supported the development of practical and locally relevant guidance for more inclusive teaching practices within IESR. The focus group strengthened the final recommendations by ensuring that student experiences directly informed proposed changes.Students developed a deeper understanding of curriculum decolonisation, strengthened their research and critical thinking skills, and gained confidence that their perspectives could contribute to educational change. For staff, the toolkit provided a practical resource to support reflective curriculum review and encourage greater epistemic diversity. At the university level, the transferable toolkit offers a flexible framework adaptable across subjects, supporting inclusive education and ongoing curriculum enhancement. 

Beyond the immediate outputs, the project has contributed resources intended to support ongoing conversations around decolonising curricula and embedding more inclusive pedagogical approaches. 

Building partnerships around openness, shared ownership and clear communication can help sustain engagement and ensure contributions remain meaningful. Students should be recognised as active partners whose experiences and perspectives can meaningfully inform teaching and curriculum development, rather than as passive participants. Establishing expectations, roles and timelines early in the project, alongside regular opportunities to review progress, can support effective collaboration and prevent projects from becoming tokenistic. 

Allowing time for reflection and revision is equally important. Effective student-staff collaboration often involves revisiting ideas, adapting plans in response to feedback and remaining willing to refine outputs throughout the process. Demonstrating how student feedback has influenced decisions can help build trust and strengthen the relevance and impact of partnership work. 

A Toolkit for Thinking About Decolonising the Curriculum: An Example-Based Approach