Co-Creating Equitable Teaching and Learning: Structuring Student Voice Into Higher Education

Co-Creating Equitable Teaching and Learning invites readers to help forge a more inclusive and accessible college education by incorporating student voices via pedagogical partnerships.Alison Cook-Sather, a pioneer of this co-creative approach, draws on more than twenty years of experience developing student–teacher partnerships in higher education to offer a wise and generous work that speaks to both students and educators. As her research underscores, a co-creative learning environment, in which relationships and communication between students and teachers are prioritized, benefits the educational experience on many levels. Cook-Sather demonstrates how pedagogical partnerships give students the tools to advocate for their own learning while giving educators the feedback they need to improve classroom experiences. She shows how the co-creative model helps to bring about inclusive spaces and equitable teaching practices that better foster student success, especially among underrepresented and minority student populations. Offering actionable guidance, Cook-Sather advocates enacting the following four principles to structure student voice into higher education: embracing a commitment to equity and justice; providing structure rather than prescriptions for engagement; making rather than taking up space; and developing a partnership mindset. She grounds these principles in examples of practices drawn from an undergraduate education course; a faculty development program; and cross-disciplinary, cross-constituency institutional dialogues. This work calls for readers to reimagine the higher education structure and to cultivate an environment in which all stakeholders can work together to advance inclusivity, accessibility, and equity. As the author argues, co-creation can be a catalyst for change throughout the system.

About the Author :
Alison Cook-Sather is Mary Katharine Woodworth Professor of Education and Director of the concentration in Peace, Conflict, and Social Justice Studies at Bryn Mawr College, as well as Director of the Teaching and Learning Institute at Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges.

Review :
“This book is a must-read for educators ready for the next big step in their teaching and curriculum design.”—Carol A. Hurney, Associate Provost, Faculty Development & Diversity, Colby College “Cook-Sather’s research has been both radically innovative and universally accessible. This new work offers a compelling argument for engaging practices of co-creation to implement a practice of equity and justice in higher education. It is essential reading for instructors, institutional leaders, and staff, as well as students.”—Steven S. Volk, Co-director, Consortium for Teaching and Learning, Great Lakes Colleges Association “In this important book, Cook-Sather uses deep research and personal stories to show that students can—and should—be positioned as partners with faculty, staff, and administrators in co-constructing inclusive teaching and learning. As she demonstrates, student voice is essential to co-creating equity and justice in higher education.”—Peter Felten, Center for Engaged Learning, Elon University, Co-author, Relationship-Rich Education: How Human Connections Drive Success in College “To move the needle in higher education towards more equitable learning environments, we need to use strategies that demonstrate impact. This book highlights the critical importance of integrating student voices, a powerful approach that can lead to transformation at the course through the institutional level.”—Tracie Marcella Addy, Associate Dean of Teaching & Learning, Lafayette College