Case studies

Rethinking Transformative Education

The IGP Dissertation Workshop: Research as a
Community Practice

Mara Torres Pinedo, Amanda Kartikasari, Ismat Juma and Hemant

Kumar (University College London)

Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the

restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the
world, with the world, and with each other.

Paulo Freire

Introduction
This case study, which introduces The IGP Dissertation Workshop: Research as a Community
Practice, is the result of our observations and reflections during a University College London
(UCL) ChangeMakers project, where students and staff from the Institute for Global
Prosperity (IGP) planned and developed a series of activities to improve research training as
well as the academic and emotional support students receive during their dissertation
period. The project’s reflections enriched previous conversations on module and program
improvements and the conviction that an authentic transformative education needs to be
grounded on a constant horizontal dialogue between staff and students. This dialogical
process enables a turn from dominant models of education where students are passive
receivers of knowledge, which Paulo Freire (1970) called the “banking concept of
education”, and walks together towards a learning process where both students and
academics teach and are taught, while being co-responsible for their growth and
transformation.

UCL is committed to advancing a culture of student engagement in all areas of the university
and the learning process. As stated in its Education Strategy, student-staff partnerships and
engagement are essential for the enhancement of student experience, and the constant
improvement and innovation of education, along with the development of a sense of
community at UCL (UCL, 2018). Opportunities for student engagement range from feedback
surveys throughout the year, student representation on teaching and staff-student

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consultative committees, faculty/college level committees, Student’s Union engagement, as

well as co-developing ChangeMakers departmental projects.

UCL ChangeMakers is a programme that supports the development of staff-student

collaborative projects looking to drive change and innovation towards enhancing the
student learning experience at a departmental level. Students can lead or partner with staff
by joining a proposed project. Upon revision, seed funds are allocated to support project
improvements driven by collaborative student-staff partnerships (UCL, 2022). UCL
ChangeMakers projects create opportunities for staff-student conversations while co-
designing change (UCL, 2021). By complementing the experience and perspective of both,
while recognising the diversity of the UCL community, these kinds of initiatives contribute to
creating a sense of belonging by facilitating connections and encouraging students to play
active roles in the interests, quality, and characteristics of their learning communities.

The IGP promotes the idea that innovation can serve social justice and equality and that
different communities have different aspirations and understandings of prosperity.
Prosperity is about an active co-production of flourishing futures that recognise and develop
inclusive, plural and diverse communities and institutions (Moore, 2015; Mintchev and
Moore, 2018). Building authentic prosperous futures towards improving people’s lives
requires working collaboratively to understand problems and co-design change through
participatory and plural mechanisms or methodologies that allow the co-creation of shared
purpose and solidarity. As Moore and Mintchev (2021) argue, context-sensitive
understandings of prosperity start with a dialogue around people’s hopes, challenges and
opportunities for a prosperous life. As a research and teaching institute with a growing,
vibrant community, a dialogue to understand what prosperity means for the communities
we work with and the community we are part of, becomes crucial.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the motivations of students and staff for developing
this partnership, as well as its impact on participants' experiences and learning during the
dissertation journey at IGP. Furthermore, this case study will critically reflect on the project
experience to inform a continuous evaluation and improvement of the dissertation module
with, and for, students, staff and alumni. The paper starts by describing the specifications of
the project and its pedagogy practice. Next, the paper presents details on its
implementation and concludes by elaborating on the project evaluation and the lessons
learnt from student partners and teaching staff.

Specifications of the Project

Our project, “The Dissertation Workshop: Research as a Community Practice”, builds on a
conversation at IGP’s Staff Student Consultative (SSCC) meetings, where students gave
feedback to the IGP staff on improving research methods training and the support they get
during the dissertation period. The IGP promotes the idea that innovation can serve social

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justice and equity and that different communities might have different dreams and
understandings of what prosperity means. With this project, we engaged in active and
reflective communication with our student community to explore what prosperity and
innovation would look like in the dissertation journey, and aimed to co-create a learning
community with, and for, students to improve the support and the sense of belonging during
the dissertation journey. The project engaged well with the Institute for Global Prosperity
ethos and its commitment to transdisciplinary approaches to create more prosperous futures
for all.

