Curricula development

Advice on shaping the focus and content of university programmes to ensure they deliver what students and employers need. These resources look at how to embed the most sought-after graduate attributes and future skills into university curricula; how to adapt course content to a future shaped by AI; how to weave the Sustainable Development Goals into existing programmes and what effective decolonisation looks like. 

Group of multiracial mature computing students

What are the key components of an effective lifelong-learning culture?

Continuing engagement with education doesn’t just happen. Universities need to put the right elements in place to support a culture of lifelong learning, writes Cheong Fan

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

A group of young people put their hands together

The world isn’t sorted into modules, nor should authentic learning be

Faculty should combine their modules for an interdisciplinary, real-world based approach to learning, argues Angela Ng

Angela Ng

Singapore Institute of Technology

Small business owner working in inventory

Teaching business students how to prepare sustainability reports for SMEs

In engaging with small and medium-sized enterprises, universities can raise SMEs’ awareness of their own climate impacts. Here, Ven Tauringana shares a model for teaching accounting students how to produce sustainability reports

Ven Tauringana

University of Southampton

Advice on fostering interdisciplinary learning in large scale doctoral programmes

Fostering interdisciplinary learning in large-scale doctoral programmes

Corina Sas highlights key insights for design and delivery of large-scale doctoral training programmes that foster supportive and cooperative interdisciplinary learning environments

Corina Sas

Lancaster University

Moving beyond climate change to teach the climate crisis

Ways to scale up education relating to the climate crisis and the questions it must guide students to answer

Adam R. Aron

University of California San Diego

A checklist for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in medical sciences and education, part two

Three questions that medical sciences lecturers should ask when revising curricula to promote ethical considerations, an understanding of health inequities and diverse perspectives

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Mia-Rose Gillison

The University of Exeter

A diverse group of medics sitting through a seminar

A checklist for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in medical sciences and education, part one

Three questions that lecturers in medical sciences should ask when revising their curricula to promote diverse representation and health equity

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Mia-Rose Gillison

The University of Exeter

A robot teacher in front of a blackboard

ChatGPT and generative AI: 25 applications in teaching and assessment

In the second part of their series looking at 100 ways to use ChatGPT in higher education, Seb Dianati and Suman Laudari share 25 prompts for such AI tools to assist with teaching and assessment

Seb Dianati, Suman Laudari

Charles Darwin University

Making sustainability part of university DNA

Meaningful change comes from embedding green practices into every aspect, and every member, of the institution, starting from induction training

Thomas Menkhoff, Kevin Cheong

Singapore Management University

An old map of Africa showing countries as former British and French colonies

Bring staff and students together to decolonise in seven steps

Seven stages to decolonising a curriculum, drawing lessons from a staff-student collaboration to decolonise the teaching of geography

Caitlin Kight, Eleanor Cook

The University of Exeter

Illustration of two men in shirt and ties shaking hands over jigsaw speech bubble

How can we measure interdisciplinary learning?

A benchmark of success for interdisciplinary learning is graduates who have the flexibility to examine their areas of interest and develop attributes that deliver practical value to future employers

Elvin Lim , Daniel Seah

Singapore Management University

Unifying theoretical and clinical education in a medical curriculum

A focus on practical competences comes with the risk that theoretical knowledge will be sidelined during the clinical years. However, two-way vertical integration of medical training can provide a more balanced strategy for learning

László Köles

Semmelweis University

A group of medical students stand around a patient in bed

Social justice as part of medical education

Five strategies universities can adopt to aid medical students’ understanding of and engagement with social justice principles as part of healthcare training

Priya Harindranathan

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Australian aboriginal hands against red dirt road illustrating exchange of Indigenous wisdom

Steps to decolonise higher education: after yourself, change the curriculum

Opening the curriculum to First Nations’ histories and knowledge is a key part of decolonisation, as lisahunter and Karen Lambert explain in this second part of their series

lisahunter, Karen Lambert

Monash University

Four Asian students on a bench looking at a laptop

Design a student-centred curriculum for dynamic learning

Student-centred learning design promotes engagement, critical thinking and problem-solving, which leads to enhanced real-world skills. M. C. Zhang and Aliana Leong share their strategies

M. C. Zhang, Aliana Leong

Macau University of Science and Technology

Image of someone picking up a plastic bottle from a beach

From personal to professional: incorporating sustainability into your university work

Practical advice for embedding sustainability issues into broader professional practice, taking lessons from teaching English language that are applicable across other disciplines

Peter Buckley

The University of Edinburgh

Blocks in the air with a yellow one in the middle

New views on the block: schedule or philosophy?

