Curriculum Change Research Articles

A first-year integrated project-based course: Students' experience and engagement working in teams amid COVID-19

The Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University implemented its largest curricular change through the PIVOT. First-year engineering students now take a 13-unit ENGINEER 1P13 that integrates multiple interdisciplinary projects allowing students to apply first year engineering theory and knowledge directly. This paper examines the teamwork and collaboration skills of ENGINEER 1P13 students by analyzing to what extent the course’s pedagogical approach helped students engage with their team, achieve the course learning outcomes and master the related skills. Data from three student surveys show that most students reported a high level of engagement with their team/group and agreed that they achieved the learning outcomes and mastered skills related to teamwork abilities. Also, students valued the opportunity to work in teams to meet new people and improve their overall learning experience. However, students also mentioned they struggled with how to address an imbalance in team member contributions to the projects.

Aktueller Stand der Interkulturellen Öffnung der psychiatrischpsychotherapeutischen Versorgung von Kindern und Jugendlichen aus Sicht von Fachkräften / The Current Status of the Intercultural Opening of the Psychiatric-Psychotherapeutic Care for Children and Adolescents from the Perspective of Professionals

The Current Status of the Intercultural Opening of the Psychiatric-Psychotherapeutic Care for Children and Adolescents from the Perspective of Professionals Children and adolescents with a migration background have a high demand for psychiatricpsychotherapeutic care in Germany. Nevertheless, they often do not receive the care needed, despite the Intercultural Opening, which aims at adjusting the services to their needs.The aim of the study is to get insights in the current status of the Intercultural Opening of the psychiatric- psychotherapeutic care system by examining the perspectives and needs of the staff working with this vulnerable population. A sample of N = 232 pedagogical and health care professionals completed the online survey. Intercultural competencies, further training needs and challenges in their work were assessed by open and closed questions. Overall, our results demonstrate high intercultural competencies. Pedagogical and health care professionals reported several challenges in their work (e. g. with the language barrier). There was a great demand for specific transcultural trainings. Despite high intercultural competencies of the professionals, there is a clear need for action to improve the Intercultural Opening of the psychiatric-psychotherapeutic care systems. Further transcultural trainings and several structural improvements (e. g. changes in the training curriculum of the professionals, provision of more trained translators) would help to open the care system.

Turning Concern Into Confidence: Planetary Health Needs in Nursing Education.

Climate change is a recognized global threat to human health, and nurses must be prepared to mitigate its negative effects. This article describes nursing student and faculty opinions about climate change and associated planetary health curricular needs. A survey including the Six Americas Super Short Survey and an adaptation of the Planetary Health Report Card was developed and emailed to nursing students and faculty. Student (n = 72) and faculty (n = 56) responses showed that although they were concerned about climate change, they were not confident in preparation of nurses student to climate change and its impact. Students and faculty shared perceptions about specific curricular areas are to be included in curricula. In response to the updated Essentials, which include specific reference to climate change, widespread curricular change is imminent in nursing education. This study offers insight for integrating climate change and planetary health into nursing curricula. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(3):178-181.].

Development of Anti-Radical Comics Electronic Media Based on Local Wisdom (Mekar-Bekal)

This research is motivated by as education develops, the challenges of the government and educators are also getting bigger to protect their students from the infiltration of wrong teachings or ideas about religious understanding, which in the end will lead to radicalism that triggers the emergence of radical movements among students. Facing the signs of intellectual degradation and the latest curriculum changes, there are several things that need to be followed up. The purpose of this research is to develop comics as an alternative learning media to counter radicalism. The research method used is research and development with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The resulting product is in the form of e-comic as a learning medium to strengthen the profile of Pancasila students The results show that the development of e-comic as a Civics learning medium on basic norms that apply in social life to realize justice has passed through four stages of development, namely needs analysis, product design, media production, validation and analysis, while for the product revision stage, testing product trial and final analysis and revision is done. The validation and analysis phase includes validation by material experts, media experts and MTs as resource persons. Eligibility of Civics e-comic In KD the norms that apply in social life to realize justice, in terms of material aspects, language, presentation, media effects on learning strategies and overall appearance. The results of the assessments from material experts, media experts and Civics teachers on all measured aspects stated the results of the assessment in the categories of Very Good and Decent.

Leadership for Technology Integration in Teaching Mathematics: A Comparative Study Between Two Private Institutions

The calling for technology integration in teaching mathematics has become louder as mathematics enables advanced understanding of concepts in other STEM subjects. However, technology integration in teaching mathematics has posed challenges for curriculum leaders and teachers. Hence, this study intended to investigate the curriculum change process involving technology integration from the principals' perspectives and their leadership approach to effective curriculum change management. The study adopted a qualitative research method. Data were collected via email interviews with two principals managing private institutions that offer the same math program for primary school students. The findings showed that Rogers’ diffusion of innovation model supported the curriculum change process involving technology adoption in teaching mathematics. In addition, the principals were found to have distinct perspectives on curriculum change implementation and, hence, had adopted different leadership approaches in managing curriculum change. The findings of this study imply that future leadership development programs should focus on developing transformational leadership qualities that enhance curriculum change processes.

