{"id":3129,"date":"2026-01-23T14:29:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T14:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/itl\/?p=3129"},"modified":"2026-04-02T10:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:12:18","slug":"learning-co-design-to-unlock-our-reps-creativity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.manchester.ac.uk\/itl\/2026\/01\/23\/learning-co-design-to-unlock-our-reps-creativity\/","title":{"rendered":"The Student Change Lab: Learning and co-design to unlock the creativity of our Academic Student Reps"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Student Change Lab is a collaborative space where students and staff work together to explore how human-centred design approach and tool can implement meaningful improvements in teaching and learning, especially in the student voice and engagement. Through co-creation, experimentation, dialogues and skill trainings, our lab aims to empower students and staff to shape educational experience and drive positive outcomes across the university.<\/em><\/p>\n

Want to know more about the project? Have a look on <\/em>Student Change Lab<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (SCL)! Or join our <\/em>LinkedIn group<\/em><\/strong><\/a> to hear updates.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0Test and learn #1: Supporting academic reps to thrive and contribute. In this blog an Academic Rep shares their thoughts on the process:<\/em><\/p>\n

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\"ANurul Mohamed Norazhar<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nadia is a 2nd-year undergraduate student pursuing a BAEcon. in Economics at the University of Manchester as a scholarship recipient of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), a Malaysian government agency. As an International Baccalaureate graduate from Kolej MARA Banting, she has developed a strong foundation in research, critical analysis, and programme management through her academics.\u00a0<\/em>With a keen interest in addressing economic and cultural disparities, Nadia is motivated to explore solutions that create meaningful and inclusive impact within her communities. Alongside her academic pursuits, she is actively involved in volunteerism, particularly in environmental initiatives as a Conservation Volunteer at the National Trust. She also believes strongly in fostering community through shared interests as reflected in her role as Vice President of the Coffee Society.\u00a0<\/em>She is enthusiastic about continuous learning, collaboration, and gaining new experiences, and is always keen to connect and engage with others.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a0Learning & Co-design to Unlock our Reps\u2019 Creativity<\/strong><\/p>\n

Returning for the new academic year, I recently attended the Unlocking Your Rep Creativity workshop hosted by the Student Change Lab on 1st October 2025 (Wednesday). The session was designed to help academic reps in exploring new creative ways to improve the student experience, and reflect on our roles as changemakers last year within the university community.<\/p>\n

The workshop first kicked off with a fun ice-breaker activity where we get to reflect on our journey last year as academic reps. It was a great opportunity to get to know everyone else in the room and share what motivated us to take on this incredible role.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

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Afterwards, we made some hypotheses based on what supports student reps best to fulfil our roles. During this discussion, I realised how much I value having staff support from the university. It helps us, as academic reps, represent student voice effectively. \u00a0<\/p>\n

For the final activity, we worked in small groups to co-design interventions based on selected hypotheses, mapping out ideas according to their potential impact vs. effort. Through this, we identified potential areas that could be improved and discussed practical steps for positive change. It was reassuring to know that I\u2019m not alone in tackling challenges, and that responsibility for improvement is shared, instead of being shouldered individually.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/p>\n

I really enjoyed having meaningful discussions with the Student Change Lab staff and other reps. It felt great to contribute ideas that could lead to long-term improvements in the Academic Rep support system. The activities were engaging and well-supported with materials that help co-designing solutions & potential improvements.<\/p>\n

Not only was everyone in the session cooperative\u00a0, thoughtful & determined to make a difference, but shared enthusiasm in the team created a supportive environment where every idea was equally valued.<\/p>\n

Overall, I find that the workshop is undoubtedly helpful in providing support for academic reps. It\u2019s evident that the University is committed to supporting not only students, but also student leaders. Knowing that there\u2019s a strong system in place to help us perform our roles effectively makes me even more motivated to continue representing my peers.<\/p>\n

Further Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n