Colorado College founded its Block Plan in the heady, revolutionary late 1960s. What can a look back over 50 years teach us about the future of compressed and modular modes of curriculum delivery?

Steven Hayward

Colorado College

Primary sources as a tool for greater diversity

Primary sources can be used to diversify curricula and bring in marginalised voices. Jade G. Winn and Michaela Ullmann explain what library teams can do to support faculty and students in finding and assessing diverse materials

Jade G. Winn , Michaela Ullmann

University of Southern California

Illustration of giant mortarboard with students

If I redesigned UK higher education, I would…

Pay-as-you-go modules? Choose-your-own first year? Glenn Fosbraey looks to the blue sky for (sometimes radical) ideas for improving the HE experience

Glenn Fosbraey

University of Winchester

Full circle: using the cycle of teaching, module design and research

How research, module design and classroom delivery in creative fields inform one another in circular and essential practices. Glenn Fosbraey shares his own teaching as a case study

Glenn Fosbraey

University of Winchester

Decolonising the curriculum through collaboration, partnership and dissemination

Tips on how to decolonise curricula through collaboration, partnership and dissemination, from four university educators

Multiple authors

University of Reading

Image showing a human and AI writing together

ChatGPT and the rise of AI writers: how should higher education respond?

The proliferation of AI text generators such as ChatGPT has major implications for higher education. Nancy Gleason explores how educators should respond to these tools which can write essays in seconds

Nancy Gleason

New York University Abu Dhabi

Students are disconnected because of higher ed discipline silos

Students are disengaged – and it’s due to how higher ed is structured

Academic structures, such as disciplines, too often silo and limit possibilities for engagement and connection, says JT Torres

J. T. Torres

Quinnipiac University

The secrets of supporting successful student start-ups

Guidance to how universities can support student entrepreneurship and successful business creation, shared by John Lonsdale

John Lonsdale

The University of Edinburgh

Sprint to the finish: redesigning university programme validation

Sprint methodology can compress university-wide validation of academic programmes into an intense, hierarchy-free three-day process

Leanne de Main, Sarah Jones

De Montfort University, University of Gloucestershire

Transformative not transmissive education for sustainability

The teaching of sustainability and the SDGs needs to equip graduates with the skills to bring about transformative change for a better future. Jen Dollin, Brittany Hardiman and Susan Germein explore what this means for universities

Jen Dollin, Brittany Vermeulen , Susan Germein

Western Sydney University

Eight ways to engage with AI writers in higher education

Just as spelling checks and predictive text have become accepted, so too will AI writers, so educators should help students responsibly engage with and understand the potential and limitations of these text generators, writes Lucinda McKnight

Lucinda McKnight

Deakin University

Counter-mapping as a pedagogical tool

Engaging students with urban spaces can contextualise and deepen learning and bring in inclusive perspectives. Daniel Gutiérrez-Ujaque and Dharman Jeyasingham explain how counter-mapping can be used as a pedagogical tool

Daniel Gutiérrez-Ujaque , Dharman Jeyasingham

Brunel University London , The University of Manchester

Building a course around target 'customers'

Why higher education must serve students as the customer and the product

An effective university programme should continually adapt in order to add value for and to the students so that they can meet future workplace demands, Haksin Chan and Roy Ying explain

Haksin Chan, Roy Ying

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

For the common good: why we need ecological universities

Higher education has become too aligned to specific economic interests and needs to be redirected to focus on regenerative values for the common good, argue Richard Hil, Kristen Lyons and Fern Thompsett

Richard Hil, Kristen Lyons, Fern Thompsett

Griffith University, Southern Cross University, The University of Queensland , Columbia University

Blocks for building a stronger student community

Block teaching can help rapidly establish bonds among students, and with their lecturers, which in turn maximises learning potential. Here, Sarah Jones offers insights from the 50-year history of block scheduling

Sarah Jones

De Montfort University

Threshold concepts: what they are and how they help students learn

Threshold concepts are themes that underpin an academic discipline and can provide a framework for students to build knowledge. But teachers must be mindful of students’ capacity to understand them, as Becky Lewis explains

Becky Lewis

The University of East Anglia

Is it possible to decolonise the business curriculum?

