Jo Kukuczka

Academic Development Centre, University of Warwick

Jo Kukuczka

Assistant Professor

SFHEA / FWIE / FBALEAP

Programme Lead | Postgraduate Award in Curriculum Development in Higher Education (PGA CDHE) | Warwick

Strand Lead | ADC Curriculum | Warwick

Academic Lead | Warwick Awards for Teaching Excellence (WATE)

Co-convenor | Theory into Practice (TiP) network | global

Contact

Email: jo.kukuczka@warwick.ac.uk

LinkedIn: jo_kukuczka

ResearchGate: Jo KukuczkaLink opens in a new window

Bluesky: jokukuczka

Twitter/X: jo_kukuczkaLink opens in a new window

Profile

About me

I am an Educational Development and English for Academic Purposes specialist with expertise in higher education curriculum development as a socially situated knowledge-informed practice. As Academic Lead for the Postgraduate Award in Curriculum Development in Higher Education (PGA CDHE)I teach academic staff how to design inclusive, research-informed, and socially purposeful curricula, integrating theory and practice to support meaningful educational change. My curriculum work foregrounds sustainability, social justice, and epistemic equity, drawing on Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) and other theoretical frameworks.

As Academic Lead for the Warwick Awards for Teaching Excellence (WATE), I champion inclusive, values-driven approaches to recognising and fostering teaching excellence across the University.

A Senior Fellow of Advance HE, I mentor and assess on accredited Fellowship programmes (D1–D3) and support educational scholarship through engagement with our annual Warwick Education Conference. I am also a Fellow of the Warwick Institute of Engagement (WIE). Beyond Warwick, I am an external examiner, journal peer reviewer, editorial board member, co-convenor of the Theory into Practice (TiP) network, and PhD student at Open University. My doctoral research explores the social impact of higher education curricula for change.

As an educator and researcher, I am committed to exploring inclusive, research-informed curricula that connect theory and practice, and to supporting educators within and beyond Warwick in advancing transformative learning and teaching.

Teaching & Research

Teaching

Programme Lead | Postgraduate Award in Curriculum Development in Higher Education (PGA CDHE) | Warwick

Strand Lead | ADC Curriculum | Warwick

Academic Lead | Warwick Awards for Teaching Excellence (WATE) 2025

Teacher & Assessor | APP TE | Warwick

Mentor and Assessor | APP EXP | Warwick

Assessor | APP PGR | Warwick

Research

Doctoral student | Investigating the social impact of a higher education curriculum for change | Open University

Principal Investigator | Knowledge in Educational Development (UK) | Warwick

Outputs

Publications

Kukuczka, J. (2024c). Analysing valuesLink opens in a new window. Blog post. Theory into Practice (TiP) Blog.

Kukuczka, J. (2024b).Teaching critical reading through academic reading circles: A unicorn in disguise. Blog post. SEDA Blog.

Kukuczka, J. (2024a). Curriculum for change. In: P. Breen and M. LeRoux (eds.).Social Justice in EAP and ELT ContextsLink opens in a new window. London: Bloomsbury.

Kukuczka, J. and MacLean, D. (2023). Global Citizen Photo Diary in EAP: Research Reflections. Blog post. Bristol: University of Bristol Centre for Academic Language and Development. Available from:https://teachingandlearningnetwork.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2023/10/16/global-citizen-photo-diary-in-eap/Link opens in a new window

Kukuczka, J. (2019). Embracing Knowledge: Empowering EAP. Event proceedings. Knowledge in EAP: BALEAP PIM. Northampton: University of Northampton. Available from:https://www.baleap.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/BALEAP-PIM-write-up-Jo-Kukuczka.pdf

Presentations

Kukuczka, J. (2024). Curriculum design as a social practice: Pandora's box or pot of gold? World Cafe. SEDA Curriculum Development in Higher Education Network Symposium. SEDA.

Kukuczka, J. (2024). Revolutionalising higher education curriculum evaluation with theory. Theory into Practice (TiP).TiP Talk.

Kukuczka, J. (2024). Revolutionising higher education curriculum evaluation with LCT AutonomyLink opens in a new window. LCT Global - Roundtable May 2024.

Kukuczka, J. (2024). Co-evaluating HE curriculum with Autonomy. Legitimation Code Theory Conference (LCT5Link opens in a new window). Johannesburg, South Africa: University of Witwatersrand.

Kukuczka, J. (2023).Photo Diary: A tool for social change?Presentation. Warwick Educational Conference 2023. Warwick, United Kingdom: University of Warwick.

Kukuczka, J. (2023).EAP curriculum for social change: Theory and Practice. Community Open Session. 2023 BALEAP Conference. Warwick, United Kingdom: University of Warwick.

Kukuczka, J. (2023).Evaluating valuesLink opens in a new window. Conference presentation. BALEAP PIM: EAP for a more sustainable world. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford Brookes.

Kukuczka, J. (2023).Photo Diary: A tool for social change?Link opens in a new windowAsynchronous artefact. BALEAP PIM: EAP for a more sustainable world. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford Brookes.

Forde-Leaves, N. andKukuczka, J. (2022).The rules of the game: What’s in sports imagesLink opens in a new window. Image analyses using Legitimation Code Theory. Conference presentation. 2022Global Legitimation Code Theory Conference (LCT 3.5). Sydney, Australia: University of Sydney.

Kukuczka, J. (2021). The impact of Academic Reading Circles as knowledge building educational practices supporting the civic role of universities. Conference presentation. 2021 International Conference on Fostering democratic citizenship through curriculum and practice in higher education. Akureyri, Iceland: University of Akureyri.

