Prototype chapter – ‘Know thy student, for she is not thee’

User personas as a way to incorporate the student voice into curriculum design

Author: Michael Doherty and Radka Newton
In this chapter we will explore the application of user-centred research and user personas to the design of university curriculum and degree programme experiences. We will link the user-centred principle of service design to student-centred education and explore how personas can help educators achieve more inclusive and human-centred learning. Essentially, we argue that if we understand our students better and keep that understanding visible through our decision-making processes, then we can make better educational decisions.   

Biography

Professor Michael Doherty is Associate Head and Director of Teaching and Learning at Lancaster University Law School, UK. He is a former Chair of the Association of Law Teachers, and co-author of Public Law (3rd edn, Routledge, 2022).. He researches and publishes on the emerging field of Legal Design.