Table 1 Project Key Aspects

Co-create a learning Evaluate Research Make the case for
community Methods and Transformation
Dissertation Modules
 Support students’  Evaluate content  Identify strategies to
dissertation projects and teaching consolidate skills and
 Build a collaborative delivery of research experience of IGP
learning community. modules students
 Strengthen a sense  Evaluate dissertation  Present proposals to IGP
of belonging to IGP module activities leadership team
 Continuous and components  Evaluate ChangeMakers
development of  Identify elements to project
research skills strengthen research
modules

Pedagogic Approach
As an early career academic, it was also important for the project facilitator to build a teaching
practice in constant dialogue with students and actively promote the co-development of
learning communities. As bell hooks reminds us, “when everyone in the classroom, teacher
and students, recognises that they are responsible for creating a learning community
together, learning is at its most meaningful and useful” (hooks, 2010). This collective
approach, and a constant and honest dialogue, allowed us to overcome the hierarchical
teacher-student relationship and to develop a space where authentic research and
knowledge co-creation took place. In these kinds of pedagogical approaches, the teacher is
no longer the only one who teaches, nor are students the only ones who learn. On the
contrary, these spaces allow for what Paulo Freire called the existence of teacher-students
and students-teachers, where “the teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one
who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach”
(Freire, 1970, p. 53).

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Inspired by the legacies of critical and feminist educators, and in recognition of the diverse
disciplinary and intersectional backgrounds, we invited our community to see “the classroom”
as the space of possibility where the community we are building and the active participation
of all in the learning process can pave the way to more inclusive learning spaces. Concurrently,
these approaches recognise participants as beings in the process of becoming, beings willing
to acknowledge what they know and don’t know, beings that recognise that knowledge is in
constant change and that the learning communities we are part of might differ and that we
need to constantly adapt, reinvent and reconceptualise our teaching-learning practices
(Freire, 1970; hooks, 1994, 2010).

Implementation
As can be observed in Figure 1, the idea and need for this project started at an SSC meeting
between staff and students. Once the project funding was approved by UCL ChangeMakers,
in collaboration with student representatives, we launched an internal call for students to
express their interest in engaging in the co-development of the IGP Learning Community
planning workshop and to lead in the subsequent activities that will involve the wider student
community at the institute. Five students (three from MSc Prosperity, Innovation and
Entrepreneurship and two from MSc Global Prosperity) were involved in the core team as
student partners. These students became the main liaisons with the student group for the
project development and co-facilitated the different activities. This collaboration also allowed
for constant feedback and adaptation of activities throughout the duration of the project.

Figure 1. IGP Dissertation workshop. Project stages and activities

We started early in term 3 by identifying activities that might benefit students’ stressful
dissertation period. We were looking for activities that could bring people together in what
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tends to be a very solitary period. We developed a collective intelligence workshop where

students pitched their research projects and received feedback and ideas from peers. This
exercise also helped them identify peers working on similar topics or methods so that they
could collaborate or solve doubts. We also started ‘writing mornings’ where we would get
together to write and share some time. This was also a moment to get close to staff and solve
doubts in the students’ projects development. During the planning stage, we thought that
developing this community and identifying needs and support activities for students could
improve their experience and development, as well as create a more strategic relationship
with the supervisory team. Overall, this project aimed to create a collaborative learning
community where students are active participants, supporting and providing a sense of
belonging for IGP MSc students during their time at IGP and beyond. The project prioritised
flexibility, in order to be able to define (and redesign) the activities during the project
duration, based on what worked, what didn’t work and the new needs that emerged in the
process. This fundamental approach allowed us to have a constant dialogue and reflective
process to innovate and explore models of future teaching practices that improve the
belonging and well-being of our community, and to reflect on how this can open the door to
an authentic transformative education.

Beyond the support activities we developed during the summer of 2022, we also developed
a participatory evaluation of the dissertation module, as represented in Figure 2, and the
connected research methods modules (from skills to experience and wellbeing), aiming to
improve the dissertation process and experience for future students. The results of this
process then benefited not only students in the 2021-22 academic year, but also created a
legacy for future students at IGP by prototyping “the ideal IGP Dissertation Module” (Figure
3) from the student’s perspective. Results were presented to the IGP leadership team and
most of the proposed changes started to take place in the 2022-23 academic year. The new
IGP Dissertation Module will support students in developing the knowledge, skills and
management practices to design and develop research that pushes the boundaries of our
understanding of prosperity, both intellectually and practically. Students will learn academic
and real-world skills necessary to design, manage and conduct problem-solving research and
will become active participants in their learning process and the characteristics of their
learning community.

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Figure 2. Student challenges during the dissertation period

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Figure 3. The Ideal IGP Dissertation Module

Note: *Represents votes in terms of the relevance of the topic for students. Ideas in bold font are elements that have been
addressed in the 2022-23 academic year. For an interactive view of the workshop results, please visit:
https://miro.com/app/board/uXjVPNPNLSA=/?share_link_id=372647746812

Evaluation and Lessons Learned

IGP Student Community
The IGP community is one of the most diverse groups of people. Students from around the
world with different backgrounds and experiences give various perspectives in discussions
on any topic. The wonderful thing was that they were all united by the idea of learning
about the new concept of prosperity and well-being and therefore were very open to
sharing and learning from each other.

