P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Hun e , M., & Ru h, B. (2025). Pedagogical Pa ne ship as
an Uncon en ional and Valuable App oach in Cu iculum Design. In Kangaslampi,
R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence.
Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17631319.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
PEDAGOGICAL PARTNERSHIP AS AN UNCONVENTIONAL AND
VALUABLE APPROACH IN CURRICULUM DESIGN
Ma ijn Hun e a,1, Ru h Buningb,
The Hague Uni e si y o Applied Sciences, Del , The Ne he lands,
a ORCID: 0009-0007-2481-6337
b ORCID: 0009-0005-1324-3700
Con e ence Key A eas: Di e si y, equi y, and inclusion in ou uni e si ies and in ou
eaching, Cu iculum de elopmen and eme ging cu iculum models in enginee ing
Keywo ds: cu iculum design, co-c ea ion, pedagogical pa ne ships, inclusion and
di e si y, mul iple pe spec i es
ABSTRACT
The bachelo p og am o Applied Physics a The Hague Uni e si y o Applied
Sciences unde wen a comp ehensi e cu iculum e ision. This e ision was
cha ac e ized as a “complex p oblem,” emphasizing he need o a p ocess-based
app oach ha in ol es all s akeholde s. Cen al o his app oach was he
uncon en ional es ablishmen o a pedagogical pa ne ship be ween educa o s and
s uden s du ing he design phase o he cu iculum e ision p ocess. This
pa ne ship enables bo h g oups o collabo a e as equals by ac i ely disman ling
exis ing powe s uc u es. E alua ions o he pedagogical pa ne ship indica e ha i
no only con ibu es o an e ec i e cu iculum bu also os e s he p o essional
de elopmen o he eam membe s hemsel es and enhances he educa ional
en i onmen as a whole. Key ing edien s o success include clea pa icipa ion
ag eemen s, o ganiza ional suppo , pa ience, and ac i e mode a ion. Implemen ing
such collabo a i e e o s in cu iculum e isions is an icipa ed o yield signi ican
bene i s o bo h s uden s and educa o s, he eby ein o cing he alue o
pedagogical pa ne ships in highe educa ion.
1 Co esponding Au ho
Ma ijn Hun e
.p.m.hun e @hhs.nl
1 INTRODUCTION
Applied Physics a The Hague Uni e si y o Applied Sciences is a ull- ime ou -yea
bachelo p og am ha hos s abou 250 s uden s and is un by 21 educa o s (17 e).
F om egula e alua ions o he educa ional p og am, including o mal s uden
consul a ions, s a mee ings and s udy success a es, i became clea ha a
cu iculum e ision was desi ed by bo h educa o s and s uden s, wi h he goal o
educe s ess and o enhance lea ning.
The en i e cu iculum e ision p ocess, om o ien a ion o implemen a ion eadiness,
ook abou h ee o ou yea s. We in ol ed all s akeholde s (educa o s, s uden s,
lec o s, alumni, and he p o essional ield) in dis inc phases o he p ocess and wi h
a ying in ensi y and du a ion. This pape desc ibes he in ol emen o s uden s in
his p ocess in he o m o a pedagogical pa ne ship. We will sha e he bene i s we
expe ienced om his app oach, ou insigh s on making such an app oach
success ul and he addi ional gains we expec o mee in he u u e.
2 CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND PEDAGOGICAL PARTNERSHIPS
Cu iculum de elopmen can be conside ed a di e en le els (Akke , 2003). In his
pape , we ocus on cu iculum de elopmen as he design o an educa ional p og am
as a whole.
A comp ehensi e cu iculum e ision
in ol es a di e se ange o s akeholde s,
each wi h di e en expec a ions and
pe cep ions, in a apidly changing
echnological and socie al landscape.
Acco ding o he Cyne in amewo k (see
Figu e 1), such a ask can be classi ied as
"complex", whe e complexi y e e s o he
ela ions be ween i s di e en componen s.
In o he wo ds, he beha iou o he whole
canno be unde s ood by examining i s
indi idual componen s sepa a ely.
The co esponding app oach is a p ocess-
based way o wo king, in which he e a e
ou main guiding p inciples (Weisbo d &
Jano , 2010):
1) In ol e all s akeholde s.
2) Explo e he whole and de i e you
own ac ions om i .
3) Focus on common g ound and wo k
u u e- and ac ion-o ien ed.
4) P omo e sel -managemen and
accoun abili y.
When ollowing hese p inciples, possible
nex s eps and solu ions suppo ed by all
s akeholde s will eme ge.
