Representations of Space and Time: Conceptual Maps of Student Co-Design (Poster 2)

• In Event: Critically Examining Space and Time in Learning and Design for More Just and Equitable Futures

Abstract

Purpose
Student co-design is the process in which students participate in the design of learning programs and curriculum in order to integrate student perspectives and experiences. Historically, the goal of co-design has been to finalize and/or validate an end product (e.g. curriculum). With this goal, students/ youth are solely involved as end-users. Yet, the process of co-design creates a unique opportunity to accurately reflect the needs, identities, and histories of learners and, at the same time, challenge implicit hierarchical structures and inequities embedded in curriculum design and products (Authors, 2021a; Iversen, Smith, & Dindler, 2017; Pitt, et al., 2019).

Perspectives
Our approach is the co-design of a digital technology as a construct for organizing and sequencing a learning program. We focus on leveraging technology as a mechanism to involve students in the design process as collaborators, creating representations of the thinking of the design group over time. In this way, technological tools and the design practices for creating them have the potential to make visible and prioritizes the needs of the community - being responsive to the uniqueness of the community the technology serves, redistributing power and promoting equitable participation, and recognizing the agency of learners (Collins & Bilge, 2016; Lave & Wenger, 1991; National Research Council, 2000; Rogoff, 2003).

Methods and Data Sources
Data includes video recordings of virtual design sessions for the co-design revision of three university education courses (19 sessions total). The three design teams (21 students total, plus 2 facilitators) created conceptual maps of learning and development, then iterated on that design to center equity within course frameworks. Analysis included: a) an examination of digital conceptual maps used as a design tool for mapping developmental trajectories and learning and, b) the co-design process to examine power distribution and participation.

Results
The virtually designed conceptual maps demonstrate how the participants interpreted and prioritized learning content and activities. In this way, the conceptual maps provided a tool for design participants to reflect, individually and as a group, on what they learned. Further, the conceptual maps helped reify the design process across time (Figure 2). Results indicate the virtual conceptual mapping tool impacted: a) the learning of design participants; b) equitable participation of design participants; c) learning of design facilitators and course instructors, by bringing to light the different perspectives of the learners, learners’ experiences, and learners’ histories; d) the responsiveness of the collective design process; and e) educational structures and content.

Significance
In our study, the specialized use of digital tools for designing a technology (digital badge systems) captured the thinking of the design group, creating narratives of thinking over time. The conceptual maps used in our research on co-design are architected constructs that capture co-design activity, forcing specific moments of design space to be recognized. As representations of space and time during design, the design team reflected on their next steps, specifically on how to emphasize elements that support equity within the learning environment.

Authors

• Gavin Tierney, California State University - Fullerton
  Presenting Author

• Theresa Horstman, University of Washington - Bothell
  Presenting Author