However, with a diverse group of people comes different personalities, preferred ways of
social interactions, cultural customs and religious preferences, accessibility issues, and many
other factors. Some people can easily get inspiration when working in a group and talking
with other people, whilst some prefer to observe then work alone in a space that is familiar
and comfortable to them. We think that a sense of inclusivity can come from many aspects
and that knowledge and resources should be available to both types of people.

After the collective intelligence workshop attended by 16 students, we received 14

anonymous feedback responses, resulting in a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 7.2. Given the
question “How likely are you to recommend this session to a classmate?”, eleven students

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were promoters (entered 9 or 10 as the score), two students were passives (entered 8 as
the score), and one student was detractor (entered 6 as the score).

When asked “How could the workshop be improved?”, most respondents commented on
the structure, such as having a moderator to organise the discussions, making longer
sessions to give students more space to explain the research project and receive feedback,
and providing guidelines of the pitch content to give better clarity for the audience.
Furthermore, over 50% of students recognised the learning community during the
dissertation period as a positive feature in their process in the acknowledgement sections of
their dissertations.

The biggest challenge related to students’ expectations was considering the emotional state
of the students who participated in the research project pitch. As one participant
commented, “I feel people came with an expectation of appreciation for their project and
also seeking direction through feedback and inputs. I believe these elements could definitely
be improved and made more visible in the next sessions to follow”. We particularly
highlighted this suggestion for future improvement because we wanted to avoid the
thoughts “that feedback can potentially develop doubts and insecurity in relation to the
whole research project instead of providing tools to gain clarity”, as quoted by another
participant. Rather, we aimed to create a safe space for the IGP students who were
passionate about their chosen topics.

Additionally, the writing sessions became the avenue to meet other students who were in
the same situations and gather for social activities afterwards, which I think is important to
help students be reminded that prosperity for us, after all, is not only about academic
accomplishments but also about building human connections with others in the community.

Student Partners
As mentioned earlier, this project was a collective effort of students as partners, as well as
participants, and staff as facilitators. In the following section, we will narrate the lessons
learned from the student partners’ perspectives.

Being involved in the ChangeMakers project as students at the time, we reflected that
asking and listening to what other people in the community think and feel is important.
Most of us had never received any academic research training and faced tremendous
challenges when doing the dissertation which generated feelings of anxiety and frustration,
as well as recognising the disadvantages we had in developing our research projects.

“Within the educational system in the country where I came from, I was taught to believe
every theory and knowledge that was given by teachers without questioning. As well, my
bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship and my entrepreneurship experience in the creative
sector that followed, have built my mindset to be practical and results-oriented, rather than

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analytical and process-focused, two qualities that I consider important in research. These
thoughts lingered and created self-limiting beliefs and became my progress blocker.”
(Participant, 2022)

Coming together regularly facilitated support and personalised informal feedback from
peers and the learning facilitator. The possibility of accessing an academic researcher and
Research Method lecturer with a professional teaching background in a safe and informal
space helped us a lot throughout our writing journeys.

“I recalled the three factors that kept me moving forward with my dissertation: being asked
‘How are you doing?’, the genuine interest in my topic showed by an active invitation to
show my work and some actionable feedback given afterwards, and some positive
affirmations like ‘You will do fine.’ These points, in the end, circled back to the two elements
mentioned in the previous section: appreciation and direction.” (Participant, 2022)

Furthermore, students (already alumni at the time of writing this paper), are strategic
partners for developing a continuing alumni engagement and a critical perspective in the
overall programme structure and content. Alumni can also become a liaison with the most
up-to-date information on sector recruiting processes and needs, and a critical bridge for
the development of future collaborations that look to tackle grand challenges at the local
level. Through students and academic staff working together to improve the prosperity of
our community and the communities where we come from, we can open the door for more
engaged and critical university programmes.

Learning Facilitator
Evaluating the process and outcome of this project from several points of view is beneficial
to create the best improvement plan. This particular part will develop the perspective of the
project leader as a learning facilitator.

My role as the facilitator allowed me to continue a conversation that students brought to

the table at one of our SSCC meetings. Students’ experiences, perspectives and leadership
remained at the core of the project from start to finish. My biggest lesson was that if we
follow up on students’ comments and feedback, students are eager to engage if they are
given a chance. Allowing students to lead activities is not only a way to guarantee their
engagement but also a learning activity in itself. Students are real experts and innovators,
and they can drive change if we are willing to listen. Sometimes, the biggest innovations
come from the subtlest changes. Changes for the 2022-23 academic year were based on the

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priorities established in Figure 3 and timeline possibilities according to UCL regulations.

