The Power of the Co-Created Learning Experience

• One example of a co-created learning experience is the Digital Book Project, in which students conduct original research and disseminate the findings to external stakeholders.
• Through this project, students work on research problems relevant to employers and produce findings that contribute to practice. This shows them how research can achieve relevance beyond academia.
• The project also helps students enhance their employability by giving them opportunities to manage projects, communicate insights to nonacademic audiences, and develop digital literacy and editorial skills.

 
As higher education continues to evolve, universities are moving beyond the traditional model of teaching in which schools deliver content and learners act as passive recipients of knowledge. Today’s educators are facilitating spaces where students co-design, co-create, and co-lead aspects of their learning experiences, making education a genuinely collaborative process.

This shift reflects a wider pedagogical transformation that values partnership, dialogue, and shared ownership in learning. Studies have shown that engaging students in co-creation enhances multiple dimensions of student development, including motivation, engagement, and self-identity. It also fosters self-directed learning abilities and often leads to improved assessment outcomes.

Other research indicates that students who embrace the role of co-producers “take full responsibility for their learning and use teachers and other resources to support their effort and ensure more successful outcomes.” In this sense, co-creation encourages agency, accountability, and confidence—qualities that are crucial for lifelong learning and professional readiness.

One Example of Co-Creation

I have implemented co-creation in practice through the Digital Book Project that I have run at two different universities. Both times, I have worked with groups of about 30 undergraduate students who were conducting original research during their final years at the school. I believe this is a framework that could be replicated easily at other schools.

In the Digital Book Project, students conduct and disseminate research; in the process, they learn how to curate and present research for diverse audiences, bridging the gap between academic writing and professional communication. They also learn how co-created scholarship can bridge academic theory and real-world application, which empowers them to produce outputs that have tangible value beyond the university context.

A Digital Book Project unfolds in four stages:

Stage 1: Conducting dissertation research. Students undertake the traditional dissertation process by designing research questions, collecting data, analyzing findings, and producing rigorously evidenced academic reports.

Engaging students in co-creation enhances multiple dimensions of student development, including motivation, engagement, and self-identity.

Stage 2: Communicating knowledge. Once dissertations are complete, students convert their academic findings into a 700- to 1,000-word business blog designed for professional audiences. The goal is for them to learn to convey complex ideas in accessible, professional formats suitable for industry audiences. The blog format requires students to clearly communicate:

• The industry problems they have identified through their research.
• Their key findings, presented in accessible language.
• Actionable recommendations that companies could implement.
• Transparently presented information on the research methods they used.

Stage 3: Producing a digital book. Students present their dissertation findings to industry experts, who provide tailored recommendations on how the insights could be strengthened, applied in practice, or extended for future professional relevance. This interaction gives students direct exposure to employer expectations and real-world strategic challenges.

Based on this expert feedback, students revise their industry blogs and collaborate on the production of a digital book that brings together their blog-style pieces, shared reflections, and industry-relevant recommendations.

Because students showcase findings emerging from their own dissertations and contribute their own reflections and sector-specific insights, the core research and insight development remain individual. However, because the digital book is a collaborative activity, students have a chance to engage in collective knowledge production.

Stage 4: Disseminating knowledge. Once the book is published, it is shared with industry partners, alumni networks, and university and employer engagement teams. It is also distributed to professional communities through LinkedIn articles and newsletters. In this way, the digital book not only serves as a portfolio piece for students but also as a knowledge-sharing resource for the industry. At the same time, it showcases the importance of research-informed practice-based projects.

Throughout the Digital Book Project, students work closely with academic staff, who guide them in refining their messaging, structuring industry-facing outputs, and ensuring that their insights are communicated clearly and professionally. Faculty members provide iterative feedback on drafts, helping students strengthen both their analytical arguments and their communication strategies.

Scholarship and Industry Engagement

A distinctive feature of the Digital Book Project is its dual emphasis on scholarly inquiry and industry collaboration. Students work on research problems relevant to employers and industry partners, producing findings that contribute directly to professional practice. Students come to recognize how their dissertation research can directly inform or solve industry-based problems, achieving relevance beyond academia.

Although this project is extracurricular and not formally assessed within the academic program, students do receive detailed formative feedback from both academics and industry professionals. Such feedback helps them translate their academic findings into actionable insights. It also strengthens their ability to identify practical implications, refine evidence-based recommendations, and consider how their work can contribute to real-world strategic decisions.

Through co-creation, students not only strengthen their methodological and analytical skills, but also enhance their employability.

Another benefit of co-creation is that it fosters both intellectual and career development. Through the collaborative format of the Digital Book Project, students not only strengthen their methodological and analytical skills, but also enhance their employability in multiple ways:

• They gain experience in engaging with external organizations, managing projects, and communicating research insights to nonacademic audiences.
• They become more digitally literate while sharpening their editorial and creative publishing skills.
• They gain confidence as independent researchers.
• They create meaningful professional connections with potential employers while showcasing their capabilities as emerging researchers and critical thinkers.

Students who have participated in these projects have expressed positive reactions to the learning experience. One said, “It’s been an incredible journey over the past months, from designing the format to creating this digital book that celebrates innovation and creativity.” Another student commented, “This project has been a joy to work on. I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who played a part in bringing this project to life!”

Takeaways and Conclusions

I would offer four pieces of advice to other educators who want to try similar programs:

Adopt partnership-based pedagogy. Shift from a transmission model of teaching where faculty direct student learning to a participatory approach where students co-design and co-deliver elements of their learning.

Integrate research and practice. Use co-creation projects as opportunities to align academic learning with industry-relevant challenges and skills.

Empower student agency. Enable students to take ownership of their learning by assigning them roles such as project leads or research partners.

Foster reflective practice. Encourage both staff and students to reflect on the process of collaboration, strengthening metacognitive awareness and mutual learning.

The Digital Book Project illustrates how co-creation can transform the educational experience by treating students as partners in learning and empowering them to take on authentic, leadership-oriented roles within their academic journeys. By embedding co-creation within assessment design, curriculum development, and industry-facing research, higher education can create powerful, inclusive, and collaborative spaces for mutual learning—where both educators and students grow through partnership.