Challenges, merits, and demerits of curriculum co-creation in a private sector dental college: an interventional phenomenological study from Pakistan

This study explores co-creation practices in a Pakistani dental college to foster quality learner-teacher relationships and promote student empowerment. Co-creation emphasizes shared decision-making between students and faculty, aiming to create a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

This study aims to identify the challenges, merits, and demerits faced during the co-creation process in a dental college, and how these factors influence learner-teacher relationships and student empowerment.

Thematic analysis was carried out using NVivo software. Using a qualitative interventional phenomenological research design, interviews were conducted with eleven participants, including six dental undergraduate students and five dental college faculty members who actively participated in the co-creation process.

The findings reveal that both teachers and students valued the cocreation process, recognizing its potential to enhance student engagement and motivation. However, challenges such as balancing creativity with academic rigor and managing power dynamics were identified.

These findings highlight the importance of carefully managing co-creation initiatives to ensure their effectiveness in hierarchical educational settings like those found in Pakistan. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on co-creation in higher education by offering insights specific to the Pakistani context. It also provides a framework for new researchers to explore co-creation in similar cultural settings, emphasizing the need for contextual adaptation. By understanding the unique challenges and opportunities presented in this study, new researchers can design more effective co-creation initiatives that are culturally sensitive and pedagogically sound.