These can be seen in the elements described in Table 2.

Table 2. Dissertation Module Redevelopment

Student Module adjustments ChangeMakers project
Priorities for relationship
change
Practicality and  Continuing engagement with  Continuous
Employability UCLU Community Research development of
Initiative research skills
 Piloting community-based projects
in alumni countries/communities
An Immersive  Year-long module  Support students’
Module o Term 1. Kickstarting academic dissertation projects
writing
o Term 2. Designing research
project
o Term 3. Managing,
conducting, and writing
research

Visibility and  Dissertation Project Fair and  Build a collaborative

Impact networking event learning community.
 Involve IGP alumni in networking  Strengthen a sense
and dissertation module of belonging to IGP
workshops
 The Research Pitch. A collective
intelligence workshop (peer-
feedback focused)

A challenge to keep in mind in future efforts is to find ways to bring more people together
and to create spaces for different working/learning approaches for a more inclusive
community. The project was also impacted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in an
academic year that started remotely, some students even completed the course online and
faced difficulties and anxieties while getting together.

Having a constant and open dialogue with the team and the larger student community
allowed me to respond to challenges quickly and identify new ideas or adjustments to
improve engagement and participation. Flexibility and uncertainty tolerance towards the
project development were critical elements that made the process less stressful and more
enjoyable for the team. Authentic co-creation cannot take place in projects where all ideas
are set in stone from the beginning.

Recognising the need for practical models based on new forms of collaboration and
innovation in highly diverse communities such as the one at IGP, are not only subjects of
research enquiry but authentic opportunities for transformation. There is a natural
opportunity for engaged pedagogies and co-development of pathways for more prosperous

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communities in our universities and learning spaces. Students and academics collaborating
in their teaching-learning/learning-teaching journeys open the door to reflective processes
that bring innovation, and explore models of future teaching practices that improve the
belonging and well-being of our community, reflecting on how this can open the door to an
authentic transformative education.

Next Steps
This project became the evaluation and prototyping stage of an authentic co-development
of a dissertation module that responds to the skills and belonging needs of students while
maintaining strong academic rigour. In 2022-23 we plan to re-evaluate the project with the
new cohort and to redesign the module with the consequent academic requirements from
the University. Given the ongoing support from students of the 2021-22 cohort, the initial
student partners of the project, we are planning to explore a more active engagement with
the alumni network in the identification of organisations and communities willing to engage
in research co-development for our next round of dissertations.

By developing a ChangeMakers project, we created a space to ask our students what

prosperity and innovation would look like in a student’s dissertation module, while
reflecting on the challenges and opportunities to nourish equity and inclusion in their
learning journey. The project engaged well with IGP’s ethos and its commitment to
transdisciplinary approaches to create more prosperous futures for all. As well, it allowed us
to actively engage in a dialogue to reflect on our postgraduate degrees and to collectively
co-design programs that can contribute to global and local prosperity challenges.

Reference List
Freire, P. (1970) Pedagogy of the Oppressed. London: Penguin Books Ltd. ISBN: 0140803319

hooks, bell (1994) Teaching to transgress: education as the practice of freedom. New York:
Routledge. ISBN: 0415908078

hooks, bell (2010) Teaching critical thinking: practical wisdom. New York: Routledge.ISBN:
0415968208

Mintchev, N. and Moore, H.L. (2018) ‘Super-diversity and the prosperous society’, European
Journal of Social Theory, 21(1), pp. 117–134. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1177/1368431016678629.

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Moore, H.L. (2015) ‘Global Prosperity and Sustainable Development Goals: Global Prosperity
and SDGs’, Journal of International Development, 27(6), pp. 801–815. Available at:
https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3114.

Moore, H.L. and Mintchev, N. (2021) ‘What is Prosperity?’ (IGP Working Papers). Available
at: https://doi.org/10.14324/000.wp.10126424.

UCL (2018) Developing student engagement and leadership: objective four of the Education
Strategy, Teaching & Learning. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-
learning/education-strategy/developing-student-engagement-and-leadership-objective-
four-education-strategy (Accessed: 29 December 2022).

UCL (2021) Learning Community & Belonging, UCL Changemakers. Available at:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/changemakers/changemakers-projects/learning-community-
belonging (Accessed: 29 December 2022).

UCL (2022) Assessment & Feedback, UCL Changemakers. Available at:

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/changemakers/changemakers-projects/assessment-feedback
(Accessed: 29 December 2022).

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