As the education world continues to evolve at an ever-increasing pace, the pressure to keep up has never been greater. While there is a growing recognition of the need to transform educational institutions in order to prepare students for life beyond college, the curriculum change process can be a daunting undertaking.
Achieving successful curriculum changes requires significant investment of time, money and resources from all stakeholders. The process can be lengthy and may require a great deal of compromise, which can make it difficult to ensure the desired outcome. In addition, a new curriculum can disrupt the status quo and create an environment of fear and uncertainty.
In addition to the financial and staffing issues cited above, respondents emphasized that additional faculty time is critical to successfully implement a new curriculum. Many of them also cited the need for training to help faculty apply their planned curricular elements to their teaching situations.
The process of transforming educational institutions is complex and requires leadership that is both supportive and collaborative. In order to facilitate these efforts, leaders need to communicate the value of a new curriculum in terms of student learning and engagement. They need to build trust by demonstrating humility and respect for their colleagues and students, and they must provide clear goals and expectations in a way that allows everyone to feel involved in the decision making process. They should also ensure that the university’s curriculum change policy and guidelines are followed in all departments and colleges.
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