Figu e 1. The Cyne in F amewo k (Snowden &
Boone, 2007)
. Each domain equi es di e en
ac ions. Simple and complica ed con ex s
assume an o de ed uni e se, whe e cause
-
and
-e ec ela ionships a e pe cep ible, and
co ec answe s can be de e mined based on
ac s. Complex and chao ic con ex s a e
uno de ed
— he e is no immedia ely appa en
ela ionship be ween cause and e ec , and he
way o wa d is de e mined based on eme ging
pa e ns.
In highe educa ion, and especially in he echnical sciences, we p e e o classi y
challenges as o de ed (simple o complica ed), and acco dingly employ a sys ema ic
o ins umen al app oach (Akke , 2003). An inspi ing sys em enginee ing app oach
a Ae ospace Enginee ing is desc ibed in (Kamp & Klaassen, 2013). Social and
poli ical dimensions and he impo ance o in ol ing all s akeholde s a e add essed.
Howe e , s uden s a e no men ioned as membe s o he design eam. They
p ima ily ecei e in o ma ion and a e asked o eedback a mos , bu hey do no
pa icipa e in decision-making. An al e na i e o in ol ing s uden s as one o he
mos impo an s akeholde s is he es ablishmen o a pedagogical pa ne ship.
A pedagogical pa ne ship is a collabo a i e, ecip ocal p ocess h ough which all
pa icipan s ha e he oppo uni y o con ibu e equally, al hough no necessa ily in
he same ways, o cu icula o pedagogical concep ualisa ion, decision making,
implemen a ion, in es iga ion, o analysis (Cook-Sa he e al., 2019). Ins ead o
ollowing he exis ing hie a chical oles du ing common s uden consul a ions, in a
pedagogical pa ne ship o mal powe imbalances a e ac i ely disman led.
The S uden Engagemen h ough Pa ne ship F amewo k iden i ies ou di e en ,
bu o e lapping, a eas o pa ne ship (Healey & Healey, 2019): (1) Lea ning,
eaching and assessmen , (2) Subjec -based esea ch and inqui y, (3) Schola ship o
Teaching and Lea ning (SoTL), and (4) Cu iculum design & pedagogic consul ancy.
The i s kind o pa ne ship is becoming inc easingly accep ed, and he second and
hi d kind a e becoming mo e common as well. The ou h kind is s ill a e in highe
educa ion ins i u ions.
Ini ia i es o he ou h kind ha a e desc ibed in li e a u e ypically ocus on cou se-
le el imp o emen s and a e o en limi ed in du a ion. Fo example, s uden consul-
an s collabo a e wi h academic cou se eams o sugges adjus men s ha can make
a pa icula cou se mo e inclusi e and accessible (Hughes e al., 2019). In a case
s udy p esen ed in (Go & Kno , 2018), hey de eloped an “Applied Cu iculum
Design in Science” cou se in which uppe -yea s uden s pa ne wi h acul y and
educa ional de elope s o co-c ea e lea ning modules o i s -yea s uden s.
Fu he mo e, du ing he de elopmen o his cou se, wo s uden s pa icipa ed in a
much la ge cu iculum commi ee consis ing o expe s (s a and acul y). Also, such
pedagogical pa ne ships a e occasionally es ablished in ou and o he highe
educa ion ins i u ions in The Ne he lands (S apele, 2024; Kappe, 2024).
The wo k p esen ed in his pape di e s om exis ing examples in ha i in ol es a
pedagogical pa ne ship o cu iculum de elopmen a he p og am le el, wi h a
design eam consis ing o app oxima ely 50% s uden membe s.
3 OUR CURRICULUM REVISION APPROACH
In ou cu iculum e ision p ocess we can dis inguish h ee dis inc phases: he
o ien a ion, he design, and he de elopmen phase. The o ien a ion phase (~2021
un il summe 2023) consis ed o se e al wo king sessions wi hin he educa ional
eam and he consul a ion o a g oup o ~40 people wi h all s akeholde s ep esen ed
in a hal -day mee ing. Combined wi h ins i u ional policies, his esul ed in a se o
p inciples he cu iculum mus mee o be accep able. Du ing he design phase ( all
2023-summe 2024) we wo ked in a eam consis ing o i e s uden s and i e
educa o s on he cu iculum using “backwa ds design”. This esul ed in lea ning
ou comes o he en i e p og am as well as o he semes e s and modules, a
“bluep in ” o he cu iculum showing he collec ion o modules, and an elabo a ion o
he design p inciples. In he de elopmen phase (s a all 2024), eams o bo h
educa o s and s uden s wo k on indi idual modules o make he module and lesson
designs eady o implemen a ion in Sep embe 2025.
