ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1645916
This article is part of the Research TopicReimagining Higher Education: Responding Proactively to 21st Century Global ShiftsView all 12 articles
From Spectators to Decision-Makers: Redefining Student Roles as Co-Designers of Curriculum
Provisionally accepted
- 1University of Prishtina, Prishtina, Albania
- 2University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, United States
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Partnering with students to co-construct curriculum is an initiative that is gaining considerable attention due to its potential to transform higher education. This longitudinal study explored the experiences of five MA students who were empowered to challenge the conventional pedagogy of their institution by engaging in a student-faculty partnership to reform the curriculum. As part of this novel shift, students investigated the department's pedagogical issues, seizing the chance to voice their concerns, recommend solutions, and contribute to the curriculum co-construction. Data collected through semi-structured interviews obtained at two distinct timeframes, paired with instructors' reflective journals were analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that the trajectory of such an initiative was affected by the entrenched norms of the institution such as fear of retaliation, and students' perceived lack of self-efficacy to influence change in the curriculum. Also, the unprecedented experience of questioning authority changed power dynamics, evoking a sense of discomfort for students. Nevertheless, the benefits of this partnership outweighed the obstacles. This initiative cultivated a sense of agency and ownership, empowering students not only to make immediate adjustments to their study program but create a legacy for positive change in the academic experiences of successive generations. The findings of this research can shed light on the potential impact inclusive and collaborative pedagogies can have on breaking entrenched educational practices to progressively transform education.
Keywords: student-faculty partnership, curriculum co-construction, empowerment, Ownership, Student agency
Received: 12 Jun 2025; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mustafa, Gruda and Sarris. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zinaide Gruda, University of Prishtina, Prishtina, Albania
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