Program - day 1 workshop 7
Title
Curriculum renewal and redesign: What role, if any, for academic developers?
Presenters / facilitators
Tom Angelo - La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia
Kerri-Lee Krause - Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
Margaret Mazzolini - Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, Australia
Objectives / outcomes
By the completion of the workshop participants will have:
Abstract
In 2009, at least one-third of Australia’s universities are planning or already engaged in significant, university-wide curriculum review and renewal projects. What role(s) can and should academic developers play in these change efforts and how well prepared are they to meet the inevitable challenges?
In this interactive workshop, members of the ALTC-funded project on “Leading Curriculum Renewal, Redesign and Evaluation” (CURRE) will engage participants in considering the major drivers, enablers, pitfalls and open questions regarding leadership and management of institution-wide curriculum change processes in Australian universities. By the end of the workshop, participants can expect to have a more focused view of their own potential roles in curriculum change, deeper knowledge of the views of senior academic leaders, and a greater awareness of strategies and resources for carrying out their roles.
The quality of academic leadership is a key element in the success or failure of these change processes. The need to develop and enhance academic leadership is acknowledged by the ALTC and the projects it supports, including the pioneering work by Geoff Scott and Hamish Coates. The ALTC also recognises the centrality of curriculum design to the improvement of student engagement, retention, and learning. The influential work of ALTC Senior Fellow Sally Kift at QUT on the design of the first-year, transition curriculum is a primary example.
The CURRE project is based on the recognition that curriculum development and curriculum evaluation are areas in which Australia’s academic leaders and managers need research-informed, practical support, training, and opportunities to share good practice. While academic developers do not typically initiate or direct these curriculum change efforts, they are almost inevitably involved in them. Thus, they too may need support and training.
After an initial overview of curriculum change efforts nationwide and of the CURRE Project’s related aims and activities, participants will respond to a brief survey on curriculum issues. They will then compare their survey responses to those of senior academic leaders and of academic development centre directors – gathered as part of the CURRE project’s research. This triangulation exercise will provide the data for a focused discussion of roles academic development staff do and could play in the review, redesign, and renewal of curriculum. Workshop participants will next engage in a needs assessment exercise to determine how well prepared they and their colleagues are for those possible roles and identify relevant resource and training needs. Based on the CURRE Project’s review of curriculum change literature and resources in Australia, North America, and the UK, the facilitators will suggest potentially useful strategies and options in response to the specific needs identified.
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Download the full workshop plan (pdf)