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Welcome

Building the curriculum


in higher education:
a conceptual framework
• Nicole Totté
• Steven Huyghe
• Alexandra Verhagen

Academic Development Unit KU Leuven


• Largest and oldest university in Belgium
• Research intensive university

41000 students
1500 professors
16 faculties
55 Bachelor programs
250 Master programs
18500 staff
Introduction

Course design

Academic Development Unit


Introduction
? clear and useful tool
for design, revision
and evaluation of
curriculum
? building blocks and
their relationships
? mindmap for all
stakeholders
Curriculum
Course design development

Academic Development Unit


Approach
• Exploration of literature on curriculum design
• Identification of key components describing curriculum
• Visualisation of the scheme and quality circles
Elements for a conceptual scheme
Planned curriculum

learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Selection and integration of the knowledge, skills, and


attitudes to be acquired by the graduates
Planned curriculum

learning outcomes

Educational philosophy

Description of the educational purposes


and instructional philosophy that underlie
curriculum decisions, reflecting the vision
and mission of the institution.
Planned curriculum

learning outcomes

Positioning

• Level (Undergraduate, Bachelor, Master,…)


• Orientation (content related)
• Strategic choices about the disciplines involved
• Comparison with similar curricula at other institutions
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

Alignment with discipline, research


community, labour market, society

• needs of employers and recruiters


• expectations of society
• new findings of the research communities
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

Aligned curriculum

all courses are courses learning, teaching


sequenced and and assessment
structured strategies are
structure learning,
together to form teaching and aligned between
and
a coherent assessment
sequence
strategies courses
program of
study
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

• departmental
• institutional
startenu
policy

• regional
courses
• (inter)national
regulation and
organization learning,
structure
and teaching
sequence and
assessment
strategies
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

courses

• teaching
facilities learning,
structure
• infrastructure
institutional
resources

and teaching
• technology sequence and
• staff assessment
strategies
• financial
resources
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

• student selection

characteristics
• characteristics of

student
courses incoming students
• diverse back-
ground of students
structure learning,
and teaching
sequence and
assessment
strategies
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

courses

learning,
• student guidance

resources for
structure
and teaching
• student mobility

students
sequence and
assessment • facilities for
strategies students
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

characteristics
startenu

student
policy

courses

structure learning,

resources for
teaching
institutional
resources

and

students
sequence and
assessment
strategies
Circles for quality development
discipline, research community, labour market, society

A quality circle of the


planned curriculum

learning outcomes

characteristics
startenu

student
policy

courses

structure learning,

resources for
teaching
institutional
resources

and students
sequence and
assessment
strategies
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

implementation of
B the curriculum

characteristics
startenu

student
policy

courses

structure learning,

resources for
teaching
institutional
resources

and students
sequence and
assessment
strategies
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

characteristics
startenu

student
policy

courses
C the aligned curriculum

structure learning,

resources for
teaching
institutional
resources

and students
sequence and
assessment
strategies
discipline, research community, labour market, society

learning outcomes

characteristics
startenu

student
policy

courses

structure learning,

resources for
teaching
institutional
resources

and students
sequence and
assessment the aligned course
strategies
D
researchers / faculty employers
Actors discipline, research community, labour market, society

alumni society
educational
developers students
teaching
faculty
program
learning outcomes assistents
leader
policy

characteristics
makers
startenu

program
policy

student
courses
program leader
students
leader faculty
learning,
structure

resources for
institutional

teaching
resources

and student

students
and
sequenceteaching assessment
supporting strategies counselers
assistents
staff
Evaluating the framework
= verifying validity and usability for different stakeholders

• since 2009: use in educational development


• in 2012: Workshop with program leaders and educational
developers
o introduction of scheme
o curriculum related case
o questionnaire on usability
Evaluating the framework
• Results
o useful tool
o Implicit use
o need for additional information on implementation

• Scenario’s will be provided to program leaders and


educational developers
Discussion
Contact
Dr. Ir. Nicole Totté
Dr. Steven Huyghe

Academic Development Unit


Teaching and Learning department
Kapeldreef 62 – bus 5206
3001 Heverlee
Belgium

nicole.totte@kuleuven.be
steven.huyghe@kuleuven.be

http://www.doel.kuleuven.be

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