Enabling inclusive spaces to decolonise the curriculum: student-centred zine-making workshops
- 1. Copyright University of Reading Enabling inclusive spaces to decolonise the curriculum: student-centred zine-making workshops Dr Michael Kilmister, Academic Developer (CQSD-ADE), m.kilmister@reading.ac.uk Victoria Grace-Bland, Student-Staff Partnerships Manager (CQSD-ADE), v.grace-bland@reading.ac.uk Mat Haine, Student Outcomes Manager (Student Success and Engagement), m.l.b.haine@reading.ac.uk Academic Development and Enhancement (CQSD-ADE)
- 2. Student voice & partnership at UoR The Student Panel help embed student voice at the centre of strategic projects, changes and decisions. Overview Inclusion Consultants support staff to embed inclusion and diversity into courses and services 50 Student Panel members No. Students 16 Inclusion Consultants Institutional-level Level Institution-level University-wide projects & priorities Focus EDI, Closing the awarding gap INCLUSION CONSULTANTS
- 3. Using zines to decolonise the curriculum So, what is a zine? Zines (short for ‘fanzines’) are small- circulation and non-commercial works of appropriated or original texts and images distributed by their creators. Since the early 20th century, zines have been used as a tool for sharing information, stories from voices who have been marginalised. • Authentic voices • Creative • Community building
- 4. Why zine-making? • Establish a welcoming and collaborative space for student partnerships • Explore the potential of creative workshops for student voice • Create something student- led to complement the University’s inclusive teaching and learning resources. ‘’Inclusivity is all about making sure everyone is involved and respected, to create a space where individuals feels safe and comfortable to share their own experiences without fear of judgement…’’ UoR Student Panellist, 2023
- 5. Facilitating inclusive partnerships Share results Principles of Partnership Information and pre-reading Online questionnaire
- 6. Zine-making: Creative spaces to explore ideas Written • Articles • Poems • Lists • Diary entry • ABCs • Stories • Instructions • Top-tips • Quotes • Manifestos Creative zine contributions Visual • Doodles • Sketches • Comic strips • Collages • Multi-media • Photocopies • Screenshots • Social media • Photos • Mind maps
- 7. Student outputs: Capturing authentic voices CONTRIBUTIONS
- 8. Student outputs: Capturing authentic voices CONTRIBUTIONS
- 9. Feedback from zine workshops CONTRIBUTIONS VISUAL • Doodles • Sketches • Comic strips • Collages • Multi-media • Photocopies • Screenshots • Social media • Photos • Mind maps
- 10. Creating a student-led zine 2023 - 24 Issue 2 Issue 3 Issue 1
- 11. Institutional and continued impact Institution level Staff wellbeing Students’ union
- 12. Resources and further reading Decolonising the Curriculum at UoR • UoR’s Decolonising the Curriculum resource 2022 • UoR’s Decolonising the Curriculum resource 2023 (This issue includes the case study on which this presentation is based)! Student partnership schemes at UoR • Student Panel • Student Partners • Inclusion Consultants • UoR’s Principles of Partnership Zine-making resources • Cornell University Library’s zine guide • Open Pedagogy’s notebook on zines • Zine Libraries’ ‘teaching with zines’ guide
Editor's Notes
- #2: Proposed paper addresses Theme 3: Raising Awareness, Changing Culture and Behaviour
- #4: MICHAEL Can student-created zines (pronounced “zeens”) decolonise the curriculum? Are they a way of gathering perspectives that other forms of student voice activities, like the focus group, might miss? These questions seeded a partnership project that brought together the Student Panel and Inclusion Consultants to collaborate on a series of student-created zines In summer 2023.
- #5: MICHAEL - Are they a way of collecting information and views that other forms of student voice-gathering activities, like the focus group or the research survey, might not capture? Further, might zines mobilise and empower marginalised and underrepresented groups in higher education contexts? Establish a welcoming and collaborative space where students would feel safe to express their honest thoughts and feelings. Explore the potential of creative workshops and artistic outputs as a mode of facilitating student voice. Publish a series of student-led zines that complement the University’s decolonising the curriculum (DtC) and inclusive teaching and learning resources.
- #10: MICHAEL - Observations and preliminary analysis of student evaluation data finds creative exercises (and spaces) engender an informal and rewarding atmosphere in which students can freely share authentic views and enjoy themselves In the post-workshop survey, students were asked ‘how did this workshop make you feel?’ Among the 24 responses received for this question, students said they felt ‘inspired’, ‘excited’ and ‘empowered’.
- #12: Decolonising the Curriculum 2023: supplementing the UoR resource and case study HR & Staff wellbeing: Zine-making workshop for Wellbeing at Work week - Workshop replicated in teaching practices – quote from Reading Students’ Union: Zine-making session for Black History Month Student Outcomes team: Zine-making with Inclusion Consultants on the Awarding Gap Student Partners scheme: Zine-making to explore Wellbeing in the curriculum
- #13: Icon source: Book Icon - Free PNG & SVG 66037 - Noun Project (thenounproject.com)