Supporting programme teams to develop sequencing in higher education curricula

Curriculum sequencing is central to promoting a coherent student experience. Yet in the higher education context, the concept and practice of curriculum sequencing have not been fully explored. This research examined how seven programme teams approached the issue of sequencing across two Irish higher education institutions. A phenomenological approach was used to explore actions, challenges, and enhancers to sequencing. The three key themes emerging were: developing a collective philosophy; communicating the sequencing clearly; and, developing strong building blocks. Ideas are presented on how academic developers can work with academic staff to improve sequencing in their curricula.     

A model for the development of university curricula in nanoelectronics

Nanotechnology is having an increasing impact on university curricula in electrical engineering and in physics. Major influencers affecting developments in university programmes related to nanoelectronics are discussed and a model for university programme development is described. The model takes into account that nanotechnology affects not only physics but also electrical engineering and computer engineering because of the advent of new nanoelectronics devices. The model suggests that curriculum development tends to follow one of three major tracks: physics; electrical engineering; computer engineering. Examples of European curricula following this framework are identified and described. These examples may serve as sources of inspiration for future developments and the model presented may provide guidelines for a systematic selection of topics in the university programmes.     

关于高校研究型课程建设的一些思考──从“通俗文学审美文化研究”—课说

高校研究型课程应精心选择授课材料,突出学科学术研究史和研究过程、学术成果。课程选题应力求接近学生实际,及时、精当地搞好讲评,还要组织学生讨论和与研究生交流。高校研究型课程的开设,对教师研究能力和知识结构,将聘任制实行时曾提出而未能解决的问题,又重新提出了。该类型课程的开设,有助于校园整体学术氛围的营造,还提出了图书馆建设、学年论文设立和把关、部分课程开设不合理等问题。     

The interventionary state in China and programs and curricula at a Chinese vocational university

Through case study methods, we examine a vocational university in China to ascertain if and the extent to which industrial modernization, the global economy and economic market forces, and state planning have altered this institution. We focus specifically upon a vocational university in China, as these institutions comprise the newest higher education sector in that nation and those most logically connected to work in the new global economy. Anning Ding, the first author and principal investigator, is a native of China, and English is his second language. The first author used interview data in a larger study and we plan to use these data again for another publication.     

Responding to university policies and initiatives: the role of reflexivity in the mid-career academic

How do academics make sense of university policies and strategic initiatives and act on them? Interviews were conducted with 27 mid-career academics in different disciplines, different research-intensive university environments and two countries (England and Australia). Data were analysed iteratively utilising a critical realist perspective, specifically, Archer’s modes of reflexivity. The paper argues that individuals’ responses to university policies and initiatives, to changes in policy and policy conflicts, can at least partially be understood through interrogating the modes of reflexivity they employ.     

Making inter-disciplinary spaces for talk about and change in student writing and literacy development

This paper discusses the role of a writing centre in creating spaces for talk about and change in disciplinary writing pedagogy. It asks how collaborative partnerships between disciplinary academics and Writing Centre practitioners might be established and nurtured sustainably. Drawing on insights from two collaborations with academics in political studies and law, the article asserts that writing centre practitioners play a valuable role in talking about and changing the way academic writing and literacy is taught in the disciplines. This is shown by working consistently with the understanding that critical reading, thinking and writing are literacy acts rather than generic skills and must therefore be learned and practiced in the disciplines. By supporting disciplinary academics in re-examining course outcomes, materials and assessments, and moving away from a ‘skills approach’ to writing, it is shown that building discipline-specific spaces for writing and literacy development is possible through these collaborative partnerships.     

The culture of disciplines: Reconceptualising multi-subject curricula

The arts are recognised for their potential to humanise and enrich educational experience, but hold a lowly position in the hierarchy of school subject-based curricula. This limits the time, and thus the influence, they can have. Whilst schools welcome the idea of a curriculum rich with both arts and science subjects, resistance to realising this is often advanced in terms of the proportion of curriculum time required for different subjects. Arguments for STEAM education, whilst apparently challenging this and valuing the potential of the arts, have reinforced its servant role. Drawing on research into a particular project, where the perspectives of the arts and sciences inform and enrich how the other is experienced and understood, we reframe this problem. Firstly, drawing on Massey’s conception of space-time, we argue that one can conceive of more than one subject occupying the same curricular space on a school timetable. Secondly, informed by Geertz, we consider what the culture of the arts and the sciences offers, suggesting that this appears to reflect what teachers have valued. We argue that foregrounding the culture of school subjects, and particularly the culture of the arts, as part of a multicultural frame can facilitate rich and engaging educational experiences. Rather than being positioned as competing for time or status in the curriculum, a focus on culture emphasises how the co-existence and interplay of multiple subjects broadens, develops and thus enriches children’s educational experience. It also enables a different conception of, and thus role for, the arts in schooling.     

