Our research and scholarship

The Imaginative Curriculum Research and Scholarship Centre is committed to making a tangible difference within and beyond the University of Leeds. Our work is rooted in collaboration, openness, and inclusivity, values that shape every project and partnership we undertake. We combine rigorous inquiry with hands on experimentation to understand what helps people learn well and to co design learning experiences that are imaginative, sustainable, and future ready.

Our focus

Imagination, creativity, and future oriented capabilities

We advance cross disciplinary research and scholarship on imaginative pedagogies and practices that cultivate curiosity, innovation, and capabilities for democratic participation, sustainability and human flourishing. This includes connecting creativity with sustainability, inclusion, and responsible use of generative AI, so that education remains relevant and empowering across diverse contexts.

Values driven education for work readiness

We study how ethical, inclusive, and socially responsible principles can be woven into curricula, including AI enabled learning. Our aim is to help educators and students develop confidence, criticality, and creativity so they can participate meaningfully in their communities of work and society.

Sustainability and authentic learning

We investigate pedagogies that connect learning to real world challenges, fostering adaptability and resilience, and supporting sustainable practices for life and work. Our research considers the lived experience of learners and educators and how partnerships with communities enhance relevance and impact.

How we work

We create spaces for educators, students, and communities to co design imaginative curricula that respond to real world challenges. Through initiatives such as Imagine surgeries, open online meetups, and collaborative research projects, we empower individuals to experiment, share ideas, and influence educational practice and policy. The centre functions as a collaborative greenhouse and living lab for pedagogic experimentation, offering safe, flexible spaces where colleagues and students can try bold ideas, learn from successes and failures, and turn insights into action. Our approach is open and connected. We share findings and practical tools under open licenses so ideas can travel and benefit wider educational communities.

We also prototype short professional development courses that model alternative study formats and help colleagues experience and evaluate imaginative pedagogies. These include making, playing, and sharing, creative and critical reflection, and responsible use of AI toward AI enabled curricula.

Collaboration and community

Our impact extends globally through partnerships with networks like #creativeHE, cultural organisations, and international research communities. Within Leeds, we collaborate across centres and services, including LITE, OD and PL, the Cultural Institute, the Sustainable Curriculum, design and digital teams, and other faculties. Beyond higher education, we connect with schools, colleges, adult and community learning, and work based learning to build bridges that support transformative experiences and widen participation in imaginative curriculum scholarship and research.