Untangling business studies from the discipline’s imperial origins might seem an insurmountable task, but it’s up to university leaders to take the lead on this complex challenge, reflects Bobby Banerjee

Bobby Banerjee

City, University of London

Rhythm of a class: lesson-planning and assessment in block teaching

Block scheduling rethinks curriculum design, lesson-planning, assessment and feedback. Tom Clark outlines how this shift, as well as blended learning resources, helped Victoria University meet students’ need for clear and reliable rhythms of study

Tom Clark

Victoria University

Young female scientist examining a sample through a microscrope

Curriculum design in biosciences: setting up first-year students for success

Transferable skills and employability are more important than ever, and students arrive at university with a widening diversity of backgrounds. So, how should we prioritise what to teach in the first year of a biosciences degree?

Audrey Heppleston

The University of East Anglia

Block to the future: why block scheduling has taken so long to catch on

Block teaching has been around since the mid-noughties, but those short-lived early trials were ahead of the curve. Simon Thomson and Carl Flattery explore why block planning might finally be having its day

Carl Flattery, Simon Thomson

Leeds Beckett University, The University of Manchester

Illustration of student career development and Lego

How block teaching supports students from under-represented groups

Shorter, more immersive units are helping raise attainment and success for students with complex and diverse needs

Thomas Roche, Liz Goode, Erica Wilson

Southern Cross University

Campus webinar: Decolonising the curriculum

A panel of academics from Campus+ institutions in the UK and Australia discuss the what, why and how of decolonising the curriculum

Campus team

Campus

Image showing data processing and analytics

Foundations to lay when teaching computational and data skills

Traditional teaching in data analysis focuses on statistics and visualisation but an emphasis on foundational data and computational skills is needed to prepare students to work with real data, explains Philip Leftwich

Philip Leftwich

The University of East Anglia

How to maximise student satisfaction with the flipped classroom

What are the pedagogical, technical and social aspects that lecturers should consider to give students the best possible experience of the flipped classroom?

Erkko Sointu

University of Eastern Finland

Image showing a hand unlocking a door with a giant key to represent how a PhD can unlock students' potential

How humanities and social sciences PhD programmes can adapt to a challenging job landscape

Postgraduate studies in humanities and social sciences help graduates build skills that are applicable across multiple sectors and career paths. Ray Haberski Jr explains how to shape relevant and adaptable PhD programmes in these disciplines

Raymond Haberski Jr

Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Educational gag orders threaten the very fabric of US higher education

Educational gag orders could destroy the structure of higher education

Universities and programmes could lose their accreditation and students could lose their financial aid if governors continue signing these legislative restrictions

Jeremy C. Young

PEN America

A healthcare professional assisting a male patient

Why and how to build awareness of cultural sensitivity in healthcare curricula

Why and how to adjust curricula to take account of cultural sensitivities relating to the discipline being taught, taking healthcare as an example

Craig Jackson

Loma Linda University

Advice on developing higher education programmes that meet the skills needs of Gen Z students

Catering to Gen Z’s needs: creating a flexible and adaptable education programme

Universities need to teach broad knowledge and skills that will help graduates adapt in a fast-changing future workplace. Three academics share insights from developing a generalist approach to training business students

Eric Chee, Roy Ying, Winnie Chan

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Key considerations for designing a university curriculum

Shaping a curriculum framework: the fundamental principles

Adrian Lam outlines a list of fundamental principles for consideration when shaping a curriculum framework

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Advice on overseeing new curriculum development based on the general education reforms in Hong Kong

Seven lessons from interdisciplinary general education curriculum reform

Adrian Lam highlights lessons drawn from the implementation of interdisciplinary general education curriculum reform in Hong Kong universities

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Advice on developing a course portfolio that meets workplace demand for upskilling

Pivoting university course offerings to upskill the workforce

Teresa Ironside outlines how universities can develop their course portfolio to meet changing workplace skills demands and deliver education to a wider range of learners

Teresa Ironside

The University of Edinburgh

Universal design for learning is a key framework for equity, diversity and inclusion among students in university settings

The case for using universal design for learning at your institution

Universal design for learning can be the answer when searching for true equity in our universities. Jacqui Whittle and Caroline Pike outline the how and why

Jacqui Whittle, Caroline Pike

Arden University

Advice on establishing key themes and learning outcomes in order to shape the overall learning journey

Start with why, part two: building a clear learning journey

In the second part of his guide to curriculum development, Graeme Knowles explains how learning outcomes can be developed and then used to map the overall learning journey

Graeme Knowles

The University of Warwick

Advice on embedding sustainable development into university curricula by aligning it with core subject learning outcomes

Match sustainability learning outcomes to specific curricula to achieve SDG 4.7

Ron Johnston provides a guide to embedding education for sustainable development into university courses by linking it with the learning outcomes of the core subject being taught

Ron Johnston

UNESCO

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