A Narrative Approach to Higher Education Course Design and Teacher Reflection
Creators: name: Schaefer, Matthew
Publisher: name: Lancaster University
Year: 2025
Subjects: higher education
course design
narrative theory

description: The goal of this thesis is to explore the potential of applying narrative
 theory to higher education (HE) course design. More specifically, it takes
 as its hypothesis the idea that the HE course itself could be viewed as a
 type of narrative and then considers the implications of such a view. The
 main research question driving this thesis, therefore, is: What is the
 potential of narrative theory as an approach to inform HE course design
 and related teacher reflection? In order to answer this question, I
 address three sub-research questions, as follows:
 
 1. How can the HE course be viewed as a narrative from a narrative theory
 perspective?
 
 1a. What is a narrative?
 
 1b. In what ways does the HE course meet the definition of a narrative?
 
 2. In what ways do specific narrative elements align with the HE course?
 
 3. What are the implications of viewing the HE course through a narrative
 lens in relation to supporting teacher reflection and course design?
 
 To answer the first sub-research question, I conducted a literature review
 as research method in order to analyze and synthesize the various
 definitions of narrative, resulting in a working definition, which I could
 then apply to what is commonly understood as an HE course. This led me to
 conclude that the HE course could indeed be considered a type of narrative
 and I specify the factors that contribute to its narrativity. To answer
 the second and third sub-research questions, I employ qualitative data
 collected in the form of lesson observations and teacher interviews, which
 is used in combination with mobilizing ideas from the literature. For the
 second sub-research question, I identify specific narrative elements, such
 as authorship and structure, with a specific focus on seriality, and how
 they align with the HE course, exemplified, when relevant, with quotes
 from teacher interviews and/or incidents from lesson observations. For the
 third sub-research question, I discuss the implications of having
 identified the feasibility of viewing the HE course through a narrative
 lens in the specific fields of course design and teacher reflection on
 course design. To answer this, I again employ the collected empirical data
 to provide examples, as well as discuss what was learned as a result of
 having carried out my data collection. The results are presented as a set
 of suggestions that can be taken as a narrative-informed approach to
 course design and related teacher reflection. These suggestions include
 considering elements such as the protagonist and antagonist of the course,
 the use of suspense and surprise, and the importance of repetition.
 
 This project contributes to knowledge in the field of HE by providing a
 starting point for interested HE course designers to view their courses
 through a narrative lens, which provides an established and rich set of
 components that can inform course design practice and reflection. As far
 as can be determined, such an approach has not previously been
 investigated in any detail, which positions this research as somewhat
 unordinary. This means that the possibilities of a narrative approach to
 HE course design are very much open to further exploration, guided perhaps
 by individual course designers’ own particular interests in specific
 aspects of narrative theory.