The start-up,evolution and impact of a research group in a university developing its knowledge base

This article focuses on the understudied role of research groups contributing to develop the knowledge base of developing universities in regions lagging behind in human, financial and scientific resources. We analyse the evolution of a research group that, in less than 10 years, achieved worldwide recognition in the field of microelectronics, with an impact on both engineering research and teaching activities at the University of Macau. Our analysis concludes that voluntarism and loose organizational structures from the start stimulate the development of solid scientific agendas and institutional identity, and that counter-intuitive policies, including academic inbreeding, may also be needed and unavoidable in this effort. The use of these counter-intuitive policies and their effects, however, can be mitigated by transforming education to highlight high levels of internationalization and quality standards with measurable outcomes. This requires the committed involvement of research group leaders in both research and education. Lastly, another key component of university development may lie in hiring and giving freedom to young promising scholars with the will and drive to lead and act.     

The potential of critical race theory in decolonizing university curricula

This paper critiques our experiences as non-Indigenous Australian educators of working with numerous embedding Indigenous perspectives curricular projects at an Australian university. Reporting on these project outcomes alone, while useful in identifying limitations, does not illustrate ways in which future embedding and decolonizing projects can persist and evolve. Deeper analysis is required of the ways in which Indigenous knowledge and perspectives are perceived, and what “embedding” Indigenous Knowledge in university curricula truly means to various educational stakeholders. To achieve a deeper analysis and propose ways to invigorate the continuing decolonization of Australian university curricula, this paper critically interrogates the methodology and conceptualization of Indigenous knowledge in embedding Indigenous perspectives (EIP) in the university curriculum using tenets of critical race theory. Accordingly, we conduct this analysis from the standpoint that EIP should not subscribe to the luxury of independence of scholarship from politics and activism. The learning objective is to create a space to legitimize politics in the intellectual/academic realm. We conclude by arguing that critical race theory's emancipatory, future and action-oriented goals for curricula would enhance effective and sustainable embedding initiatives, and ultimately, preventing such initiatives from returning to the status quo.     

论园长课程领导的困境与对策

园本课程开发要求园长具备一定的课程领导能力,能基于一定的专业知识,运用各种领导策略,与相关人员一起开发并实施园本课程,提升教师的教育效能及园本课程的品质.在实践层面,园长课程领导能力的发展面临课程开发和课程领导专业知能不足、疏离课程开发和教学工作、其他人员参与园本课程开发的意愿不强等困境,急需获得相应的支持性环境、合作性文化和专业性培训.     

From the contribution to the action approach: White teachers' experiences influencing the development of multicultural science curricula

In this exploratory case study, we sought to understand teacher's integration of multicultural curricula in science curriculum units, and how personal experiences influenced the level of integration in light of Bank's typology of ethnic content integration into school curricula. Five research participants volunteered and were selected so as to be representative of the demographic of pre‐service and in‐service teachers in the southern United States. The aim was to explore teachers' personal experiences with cultural others that either facilitated or impeded their adoption of multicultural curricula strategies in science curricula units. Case narratives present and discuss interview data and assigned curricula projects. Findings suggest that participants who had transformative cultural experiences and who identified as the marginalized cultural other, transformed science curricula at higher levels of Bank's typology for curricula' multicultural approaches. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 49: 1271–1295, 2012     

Alignment of developments in higher education

This study builds upon the concept of alignment within the curriculum(due to Biggs) and suggests, in the context of two current examples, anintegrated methodology for effectively aligned development activitieswithin universities. Higher Education institutions face importantchallenges. Firstly, quality enhancement of the curriculum is now aninstitutional concern, if not a priority, in the face of governmentalpressure and in a competitive environment. It is no longer a matter ofindividual endeavour. Secondly, we now have a basic pedagogy for adultlearning, and should put that into practice systematically. And thirdly,staff are now faced with the demand to commit themselves to professionaldevelopment, and to determine what that means in terms of theirparticular profession. This paper considers these challenges, andrelates them to the argument for an integrated methodology forinstitutional, staff and curriculum development, which aligns theseactivities rather more effectively than hitherto. At the same time, itadvocates a logical model for curriculum development, as a complementarytool of alignment for student-centred curriculum development.Theargument is illustrated by recent work in the Open University in the UKand in the Universidade de Aveiro in Portugal.     

Sustainability policy and sustainability in higher education curricula: the educational developer perspective

Various studies have investigated the views of higher education staff and students about sustainability, yet educational developer perspectives are under-represented in the research. This project gathered educational developer perspectives about sustainability in the curriculum. It sought to capture their views about a national sustainability policy; about the relationship between educational development and sustainability curriculum change; and whether sustainability should form part of their own roles. It was informed by the ‘theory of the second-best’ and involved nine interviews. Educational developers raised concerns about the policy, whilst opinions about their own involvement varied. It is argued that policy should provide clearer statements about curriculum, and educational developers should be involved in its development.     

