This project aims to develop and evaluate a low-cost digital co-creation tool and process that support effective and sustainable collaboration between students and staff in the co-design of university services. To achieve this, the project pursues three key objectives:
- Objective 1: Identify what international PGT students and staff (academic and professional services) want to learn from each other to improve and co-design university services for international PGT students.
- Objective 2: Co-develop a minimum viable prototype of a digital co-creation tool informed by insights from both students and staff.
- Objective 3: Evaluate and refine the prototype based on user feedback, focusing on its effectiveness, usability, and feasibility.
Work package 1 – Establish foundations and contextual understanding: A focused literature review will examine co-creation in higher education and digital co-design tools, with particular attention to international PGT experiences in UK universities. In parallel, a survey will be developed to capture international PGT students’ and staff’s perspectives on university service co-creation, including preferred stages of involvement, types of contribution, perceived risks and priorities, expected support from the other group, preferred co-creation modes, and priority service improvement areas.
Work package 2 – Insight research and workshop design: The main survey will be administered to international PGT students and staff. Data analysis will identify the focus, needs, pain points, and design directions on co-creation tools for improving university services and the student experience through co-creation. Insights from this phase will directly inform the development of workshop materials and the recruitment of participants for the subsequent co-design workshops.
Work package 3 – Participatory co-design and digital prototyping: This phase will centre on co-designing and developing the digital co-creation tool through participatory engagement. Two workshops will be facilitated – one with international PGT students (n=5-8) and another with university staff (n=5-8) – to explore collaborative service-improvement ideas and identify desirable features for the proposed tool. Insights generated from these workshops will directly inform the development of a minimum viable prototype, such as a digital co-creation website or platform.
Work package 4 – Iterative testing, refinement and dissemination: This phase will evaluate, refine, and disseminate the digital co-creation tool. The prototype will be tested with international PGT students (n=2–4) and staff (n=2–4) to assess functionality, usability, user experience, and feedback on co-created outcomes. Findings from this initial testing will inform iterative refinements focusing on usability, accessibility, feasibility, and cultural inclusivity. A second round of testing with a new or partially overlapping participant group will further evaluate the refined prototype and gather feedback on updated outcomes. The resulting data will inform final adjustments, with findings consolidated into a final report and disseminated through internal channels and an external conference paper.