Educa o s and s uden s a e conside ed ou mos impo an s akeholde s. Hence o
he design phase o ou cu iculum e ision we c ea ed a pedagogical pa ne ship in
he o m o a design eam wi h an equal numbe (5) o educa o s and s uden s. To
design a cu iculum ha sui s bo h he s uden and he educa o popula ions, he
design eam is in en ionally composed o e lec hei di e si y. Tha means ha
wi hin he eam he e is a ie y in age, gende , expe ise, wo k expe ience,
pe sonali ies, and neu odi e si y1. The eam was suppo ed by bo h an
educa ionalis and a acili a o who applied a p ocess-based way o wo king and
p inciples o Holding Space (Cai o, 2021) and Lewis Deep Democ acy (Lewis, 2023).
The pedagogical pa ne ship was e alua ed a e eigh mon hs o wo king oge he
as pa ne s. Team membe s we e in e iewed by wo membe s o an independen
esea ch g oup Inclusi e Educa ion2 o assess hei pe cei ed le el o equali y, he
bene i s o inco po a ing s uden pe spec i es, and hei engagemen in he
cu iculum e ision p ocess.
When wo king on a complex p oblem, ela ionships be ween all he s akeholde s a e
essen ial. The e o e, we ma ked he s a o ou pedagogical pa ne ship wi h a
wo kshop “ ela ionship be o e pe o mance” (Figu e 2), inspi ed by he Fu u e
Sea ch me hodology (Weisbo d & Jano , 2010). The aim o his wo kshop was o
disman le bo h he in o mal and o mal powe s uc u es ha exis be ween i s
membe s and o enable equi alen con ibu ions o all he eam membe s.
Figu e 2. Pho os om he “Rela ionship be o e Pe o mance” wo kshop:
Le , associa ion ca ds and Righ , imelines.
1Neu odi e si y desc ibes he idea ha people expe ience and in e ac wi h he wo ld a ound hem in
many ways, o en used in he con ex o au ism spec um diso de bu essen ially e e ing o he
di e si y all people (Nicole & F ueh, 2025).
2This esea ch g oup is pa o ou ins i u ion howe e i is no connec ed o ou p og am.
In his wo kshop, we:
• collabo a i ely es ablished a se o undamen al guidelines o ou eamwo k,
which include os e ing a cu ious a i ude o one ano he , ecognizing each
o he ’s compe encies, and using i s names when add essing each o he .
• ein oduced ou sel es by using associa ion ca ds and imelines, whe e each o
us sha ed memo able e en s om ou pe sonal li es, signi ican occu ences in
he wo ld, and key momen s ela ed o he e ision o ou educa ional p og am.
• concluded he ga he ing wi h a sha ed meal o pizzas.
Nex , we me wice a week o h ee o ou hou s, including a check-in, agenda
se up, subs an i e discussions, ollow-up appoin men s, and a check-ou . Ini ially, he
discussions ocused on he pa ne ship and asks, such as cla i ying p e ious wo k,
explaining ja gon, explo ing pe spec i es, and de e mining ollow-up ac ions o eam
membe s.
As ime p og essed and he pa ne ship e ol ed, he discussions became sho e
and mo e ocused on he subs an i e de ails o he e ision i sel . The emaining
mee ing- ime was used o collabo a ion among subse s o eam membe s on
speci ic opics, wi h esul s p esen ed o he en i e design eam o keep e e yone
in o med and engaged. Simila , hough less equen , mee ings ook place wi h
educa o s in ou p og am who we e no membe s o he design eam.
Once he cu iculum design became mo e conc e e, we o ganized "p essu e cooke "
sessions o he design eam o explo e speci ic opics and make decisions. The
design phase concluded (summe 2024) wi h a celeb a i e mee ing whe e he design
was p esen ed and handed o e o all educa o s in ou p og am.
4 RESULTS AND INSIGHTS
The ou comes can be ca ego ized based on he e ec i eness o he pedagogical
pa ne ship i sel o i s impac on cu iculum design. F om hese ou comes, we can
iden i y bene i s o indi idual pa icipan s (bo h educa o s and s uden s), he
cu iculum, he educa ional eam, he ins i u ion, and he o e all educa ional
en i onmen . Fu he mo e, we highligh he essen ial ing edien s needed o a
success ul pedagogical pa ne ship o he ou h kind.
