Jaqueline Smart and Alison Lahlafi, University of Bradford The workshop draws upon the work of two of the University of Bradford’s enabling groups, created to support the implementation of the University’s Learning, Teaching and Student Experience Strategy 2021-26: the Curriculum Architecture and Decolonising Groups. The Curriculum Architecture Group developed the Bradford Curriculum, which has four dimensions of student engagement, including the dimension of “Liberated Learning”, defined as: welcoming and valuing all students by enabling access, choice, self-expression, and potential for success regardless of starting point, personal circumstance, culture or context. In consultation with a range of academic and professional services staff and other enabling groups, a set of ‘curriculum cards’ was developed as a practical tool for programme teams to use in evaluating the alignment of their programmes to the new Bradford Curriculum. The cards are intended both to stimulate discussion and to prompt action in relation to the dimensions. In this workshop, we will explain how we worked with academics and professional services staff from the Decolonising Enabling Group to develop a Decolonising Curriculum Card as part of the Liberated Learning dimension. The card has 5 practical questions for staff to discuss and will be used over the next two years in review of current programmes and design of new programmes. We will facilitate workshop participants to work together in small groups to create their own 2-3 practical questions for a Decolonising Curriculum Card. There will then be opportunity to compare their questions with other groups and with the 5 questions that form the Bradford Curriculum Decolonising Card. This presentation was delivered at Reimagining Higher Education: journeys of decolonising at De Montfort University, Leicester, on Wednesday 8th November 2023.

1. Developing a Decolonising
Curriculum Card
Alison Lahlafi, Associate Director (Chief Librarian)
Jackie Smart, Senior Educational Developer
Directorate of Learning, Teaching and Student Experience
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2. The Bradford Curriculum - Dimensions
Stimulating active and
collaborative participation
through critical exploration
of the subject discipline by
research and inquiry to
produce new knowledge
and shared understanding.
Inspiring critical, future-
oriented thinking and the
generation of creative ideas
and solutions for meeting
the challenges of the world
of work and responsible
citizenship.
Welcoming and valuing all
students, by enabling
access, choice, self-
expression and potential for
success regardless of
starting point, personal
circumstance, culture or
context.
Providing a cohesive learning
journey that builds identity
and belonging, challenges
the passive consumption of
learning, enthuses students
for the subject discipline and
prepares them for
future success.
Programme-
Centric Learning
Liberated
Learning
Research-
Engaged
Learning
Future-Focused
Learning
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3. 15 November, 2023 Reimagining Higher Education: Journeys of Decolonising
The Bradford Curriculum - Principles
Programme-centric
learning
•Coherent: Programmes are
designed with a strong
programme vision and
provide students with a
clear learning journey from
recruitment to graduation
and beyond.
•Challenging: Clear
programme/level learning
outcomes encourage
aspirational thinking,
stimulate learning and
accurately describe what
students should be able to
do at each milestone.
•Progressive: Key
themes/activities are visited
at each level with increasing
complexity and use
assessment and feedback
(individual/peer) in
meaningful ways that
enable students to critically
evaluate the quality of their
work and potential to
succeed.
•Co-owned: All stakeholders
cultivate a strong
programme team identity
with shared responsibility
for providing a high-quality
learning experience.
Liberated
learning
•Accessible: Teaching.
learning and assessment
activities are designed to
remove unnecessary
barriers to learning and
support the diverse needs
and abilities of all students.
•Empowering: Learning and
assessment activities offer
students choice and
flexibility wherever possible
and appropriate, in relation
to what, when and how
they learn or demonstrate
learning
•Representative: Examples,
texts, and learning activities
enable students’ to see a
reflection of themselves and
their own backgrounds and
experiences.
• Stimulating: The
programme provokes
students to develop wider
perspectives, respond
positively to difference and
engage in respectful debate
where differences occur.
Research-engaged
learning
•Inspirational: Each level of
the programme introduces
students to researchers and
their current and cutting-
edge research.
•Systematic: The
programme enables
students to build critical
understanding of the robust
nature of research and
inquiry within the subject
discipline and to identify the
knowledge gaps.
•Developmental: Each level
of the programme enables
students to progressively
develop and apply their
research/inquiry skills.
•Collaborative: The
programme provides
students with opportunity
to work with peers and
tutors as co-researchers to
search and apply existing
knowledge, and to co-create
and disseminate new
knowledge.
Future-focused
learning
•Enterprising: Programmes
enable the exploration and
development of the
qualities, behaviours, and
actions of enterprising
people and organisations.
•Experiential: Practical
learning experiences and
interactions with
employers, alumni,
community organisations,
or other stakeholders,
promote future-oriented
thinking around the world
of work and responsible
citizenship.
•Authentic: Work-based
experiences, real-world
challenges, and
opportunities to develop
own career management
expertise are embedded in
the programme.
•Flexible: Programmes
provide, motivation,
flexibility, and progression,
and promote extra-
curricular activity for
student personal
development eg Bradford
Employability Awards,
micro-credentials.
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4. Decolonising Enabling Group
• Focus on decolonising the curriculum
• Part of Learning, Teaching and Student Experience
Strategy and reports to Decolonising UniBrad Group
• 17 staff from all Faculties, Professional Services areas
and Student Union
• Developing University Guide to decolonising the
curriculum
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5. Liberated Learning
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6. 15 November, 2023 Reimagining Higher Education: Journeys of Decolonising
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7. 15 November, 2023 Reimagining Higher Education: Journeys of Decolonising
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8. Bradford Curriculum +
Decolonising Enabling
• Review of liberated learning cards by Decolonising
Enabling Group
• Increase the spotlight on decolonising by developing a
specific card. Mainstream within faculty processes.
• 2 workshops and wider consultation to develop a
Decolonising Curriculum Card
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9. 15 November, 2023 Reimagining Higher Education: Journeys of Decolonising
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10. Work in pairs / small groups
develop 2 questions for a
decolonising card
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12. Contact details
• Alison Lahlafi a.Lahlafi@bradford.ac.uk
• Jackie Smart J.Smart2@bradford.ac.uk
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