Continuous Curriculum Improvement Research Articles

Utilization of artificial intelligence in Outcome-Based Curriculum Evaluation and Development

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education has revolutionized traditional teaching and learning methodologies, offering significant improvements in curriculum evaluation and development. This study explores the utilization of AI in the evaluation and development of an Outcome-Based Curriculum (OBC). AI technologies, including machine learning algorithms and natural language processing, are employed to analyze vast amounts of educational data, providing insights into student performance and curriculum effectiveness. The research highlights how AI can identify learning gaps, predict student outcomes, and recommend personalized learning paths, thereby enhancing the overall educational experience. By leveraging AI, educators can design more adaptive and responsive curricula that meet the dynamic needs of students and industry standards. The findings suggest that AI-driven tools not only streamline the evaluation process but also facilitate continuous curriculum improvement, ensuring that educational programs remain relevant and outcome-focused. This paper underscores the potential of AI to transform curriculum development practices, promoting a more efficient, data-driven approach to education that aligns with contemporary educational goals and outcomes.

Transforming Higher Education: Effective Strategies for Contemporary Curriculum Design

This study explores the transformative potential of contemporary curriculum design strategies in higher education, focusing on the challenges and opportunities presented by the era of digitalization and global competitiveness. Through a comprehensive literature review and qualitative analysis of case studies from leading universities worldwide, this research identifies effective approaches to curriculum design that foster interdisciplinary learning, digital literacy, and global competencies. The findings suggest that successful curriculum transformation requires a systemic and collaborative approach, involving the integration of technology-enhanced learning, project-based learning, and experiential learning opportunities. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of faculty development, student-centered design, and continuous curriculum evaluation and improvement. The insights derived from this research contribute to the ongoing discourse on higher education reform and provide practical recommendations for educational leaders and policymakers seeking to align curriculum design with the demands of the 21st-century knowledge economy. By embracing innovative and adaptive curriculum design strategies, higher education institutions can better prepare graduates for the complex challenges of an interconnected and rapidly evolving global landscape, while also enhancing institutional competitiveness and relevance in an increasingly digital and knowledge-driven world.

Curriculum analytics adoption in higher education: A multiple case study engaging stakeholders in different phases of design

AbstractSeveral studies have indicated that stakeholder engagement could ensure the successful adoption of learning analytics (LA). Considering that researchers and tech developers may not be aware of how LA tools can derive meaningful and actionable information for everyday use, these studies suggest that participatory approaches based on human‐centred design can provide stakeholders with the opportunity to influence decision‐making during tool development. So far, there is a growing consensus about the importance of identifying stakeholders' needs and expectations in early stages, so researchers and developers can design systems that resonate with their users. However, human‐centred LA is a growing sub‐field, so further empirical work is needed to understand how stakeholders can contribute effectively to the design process and the adoption strategy of analytical tools. To illustrate mechanisms to engage various stakeholders throughout different phases of a design process, this paper presents a multiple case study conducted in different Latin American universities. A series of studies inform the development of an analytical tool to support continuous curriculum improvement, aiming to improve student learning and programme quality. Yet, these studies differ in scope and design stage, so they use different mechanisms to engage students, course instructors and institutional administrators. By cross analysing the findings of these three cases, three conclusions emerged for each design phase of a CA tool, presenting mechanisms to ensure stakeholder adoption after tool development. Further implications of this multiple case study are discussed from a theoretical and methodological perspective. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic? Human‐centred learning analytics (LA) has accommodated different configurations of stakeholder engagement, including co‐design and participatory design. Participatory design provides developers with a wide variety of techniques to engage a particular group in a mutual learning process. Most studies mainly focus on engaging stakeholders to identify needs in the early stages of the design process. More empirical works are needed to unveil the effectiveness of human centredness during LA design and after tool development. What this paper adds? Provides a multiple case study to illustrate mechanisms to engage various stakeholders in different design phases of a curriculum analytics (CA) tool. Summarises different assertions based on case study findings regarding needs for analytical tool, its early evaluation and its potential use after development. Provides empirical evidence on how to promote stakeholder engagement at a specific design stage and for a specific purpose. The implications for practitioners LA researchers and developers can use assertions based on evidence as a starting point to drive the design process of CA solutions. Researchers and practitioners will have a set of protocols to implement participatory techniques in different design phases of a CA tool.