4.1 E ec i eness o he pedagogical pa ne ship i sel
The in e iews e eal how he pedagogical pa ne ship and i s e ec s a e pe cei ed
by he indi idual pa icipan s. Analysis indica es ha he collabo a ion enhances he
sense o belonging among s uden membe s, deepens hei e lec i e capaci y, and
helps educa o s expand hei pe spec i es. A desc ip ion o he in e iew esul s wi h
examples is gi en in Table 1. I is expec ed ha hese e ec s acili a e he
ans o ma ion o an ins i u ion in o a communi y whe e membe s eel a meaning ul
connec ion, as is a gued in (Cook-Sa he e al., 2019).
4.2 Impac on cu iculum design
Ou app oach o ces membe s o slow down and e hink hei opinions, belie s, and
iewpoin s. This mo e e lec i e app oach will lead o a mo e hough ully designed
cu iculum ha accommoda es mul iple unc ions. He e a e some examples in ou
cu iculum design ha a e di ec ly linked o ou app oach:
Table 1. In e iew esul s
Desc ip ion
Examples
Mo i a ion and commi men
The e a e a ious mo i a ions o pa icipa ing in he
pa ne ship, including cu iosi y, dissa is ac ion wi h
he cu en p og am, a sense o esponsibili y o
imp o e i , pe sonal de elopmen , mo al obliga ion,
o simply he appeal o a paid (side) job. O e all,
pa icipan s a e in insically mo i a ed and
demons a e a s ong commi men o he
pa ne ship's success.
"Because I hink i is e y
impo an . I ha e s ong
imp o emen wishes o he
cu iculum."
“The p ojec o e s space o
c ea i i y and hinking abou
educa ion, which I ind in e es ing.”
Sense o equali y and a cul u e o openness and
inclusi i y
An open and sa e cul u e has been es ablished wi hin
he eam, allowing all membe s o eely exp ess hei
iewpoin s, ideas, and eelings. While ensions
occasionally a ise, o en o igina ing om adi ional
powe ela ions, he e is a conscious e o o add ess
hese issues and o es o e espec ul and
p o essional ela ionships
"They eally ake a lo o ime o
lis en o you s o y."
“I jus de ini ely eel like an equal...
lec u e s may ha e a li le mo e
knowledge, bu ha doesn' mean
hey ge o speak mo e han I do.”
“The e a e momen s o discom o
when he oles o educa o and
assesso o e lap.”
Added alue o pa ne ship
The pe cei ed alue o he pa ne ship is a leas
wo old. I encompasses pe sonal bene i s, such as
he de elopmen o social skills, as well as
con ibu ions o designing an e ec i e cu iculum.
The collabo a ion be ween s uden s and educa o s is
pa icula ly aluable due o he di e se pe spec i es
each b ings. S uden s d aw om hei indi idual
expe iences, while educa o s app oach educa ion
om a b oade , mo e gene alized iewpoin . These
dynamics os e s aluable discussions ha lead o
inno a i e ideas, such as he in oduc ion o lea ning
pa hs ailo ed o mee he di e se needs o s uden s.
“S uden s a e good a sha pening
ideas ha come om educa o s.”
"You de elop pe sonally... you ge
be e social skills."
"Wha I ne e eally ealized... is
ha e en s uden s who pass hei
es s easily can s ill ha e se ious
es s ess."
Challenges
The main challenge is inding he igh balance
be ween inco po a ing all pe spec i es (being
inclusi e) and main aining a pace o decision-making
and o e all p og ess ha keeps all membe s
engaged in he p ocess. This applies no only o he
design eam bu also o o he membe s o ou
ins i u ion, pa icula ly educa o s in ou p og am who
a e no di ec ly in ol ed.
"I hink ha some imes we in ol e
e e yone oo much ha I hink o
mysel , le 's jus keep going, we
ha e o keep his momen um
going."
“I does ake ime o eally hea
each o he , especially when he e
a e mino i y iews.”
• A mo e e ined se o p og am lea ning ou comes and module lea ning ou comes
ha a e dis ibu ed h oughou he p og am (4 yea s).
• A mo e lexible examina ion me hod and a mo e sui able implemen a ion o
cumula i e assessmen s.
• An in ensi e p ojec wi h a ela i ely sho lead ime (5 EC in 4 weeks) a he end
o a semes e .
• Two lea ning pa hs ha accommoda e dis inc le els o guidance and/o s udy
pace.
“You ga he all pe spec i es and a i e a a decision ha e e yone suppo s. Ul ima ely, i
does no ma e who hough wha ; i is abou achie ing he bes collec i e esul .”
4.3 Essen ial ing edien s
We belie e ha he ollowing ing edien s a e essen ial o de eloping a success ul
pedagogical pa ne ship:
• Only wo k on opics o which no single pe son has he sole answe (complexi y).
• Take ime o bo h ac i ely disman le old and build new ela ionships among
pa icipan s. Be us ul in and ha e pa ience wi h each o he and he p ocess.