学校课程领导：模式、发展趋向及启示

课程领导理论的深入发展和课程改革的需要产生了以校长为首的课程领导模式、校长与中层领导同步共治模式和能动分享式领导模式等三种主要的学校课程领导模式,并呈现出细分课程权力并建立其保障机制、学校人力资源的开发与利用、提升学校效能以拓展课程领导空间等趋势。这些为我国课程领导模式的构建提供了如下的思路:以校长专业化推动学校课程领导实践;实施学校知识管理;建立学校的冲突管理机制等。     

Contextualizing distributed leadership in higher education

This case study of development in a technical university situates distributed leadership in higher education in an organizational perspective. Analysis of documentation from development programs and interviews with 10 faculty members showed that leadership practices were related to different institutional logics prominent in four key activities in this specific university: education, research, formal organization and boundary-spanning cross-scientific environments. A shared understanding of these logics was accompanied with a reported increase in organizational understanding and leadership awareness that helped establish collaboration and sensemaking. Furthermore, we show that the theory of logic multiplicity provides a way to analyze previously neglected aspects of power, tensions, context and the practical relevance of the concept of distributed leadership.     

从课程开发到课程领导：高职教师项目课程实施策略探索﹡

从教师专业发展的视角,针对部分高职教师参与课程开发的动力不足的问题,论证了课程资源建设与教师专业发展之间的正相关性关系,提出了高职教师采取主动参与课程开发、开展教研进行研究反思以及合力打造课程团队等策略,可以通过从入门--成长--熟练--专家的专业发展的四个阶段,逐步完成从课程开发者成长为课程领导者的过渡,而这也是教师专业发展成熟的重要标志。     

Introducing sustainability into university curricula: an indicator and baseline survey of the views of university teachers at the University of Valencia

Many higher education institutions have assumed the role of diffusing knowledge, values, attitudes and behaviours that favour sustainability. A key objective in such work is training university teachers to apply sustainability criteria to their respective disciplines. While university teachers' active participation is essential to achieving this goal, their ideas about and predispositions towards introducing sustainability into curricula are not always understood or appreciated. In this paper, we report on a questionnaire survey at the University of Valencia, Spain, on the current baseline situation for introducing sustainability across the university's curricula. We also report on a measure to periodically review the situation, including progress of and/or decline in introducing sustainability into diverse subject areas, focusing on a series of indicators grouped under the common name ‘π Indicator’. Key findings from the survey include the widespread support for introducing sustainability across the university's curricula; however, as might be expected, significant differences occur in how questions are addressed by staff from various disciplines, including how they relate to departmental perceptions, interpretations and performance of sustainability‐related teaching.     

Leading curriculum innovation in primary schools project: a final report

This article provides the final report on a research project that investigated the ways in which curriculum innovation can be led successfully in primary schools. Data gathering included 40 semi-structured interviews in 10 successful primary schools in England of varying sizes and types and in a range of geographical and social locations. Findings suggest that in order for curriculum innovation to be successful, school leaders need to create an ethos for change that empowers teachers to experiment with the curriculum through the adoption of distributed forms of leadership, and that in-school and between-school cooperation is a key mechanism for change.     

Collaborative course design: changing the process,acknowledging the context,and implications for academic development

This research study describes the experiences and perceptions of an instructor and an instructional design specialist who collaborated on the design and implementation of a university course using a new course design process. Findings uncovered differences between an informal collaboration process and the adaptation of that process for implementation in a classroom setting. Recommendations support the concepts of a long‐term collaboration, consideration of classroom constraints, and the importance of course participant voices and perspectives. Thoughtful consideration of the interaction of the design and implementation processes and commitment to continual course design collaboration can have positive implications for academic development.

Cette étude décrit les expériences et perceptions d’un enseignant et d’un spécialiste du design pédagogique ayant collaboré au design et à la mise en ?uvre d’un cours universitaire à l’aide d’un nouveau processus de développement de cours. L’étude a permis de mettre en lumière les différences entre un processus informel de collaboration et l’adaptation de ce processus de façon à le mettre en ?uvre dans le contexte d’une classe. Les recommandations présentées soutiennent les concepts de collaboration à long terme, la considération des contraintes de classe, et l’importance de la voix et de la perspective des participants au cours. Une réflexion approfondie de l’interaction entre les processus de design et de mise en ?uvre, de même qu’un engagement à l’égard d’une collaboration continue en matière de design pédagogique peuvent avoir des implications positives sur les expériences de développement pédagogique.     

Organizational Change: A Case Study

Universities are often characterized as highly resistant to change, but this is not always true. In circumstances of major threat to institutional survival they may be as susceptible to change as any other large complex organization. This article presents a case study of major organizational change in a mid-sized (17,000 students) university in Ontario, Canada. It concludes that, while formal internal processes may vary from one institution to another, many of the tenets of change theory applicable to other organizations also apply in universities. Lessons about when and how such change can be effected are suggested.