Defining Quality in Primary and Secondary Education

The purpose of this paper is to explore the conceptual content of the term ‘quality’ in primary and secondary education through the content analysis of 32 scientific publications. The analysis of the qualitative data is based on the methodology of grounded theory, revealing 21 major dimensions of quality with a high frequency of occurrence that are divided into five broader categories. The first category, ‘learning environment,’ includes psychosocial elements, physical elements, respect for diversity and collaboration, sharing, and team spirit. The second category, ‘learning content,’ includes student-centred pedagogy, well-structured knowledge base, continuous curriculum improvement, interest in all students, and life skills. The third category, ‘processes,’ includes teaching, learning, assessment, support, and supervision. The fourth category, ‘students,’ includes involvement/participation, feedback, challenging learning activities, and improved learning outcomes. Finally, the fifth category, ‘teachers,’ includes knowledge of educational context, content, curriculum, and pedagogy, pedagogical skills, emotional/management/reflection skills, and teacher professional development. According to the main findings, from the category ‘learning environment,’ the dimension concerning the psychosocial elements prevails in the literature; from the category ‘learning content’, the dimension of student-centred pedagogy prevails; and from the category ‘processes’, three dimensions prevail: the first is related to support and supervision and the other two are related to teaching and assessment. From the wider category ‘students,’ the dimension relating to improved learning outcomes prevails. Finally, in the category ‘teachers,’ two dimensions prevail: the first concerns skills (emotional, management, reflection), and the second dimension concerns knowledge of the educational context, content, curriculum, and pedagogy.

Modeling global transfusion medicine education.

Modeling global transfusion medicine education.

Student-Led Adaptation of Improvement Science Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restriction of students participating in face-to-face instruction, two medical students rapidly adapted a preclinical curriculum that virtually teaches improvement science and equips learners with the knowledge to address patient needs. Eight first-year medical students participating in a longitudinal patient navigation and health systems science program completed 15 interactive video sessions. After learning about the Model for Improvement and various quality improvement tools, students worked in teams of four to conduct several plan-do-study-act cycles. Postsession surveys captured student satisfaction, session feedback, and reflections about conducting improvement work. Two medical students then applied conventional content analysis to identify themes to describe the data. Student projects focused on addressing patients' health care and social resource needs through telephone and electronic interactions. Five themes were identified in the survey results: (1) learning by doing in the dynamic nature of improvement work; (2) enjoyment of virtual team-based learning; (3) project relevance to COVID-19; (4) utility of quality improvement tools; and (5) continuous curriculum improvement with student feedback. In this student-led endeavor, we implemented a virtual improvement curriculum where first-year medical students apply improvement science knowledge to patient needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results demonstrate the feasibility of teaching improvement in a virtual setting where learning is action-based with project work being relevant to health care priorities. Our work provides a framework for others to continue teaching this integral component of medical education.

Engaged Versus Disengaged Teaching Staff: A Case Study of Continuous Curriculum Improvement in Higher Education

Over the past two decades, external influences over continuous curriculum improvement have increased, so universities have implemented centralized approaches to respond to external accountability demands, such as national and international accreditations. These approaches have diminished teaching staff engagement with continuous curriculum improvement, without necessarily improving student outcome attainment. To illustrate mechanisms that engage and disengage teaching staff, we present a case study of a 3-year continuous improvement process implemented in a selective university in Chile. Throughout the process, 61 teaching staff members were involved in outcome assessment tasks and curriculum discussions. By triangulating three sources of evidence (97 assessment plans, 27 meeting minutes and 11 interviews), we identified engagement mechanisms that were related to staff members’ motivation to improve student outcomes, and disengagement mechanisms that were related to their reticence towards misaligned and externally imposed policies. Teaching staff’s perspectives on continuous improvement were discussed for further generalization of these mechanisms.