Kukuczka, J. (2021).The impact of Academic reading Circles on students’ academic developmentLink opens in a new window. Conference presentation. 2021 BALEAP conference. Glasgow, United Kingdom: University of Glasgow.

Kukuczka, J., Maunder, R. and Tiritelnicu, B. (2021). Supporting students’ critical thinking and academic writing: What can we learn from applying knowledge used in EAP to Psychology classes? Poster presentation. 2021 ALDinHE Conference. Northampton, United Kingdom: University of Northampton.

Kukuczka, J. and Tiritelnicu, B. (2021). Supporting students’ critical thinking and academic writing: What can we learn from applying knowledge used in EAP to Psychology classes? Poster presentation. 2021 EAP Conference. St Andrews, United Kingdom: University of St Andrews.

Kukuczka, J. (2019). Genre analysis through demystifying field-tenor-mode. Workshop. BALEAP PIM: Adapt or Die? London, United Kingdom: Goldsmiths.

Kukuczka, J. (2019). Embracing knowledge: Empowering EAP. World-café. BALEAP PIM: Knowledge in EAP. Northampton, United Kingdom: University of Northampton.

Podcasts

Kukuczka, J., Cowley-Haselden, S., and Clarence, S. (2024). Why bother with theory in practice? TiP Podcast with Dr Sherran Clarence. Theory into Practice (TiP). Available from: https://theory-into-practice.weebly.com/tip-blog/why-bother-with-theory-into-higher-education-teaching-and-learning-practice

Kukuczka, J. and Gillway, M. (2022). Academic teachers' beliefs in action in feedback: TAFSIG interview with Dr Maxine Gillway. Podcast. Available from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igbsx6GQiFY&t=19sLink opens in a new window

Kukuczka, J. and McArthur, J. (2021). Assessment for social justice: Q&A with Dr Jan McArthur. Podcast. Available from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBM8f0IiLlkLink opens in a new window

Kukuczka, J. and Cowley-Haselden, S. (2020). Building knowledge through speaking assessment of academic reading circles: Interview with Dr Susie Cowley-Haselden. Podcast. Available from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw2I_HIcSQQLink opens in a new window

Kukuczka, J. and Vanttinen-Newton, S. (2020). Teacher emoticon usage in feedback: TAFSIG podcast with Sophia Vanttinen-Newton. Podcast. Available from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJlzrgVGVBLink opens in a new windowM

Public engagement

I am a higher education curriculum development professional and Warwick Institute of Engagement (WIE) Fellow interested in exploring curriculum design practices and their educational impact within the state primary, secondary, and sixth form education contexts in the UK. Although my expertise lies within the tertiary education, underpinning my curriculum development work with theory allows 'meanings to transcend single or local contexts' (Clarence, 2021: 11) and thus can be used or applied beyond the higher education contexts.

Currently, I offer workshops and consultations on Waving Curriculum, a theory-informed yet incredibly practical curriculum design approach proven to transform learning and teaching through enabling learners to build knowledge over time and then transfer this knowledge across different contexts. Read on to find out more.

Get in touch

Please get in touch if:

you would like to have an informal chat about waving curriculum
find out whether it is something your pupils/teachers/school might benefit from
enquire about a workshop/consultation.

jo.kukuczka@warwick.ac.uk

Note: This public engagement is available to the UK state schools and is free of charge. Limited availability (first come, first served).

LCT Waving curriculum

Curriculum design is a complex and high stakes endeavour that can enhance or constrain deep learning processes necessary for successful knowledge building and knowledge transfer across different contexts. The versatile, visual, and practical Legitimation Code Theory (LCTLink opens in a new window) concept of semantic waves (Clarence, 2021; Maton, 2013), henceforth, waving curriculum, supports our curriculum design practices by enabling learners to investigate, unpack, and connect theoretical and practical forms of knowledge, and learn cumulatively, and therefore, deeply, over time.

For example, if your GCSE Music learners struggle to understand theory and/or struggle to connect theory with practice, or if your primary school pupils whose first language isn't English struggle to follow the science or mathematical material, or if you'd like your sixth form students to transfer and apply their Geography knowledge into other contexts (e.g., Drama, English, Chemistry) and vice versa, waving curriculum might be something worth exploring.

Waving curriculum can be used at micro (lesson), meso (term/subject), or macro (programme) level, and it can help investigate problems and locate and address specific points of struggle in existing curricula. It can also guide curriculum design from scratch, as well as explain why current successful curricula are successful and how they enable, rather than constrain, knowledge building for all.

Below, you can see an example of a waving curriculum in the Computer Science context (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Example of a semantic wave profile in curriculum (Curzon, 2020).

How we know it works

This innovative approach had been gaining momentum globally across different educational levels (primary, secondary, tertiary) and fields of study (e.g., music, sciences, mathematics, English language, drama, computer science). For example, National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE) have now embedded semantic waves (waving curriculum) into their principles of computing across England which also led to Ofsted now recommending it as curriculum approach.

I my own practice, I have been introducing the LCT waving curriculum to Warwick teaching staff on the PGA CDHELink opens in a new window, CultivateLink opens in a new window, LDCU Active Curriculum, and LET (Ukraine)Link opens in a new window programmes, and now I'd like to contribute to sharing the approach beyond higher education.

References

Clarence, S. (2021). Turning access into success: Improving university education with Legitimation Code Theory. Routledge.
Curzon, P. (2020). Semantic waves. teaching London Computing: A resource hub. [online].
Maton, K. (2013). Making semantic waves: A key to cumulative knowledge-building, Linguistics and Education, 24: 18–22.