Abstract
Curriculum reform in higher education has been taking place in many countries, with much attention paid to many such as the national-level Bologna process in Europe, institutional-level Melbourne Model in Australia and discipline-level Engineering Criteria 2000 (EC2000). This paper gives a detailed account of the reform initiatives taking place in the recent Hong Kong educational system and in particular, focusing on a research-intensive university in Hong Kong through literature and consultations. Being aware that teachers often face challenges in dealing with curriculum changes, this small-scale study aims to identify areas which faculty members require assistance in their professional development by investigating university teachers’ perception of the curriculum reform in the Science discipline. Through quantitative and qualitative methods, it was also found that academics expressed doubts towards the implementation of outcome-based and student-centered learning approaches in the new curriculum despite their understanding of these concepts.
Highlights
Curriculum reform involves changes in the educational system, program structures and objectives, leading to changes in approaches to teaching and learning and students’ learning outcomes
Most of the academic staffs in our study are keen towards learning about outcome-based learning, 48.3% of the participants indicated that they were concerned that the new curriculum, geared towards student-centered learning, may make it difficult for them to cover all the content of the courses
This paper began with an introduction to the curriculum reform initiatives in different countries, followed by a detailed account of the Hong Kong education system and its challenges and changes in the curriculum reform “3+3+4”
Summary
Curriculum reform involves changes in the educational system, program structures and objectives, leading to changes in approaches to teaching and learning and students’ learning outcomes. With an increasing number of graduates becoming mobile global citizens using their education qualifications as vehicles for employment and for further studies outside their home countries, a standardized way of recognizing their qualifications is becoming an urgent requirement within these reforms. This vehicle needs to be transferable in different situations and geographical locations, since it is becoming the norm that more students are obtaining employment in areas unrelated to their core area of studies, possessing skills that are transferable for employment regardless of industry is of primarily importance. We will provide an overview of curriculum reform initiatives in different countries, followed by a literature review on faculty members’ perception of curriculum reform
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