Looking through Philippine’s K to 12 Curriculum in Mathematics and Science vis-a-vis TIMSS 2015 Assessment Framework

The Philippines implemented its educational reform commonly known as K to 12 Program in 2013 for Filipino learners’ holistic development and global competitiveness. One indicator of the reform’s effectiveness is the country’s performance in international large-scale assessments like the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), if it participates again in 2019. To gauge readiness and inform decisions on its participation, this study examines the alignment of TIMSS 2015 Assessment Framework vis-à-vis the 2016 Philippine’s K to 12 Curriculum in Mathematics and Science. Through curriculum mapping of experts on the competencies in the two documents, the study reveals that K to 12 Mathematics Grade 4 is more aligned with TIMSS 2015 Assessment Framework than that of Math Grade 8, Science Grade 4, and Science Grade 8. The study recommends continuous curriculum improvement of the Philippine’s K to 12 Curriculum and implementation of relevant intervention programs and support system from different education stakeholders, including country-based publishing and testing companies to address gaps on competencies found for the country to meet international benchmarks.

Lessons Learned from Evaluating a Process for Systematic Curriculum Review

Objective. To describe an evaluation of and improvements made to a process of systematic curriculum review. Methods. The systematic curriculum review process was developed with the goal of continuous curriculum assessment and improvement. Information on impact and feedback on the processes were collected from curriculum committee experience and an anonymous web-based survey sent to instructors of courses offered by the pharmacy school, and current and past curriculum committee members. Results. Thirty (88%) participants completed the survey with 72% reporting course changes due to systematic curriculum review, such as changes to programmatic outcomes covered (77%), assessment strategies/grading (46%), course outcomes (38%), and content (38%). Based on feedback received, revisions were made to the process: changing the frequency of course review (from every 3 years to 4 years), including experiential and elective courses (supported by 63% of faculty), and streamlining the logistics of course review and presentation to the curriculum committee. Conclusion. The development of the systematic curriculum review process resulted in course improvements and a system to keep curricular mapping current. It was valuable in the most recent preparation of the self-study and could be readily transferred to other institutions.

A concept inventory for knowledge base evaluation and continuous curriculum improvement

Students at Polytechnique Montreal have demonstrated the ability to tackle large-scale, complex calculations through their integrative projects. However, high quality engineers must not only master calculations, but the underlying fundamental concepts as well — this level of retention allows them to transfer their knowledge to the new challenges they will face. To ensure this, accreditation criteria for engineering programs in Canada require the evaluation of multiple attributes, the first of which is “a knowledge base for engineering”. While most universities opt to evaluate this attribute through in-class grades, we choose to adapt a pedagogical tool (a concept inventory) to formulate an evaluation of our students. Our students are examined using a subset of questions from more than 800 chemical engineering questions, split into 10 subcategories. Data amassed over four years is presented, showing the impact of various improvements to this tool, as well as its use for instructor feedback and curriculum improvement. Key improvements include question revisions and targeted reviews of muddy concepts in the affected courses.

A New Curriculum in Fluid Mechanics for the Millennial Generation

The learning habits of a new generation of students, i.e., those growing up with cell phones, access to social media, and video games, are significantly different from the habits of the educators who are preparing them for the future workplace. The effectiveness of traditional lecture-based classrooms has been questioned by educators, parents, industry, and government. In the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, the importance of hands-on learning and traditional classroom teaching underscores the need for curriculum reform. This paper presents a methodology to improve graduates' knowledge and skills in the area of fluid mechanics in an ongoing curriculum reform process. The course syllabus is reformed to support a multi-modal student learning process. Beyond current lecture-based classroom teaching, tools are developed to foster flexible, inductive learning through hands-on applications, and online learning tools. A multipurpose laboratory equipped with fluid power processes, sensors, data acquisition systems, and application programs has been established and it is being developed every semester. The laboratory experiments utilize fluid mechanics principles in industrial applications to provide students a robust understanding of the subject. Because of the practice of industrial processes, use of sensors, data acquisition hardware, and application programs in the laboratory, the technical skills of program graduates improve significantly. Finally, the project evaluation, assessment, and dissemination process for monitoring and evaluating project activities, outcomes assessment of student learning, and feedback for continuous curriculum improvement are presented.