Celeb a e (small) successes. Slow down whe e necessa y and speed up whe e
possible.
• A ange o ganisa ional suppo ( ime, money, way o wo king).
• Es ablish clea ag eemen s on who can join he con e sa ion, pa icipa e ac i ely,
and engage in decision-making when and on wha opics. We had high expec a-
ions o he pa ne ship's capaci y and decided ha all membe s had equal op-
po uni ies o in luence decisions on all opics unless a si ua ion would a ise
whe e his would no be easible. So a , we ha e no encoun e ed such a
si ua ion.
• Cons an awa eness on main aining he balance be ween equali y and inequali y.
This is a sensi i e balance and has di e en , some imes sub le, dimensions, like:
language and ja gon, ( inancial) compensa ion, gende , a ailable ime,
knowledge, expe ience, e c.
• Ac i e mode a ion by a acili a o . A acili a o aking esponsibili y o he p ocess
i sel ensu es ha membe s can ocus on he subs an i e side o he issue.
“Ac i e mode a ion ensu es ha all oices a e hea d, and mino i y opinions a e no
o e looked. This equi es a conscious app oach o managing g oup dynamics, allowing
s uden s o exp ess hei opinions as eely as educa o s do. The mode a o 's ole is
c ucial in main aining his balance.”
5 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
We app oached ou comp ehensi e cu iculum e ision as a “complex p oblem,”
in ol ing all s akeholde s and os e ing a pedagogical pa ne ship be ween
educa o s and s uden s. This pa ne ship, composed o ini ia i e- aking and
commi ed membe s, p omo es an open and sa e cul u e whe e all can eely
exp ess hei iewpoin s, ideas and eelings. I o e s pe sonal bene i s o
pa icipan s and con ibu es o an e ec i e cu iculum.
App oaching a cu iculum e ision as a “complex p oblem” should be a conscious
decision. The p ocess way o wo king will mos likely be expe ienced as messy,
unp edic able, and ime consuming. Howe e , hese a e essen ial cha ac e is ics o
his kind o p oblems, and lea ning o wo k wi h hem will in he end esul in a eal
solu ion suppo ed by all s akeholde s.
The e is no gua an eed o mula o success. Howe e , he success o ou pa ne -
ship elies on p inciples ha os e collabo a ion and mu ual espec , such as clea
ag eemen s, o ganiza ional suppo , awa eness o he balance be ween equali y and
inequali y, engagemen in opics ha equi e collec i e inpu , and using a p ocess
acili a o .
While he p ima y goal o ou pedagogical pa ne ship is o c ea e an e ec i e,
inclusi e, and sus ainable cu iculum, i also p o ides addi ional bene i s.
Pa icipa ing s uden s gain essen ial skills o hei u u e ca ee s, while educa o s
s eng hen hei connec ions wi h s uden s and b oaden hei pe spec i es. This
collabo a ion os e s a g ea e sense o belonging and enhances agency o bo h
educa o s and s uden s. We belie e hese addi ional bene i s will ul ima ely be he
mos compelling eason o pu sue pedagogical pa ne ships.
6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The p esen ed wo k is a eam e o in which some membe s a e clea ly isible, while
o he s, hough equally impo an , ope a e mo e in he shadows. The e o e, in his
sec ion, we wan o shed some ligh on hem all.
Ou hough s go ou o ou colleagues who we e no di ec ly in ol ed bu who en us-
ed us wi h he manda e o ca y ou his wo k. We also wan o hank ou boa d
membe s o hei suppo , us and pa ience, as well as ou ins i u ional s a egic
plan o i s guidance. Fu he mo e, we wan o hank he membe s o he esea ch
g oup Inclusi e Educa ion who in e iewed us o assess he pe cei ed sense o
equali y among he design eam membe s. We a e g a e ul o ou s uden s, alumni,
membe s o he p o essional ield, and o he pa icipan s o ou “wo ld ca é”. Finally,
ou hough s go ou o all membe s o he design eam (see Figu e 3) o hei us ,
commi men , cu iosi y, lexibili y, pe se e ance, and cou age o emba k on his
uncon en ional ad en u e.
“I you wan o go as , go alone. I you wan o go a , go oge he ”
-A ican p o e b-
Figu e 3. The design eam (Decembe 2023, Top Le o Bo om Righ ): Lodewijk
A n zen, Ru h Buning, Ch is Boo sman, Tijn Sloo jes, Gwen an Doo n, Sanne Smi , Ma ijn
Hun e , You i Ba ends, Hend ik Snijde , I o Wenneke , Channon Mon enij, As id Kos e .
