Structural embedding of knowledge by experience in higher education through processes of co-creation

The aim of the project is to structurally integrate experiential knowledge into higher education of social studies. The project has three specific objectives: 1) to develop and support teaching ac...

The aim of the project is to structurally integrate experiential knowledge into higher education of social studies. The project has three specific objectives: 1) to develop and support teaching activities of people with experience of disadvantage (experts by experience) and to structurally embed their knowledge into teaching plans; 2) to create a safe educational environment for disadvantaged students by piloting various formats of support in cooperation with experts by experience and academicians and by examining the conditions of access to higher education; 3) to develop local and international methodological frameworks for structural integration of knowledge by experience into higher education. These aims focus on building inclusive and diversified higher education systems and using innovative teaching and learning methods. We want to promote dialogue between students, academicians, and experts by experience, in which all parties transcend their "traditional roles" ("student," "educator," "client") and communicate on a deeper human level within shared creative processes. In this way, we will contribute to democratic learning based on a human rights perspective and to the promotion of equality and social inclusion in society.

As part of the project, we implemented several activities, which were divided into four work packages. The first package was dedicated to project management. The second work package focused on the development and support of joint teaching activities by experts by experience through the innovation of selected courses and the structural integration of lived experience into curricula. The third work package focused on the structural integration of experiential knowledge into student support formats and the examination of conditions for access to higher education for future disadvantaged students. In the fourth package, we organized activities aimed at disseminating information at the local and international levels. We piloted an international network of experts with lived experience in higher education. We developed local and international methodological frameworks for the structural integration of experiential knowledge into higher education. We established an International Advisory Board, which provided feedback and comments on the implementation of the project and helped to disseminate it. The entire project underwent a qualitative evaluation using the photovoice method.

The project outputs include: 1) an online handbook: Part 1 - where we describe the methodological framework for systematically incorporating lived experience of disadvantage in higher education; Part 2 - presenting various approaches and practices of co-teaching with experts by experience from different countries and summarizing the key elements and challenges of co-teaching; Part 3 - in which we capture various forms of support for disadvantaged students in different countries and summarize the key elements and challenges of this support; Part 4 - in which we propose a procedure for assessing the conditions of access to higher education for future disadvantaged students, as well as the results of five focus groups from each country on the topic of vulnerability and the university environment; 2) 23 innovative courses incorporating lived experience, 27 updated course syllabi incorporating experiential knowledge, and 12 posters about the courses taught; 3) 5 webinars on the step-by-step implementation of experiential knowledge in higher education at the local and international levels; 4) 6 student support formats and 6 posters; 5) website; 6) International Advisory Board; 7) International Network of Experts by Experience.