Fitting Form to Function: Reorganization of Faculty Roles for a New Dental Curriculum and Its Governance

The College of Dentistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago has reorganized its predoctoral curriculum to better integrate biomedical, clinical, and behavioral sciences using a systems-based framework. The resulting D.M.D. curriculum features small-group discussions of patient scenarios that include orofacial, systemic, and professionalism learning objectives. Small-group learning is closely coordinated with laboratory, pre-patient care, and patient care experiences. Accordingly, the college has also reorganized its faculty roles to eliminate discipline-based silos and to better ensure program coherence. The new organizational structure is designed to improve coordination among faculty course teams that develop and administer individual courses, several units that provide curriculum resources and support services, and the curriculum committee, which is charged with governance of the curriculum as a whole. In addition, the new structure employs a system of reporting and planning relationships to ensure continuous monitoring and improvement of the curriculum. This article describes six principles that guide the new faculty roles structure, defines the various faculty roles and their coordinating relationships, presents diagrams depicting the organizational structures for curriculum governance, administration, and support, and discusses mechanisms for faculty support and continuous curriculum improvement.

CDIO as an Enabler for Graduate Attributes Assessment

Recent changes to the criteria for engineering accreditation in Canada emphasize continuous curriculum improvement through outcomes-based assessment. In this article, the authors show how the CDIO (Conceive-Design-Implement-Operate) approach not only enables continuous improvement, but can assist Canadian engineering programs with the overall graduate attributes assessment process through a case study of the B.Sc. in mechanical engineering program at the Schulich School of Engineering.

University of Michigan Medical School

University of Michigan Medical School

Project Management Application for Engineering Program Accreditation Preparation

This paper presents guidelines for applying project management tools and techniques to the process of preparing for a program accreditation site visit. The premise of the paper is that the proven tools and techniques of project management are effective in managing all the steps required in accreditation preparation as well as postvisit followups. The basic lesson offered by the paper’s approach is that accreditation preparation should not be turned into a last-minute crash project. Rather, proactive preparation steps should be instituted early to facilitate communication, cooperation, and coordination of the entire process. The guidelines provided in the paper are useful not only for program review, but also for continuous process and curriculum improvement. The paper cites two graduate program examples of Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. preparation at the Air Force Institute of Technology.

Course Evaluation and Assessment: Examples of a Learner-Centered Approach

ABSTRACT Teaching in higher education increasingly requires greater accountability, the utilization of contemporary learner-focused teaching models, and transparent grading methods for nonstandardized learning products. This article describes learner-centered evaluation and assessment strategies and illustrates how these approaches emphasize learners' responsibility for their own learning, foster students' commitment to learning and provide useful information for continuous curriculum improvement. In addition, the article discusses the components of learner-centered assessment models including the course assessment and enhancement model, the Personal Action Plan, and the Gedanken Experiment. Further, a rubric is presented as a tool for systematic and transparent grading of learner-centered assessment products. The need for further validation of these strategies is being discussed.

Continuous curriculum assessment and improvement: A case study

AbstractThis chapter describes the simple sustainable assessment protocols followed in food science at the University of Guelph to help ensure a continuously improving curriculum that satisfies the pedagogical prescriptions of the Institute of Food Technology, the learning objectives of the university, and learning outcomes of other stakeholders, including employers, students, and faculty.

