This document discusses technology for scaling co-creation with students in higher education. It defines co-creation as stakeholders jointly integrating resources for mutual benefit. Three mechanisms for scalability are discussed: crowdsourcing to generate ideas from many students; customization, where students modify pre-existing options; and prosumer behavior, where students create and share content. While these approaches allow scaling, challenges include lack of student-staff interaction and risk of inauthentic contributions. Overall, online co-creation can scale but more research is needed on how benefits differ from in-person and how technology can address transparency and equity in student-staff partnerships.

1. latrobe.edu.au
La Trobe University CRICOS Provider Code Number 00115M
Technology for the Scalability of
Co-Creation with Students
Dr. Mollie Dollinger
Associate Lecturer, Student Success
@molliedollin

2. Slide 2 | Version 2
Defining Co-Creation
Co-creation is an interaction
between two or more unique
stakeholders to jointly
integrate their respective
resources to provide greater
benefits to all stakeholders.
Therefore…
1. “Co-creation can be any creative and
collective activity” (Sanders and Stappers,
2008)
2. Co-creation can be between any two
stakeholder groups, or more
3. Co-creation brings together people’s
resources (e.g. perspectives, ideas)
however they may not be the same, nor
equal to one another (Bovill, 2013)
4. Co-creation is mutually beneficial act,
beyond a single person
@molliedollin

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Today’s Focus:
Co-Creation in
Technology
@molliedollin

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Examples
• Co-creating an online
learning environment
• Co-creating online
learning resources
@molliedollin

5. Slide 5 | Version 2
But what about scale?
@molliedoll

6. latrobe.edu.au
Slide 6 | Version 2
1. Crowdsourcing
2. Customisation
3. Prosumer Behavior
Three mechanisms for scalability of co-
creation in higher education
@molliedollin

7. Slide 7 | Version 2
Crowdsourcing
What is crowdsourcing?
What are examples of
crowdsourcing?
Pros:
 Able to scale
 Easier to encourage participation
 Generates lots of user ideas and
preferences
Cons:
o Does not allow for student-staff
collaboration or dialogue
o Separates student and ‘expert’ ideas
o Could be to difficult to integrate the
disengaged
o Volume of suggestions may detract
from quality suggestions
@molliedollin

8. latrobe.edu.au
Slide 8 | Version 2
Q. What is our campus missing?
• We need more healthy food options!
• More bookable study spaces
• Free parking
• A place where I can go to find out about possible future jobs
• More benches near the lake

9. Slide 9 | Version 2
Customisation
What is customisation?
What are examples of
customisation?
Pros:
 Able to scale
 Can be a relatively easy way to begin
giving students choice
 Students can modify to their own
preferences
Cons:
o Last stage modification
o Often superficial
o Preferences change, students may not
be experts
o Does not tap into students’ deep ideas
or perspectives
o May not benefit the group
@molliedollin

10. latrobe.edu.au
Slide 10 | Version 2
Example:
Customising Gathering and Reporting of Learning Analytics
1. What data would you be comfortable with us gathering?
2. Are you ok to have your data anonymized and aggregated to understand more about the
total student population?
3. Would you like us to use your data to predict your success in subjects?
4. How often would you like emails notifications or mobile push notifications about your data?

11. Slide 11 | Version 2
Prosumer Behavior
What is prosumer
behavior?
What are examples of
prosumer behavior?
Pros:
 Able to scale
 Students can create their own content
 Students begin to think outward facing
for the group
 Encourages a community to form
 Support social engagement peer to peer
Cons:
o Structure is still limiting
o Does not necessarily support student-
staff interaction
o Risk of inauthenticity (student/staff
ideas are equal?)
o Power disruptor
@molliedollin

12. latrobe.edu.au
Slide 12 | Version 2

13. latrobe.edu.au
Slide 13 | Version 2
Is co-creation scalable with technology?
Yes! But questions we need to explore:
• Does online co-creation result in the same benefits as in-person co-creation?
How do benefits (student and institutional) differ?
• To what extent can co-creation with technology help address transparency
and equity in student-staff partnerships?
@molliedollin

14. latrobe.edu.au
Slide 14 | Version 2
Bovill, C. (2013). Students and staff co-creating curricula: An example of good practice in higher education. The student
engagement handbook: Practice in higher education, 461-476.
Sanders, E. B. N., & Stappers, P. J. (2008). Co-creation and the new landscapes of design. Co-design, 4(1), 5-18.
And for examples in action check out:
Arthars, N., Dollinger, M., Vigentini, L., Liu, D., Kondo, E., & King, D. (forthcoming). Empowering Teachers to Personalise Learning
Support and Feedback. In Ifenthaler, D., Mah, D., Yau, J. (Eds). Utilising Learning Analytics to Support Student Success. Springer.
Gros, B., & López, M. (2016). Students as co-creators of technology-rich learning activities in higher education. International
Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 13(1), 1-13.
Khosravi, H., Cooper, K., & Kitto, K. (2017). Riple: Recommendation in peer-learning environments based on knowledge gaps
and interests. JEDM: Journal of Educational Data Mining, 9(1), 42-67.
References

15. La Trobe University
CRICOS Provider Code Number 00115M © Copyright La Trobe University 2018
latrobe.edu.au
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