Benchmarking learning outcomes of undergraduate business education

This paper discusses the efficacy of a model of benchmarking toward best practices in learning assessment in higher education. It outlines the need for best practices in learning assessment and reports findings on a comprehensive model of assessing learning outcomes of an undergraduate business program. By developing competency expectations of students, the model led to a multi‐method data collection/analysis toward benchmarking learning outcomes. The findings demonstrate how benchmarking leads to continuous curriculum improvement of instructional process and the curriculum. The authors claimed that in the absence of a generally accepted model, if the methodology is replicated, it may lead to the best practices in assessing learning outcomes of an undergraduate business program.

Integrating Technology and Business Process Analysis into Introductory Accounting Courses

INTRODUCTION The last decade brought tremendous changes in how business is conducted, in the U.S. and globally. The last decade similarly witnessed tectonic changes in the practice of accounting, worldwide. As a result, there have been several calls for change to accounting education. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the mission of the Accounting Education Change Commission was exactly that: to encourage and facilitate curriculum change. A plethora of subsequent surveys and studies culminating in Albrecht and Sack's (2000) seminal work Accounting Education: Charting the Course through a Perilous Future repeatedly pleaded for change or threatened market obsolescence. The AACSB, the premier business and accounting accreditation body, notably revised its standards also emphasizing mission-based strategic planning and energetic continuous curriculum improvement. As mentioned specifically in the Albrecht and Sack (2000) monograph, one area where the need for change is especially acute is incorporating information technology. It is in this area that we direct subsequent comments and analyses. Many universities have begun initiatives to implement changes to incorporate technology into their programs. For example, the SAP website identifies over 400 universities that have joined their university alliance program to help introduce Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to their students. However, our experience shows that many universities have struggled with how to implement such major changes to their courses and curriculum--even some who have joined a software alliance. This is because change necessarily involves costs: financial costs and, most importantly, personal costs--and there are few guarantees of success. In the technology area, accounting faculty have observed the costs to be especially high and confidence in success, low. This is in part due to the fact that relatively few accounting faculty have an extensive background in technology, and thus change implies a personal investment in re-education and development for most--for which rewards are unclear. Given that the costs are potentially high, what can be done to reduce the costs? Reflect first that many of the costs have receded significantly over the last decade. In a recent study, Haistings et al. (2003) surveyed 150 accounting department chairs. No longer do these chairs score the following items as significant impediments to curriculum innovation in technology: Pedagogical Goals Technology Infrastructure Administration's Support Software Availability Economic Feasibility The remaining major impediment to technology integration in accounting curricula is lack of Faculty Expertise. There are too few technology-savvy faculty to carry the load, and there are equally few in-process currently in doctoral programs. In this environment, it becomes critical to use existing resources wisely, and not repeat mistakes of the past. A best-case scenario would find currently technology-savvy faculty working together to develop course materials that other non-, or less, technology-savvy faculty could deploy in classes. The costs are simply too high for each institution to have to go it alone and develop and frequently refresh course materials. Fortunately, University Alliances established by software vendors have removed some impediments to integrating technology into the curriculum. They all make the software available to Alliance universities, and in some cases the vendors even provide (or subsidize) technology infrastructure, both of which have reduced the costs of implementing major software products. Although these initial efforts allowed some schools to begin integrating IT, each institution tended to develop its own materials, at the cost of its faculty and staff. These efforts were significant, and so even some Alliance universities were unable to successfully integrate IT into their courses. …

UPDATE ON THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO GRADUATE ATTRIBUTE PROCESS

The Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto has been working through the development of a continuous curriculum improvement process for the past two years. The main group working on this is the Graduate Attributes Committee (GAC) which is made up of faculty representatives from each department. In this paper and presentation we will describe the process we have developed. In addition, we will show examples of the materials that the GAC has produced. Of particular interest are the extensive rubrics that have been developed that can be used as a starting point for professors tasked with assessing the learning outcomes identified for the Graduate Attributes. Faculty have begun to customize these generic rubrics for particular assignments, and examples will be shown of this work. The development process has resulted in reflection and discussion on our curriculum. The development process has also led to reflection on the difficulties involved in assessing the Graduate Attributes and compiling the data we collect. These issues will be explored briefly in the paper.