Nonprofits into the core? An early assessment of potential curricular changes after the 2019 NASPAA standards amendments

ABSTRACT This article explores the integration of nonprofit content into the MPA core curriculum following NASPAA’s standards amendments in 2019. These amendments underscore the increasing recognition of nonprofit management as a fundamental element of public service education. The analysis examines the evolving landscape of nonprofit education programs and the challenges encountered in integrating nonprofit management into public administration curricula, providing insights into the current state of nonprofit education in MPA programs. It also suggests how programs are proceeding with core integration. Results from a survey of MPA program directors across the United States are presented, revealing a call for ongoing discussions and research to navigate the complexities associated with integrating nonprofit management education into core curricula.

Envisioning action‐oriented and justice‐driven climate change education: Insights from youth climate justice activists

AbstractThrough in‐depth interviews, this study explored US youth climate justice activists' views and experiences of climate change education (CCE) and their recommendations for alternative educational approaches to advance climate justice. Youth activists (N = 16; ages 15 to 17) viewed education as critical to spurring societal transformation, however, most described narrowly focused (e.g., depoliticized; science‐centric) or inadequate (e.g., sparse, absent) school‐based CCE. Youths' recommendations emphasized the need for justice‐driven and action‐oriented CCE for all ages to equip all learners with the knowledge and skills to actively contribute to urgently needed, justice‐minded, systems‐level change. Findings have implications for curricular and policy change that enable education for climate justice action.

The Impact of Changes in the Independent Curriculum on Learning in Schools

The curriculum merdeka has become an increasingly popular approach in recent years, providing greater freedom for schools, teachers, and students to develop and organize their own curriculum. However, these changes also present various challenges and issues in their implementation. This article employs a literature review method to gain a deep understanding of the impact of these changes. The analysis reveals that the curriculum merdeka changes can pose challenges in curriculum development and organization for teachers and schools. There is also a potential gap between schools in implementing the curriculum merdeka. Additionally, the readiness and adequate support for teachers are crucial factors in the success of the curriculum merdeka. To address these challenges, this research emphasizes the importance of adequate training and regular monitoring to improve the quality of learning in schools. By understanding the impact and challenges related to the curriculum merdeka changes, this article aims to provide valuable insights for educational practitioners and policymakers in enhancing the quality of education.

Culturally responsive teaching through primary science in Aotearoa New Zealand

The need for better education through science is not a new idea in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through several curriculum changes, teachers have not been well supported by the Ministry of Education in how to implement these changes. In addition, since 2020, all classroom teachers are required to demonstrate how they are culturally responsive in their teaching practice, and what they are doing to be more culturally responsive year-on-year. Fortunately, a resource written by Māori teachers for teachers was launched in 2020 to help support teachers in being more culturally responsive. This article reports on how teachers are being supported to be more culturally responsive teachers by weaving together mainstream curriculum science and Mātauranga Māori (Indigenous traditional knowledge). It argues how mainstream curriculum and Mātauranga Māori can be partnered using a pūrākau (cultural narrative) in meaningful classroom practice. It concludes by showing how both mainstream and Māori pedagogies can work together to support all students’ learning and cultural competence.

Where are we now? Evaluating the one year impact of an anti-racism curriculum review

Purpose Undergraduate medical education has had a call to action to acknowledge racist practices that are impacting learners throughout their training. In 2020, our school performed a detailed curricular review and provided recommendations to address racism in the curriculum. Many schools have now undergone a similar curricular review process, but little is known about whether suggested antiracist curricular changes impact faculty teaching behavior or the overall curriculum. Material and Methods In 2021, as part of the medical school’s annual educational quality improvement process, course directors were required to answer a question about the changes they made to address racism in their courses based on recommendations provided the year prior from an antiracism curricular review. The documented changes were analyzed for themes and then organized by course and curricular year. These changes were compared with the suggested recommendations to analyze the number and types of changes implemented after one year. To evaluate student perceptions of change the general comments from academic years 2019–2021 were reviewed. Results After 1 year, approximately, 74% of our school’s 328 anti-racism curricular review recommendations were implemented in courses. Over 80% were implemented in curricular year 1. The greatest number of recommendations implemented were related to the theme of critiquing the strength of evidence in race-based medical practices. The least amount change was made around the theme of challenging the biologic notion of race. Conclusions An antiracism curricular review followed by an embedded continuous quality improvement process can be an effective approach to address racism in medical school curricula. Addressing racism in medical education requires medical schools to regularly identify curricular gaps, faculty needs and monitor their progress.

Educational robotics as a learning-enhancing technology

This scientific article proposes a comprehensive analysis of the application of educational robotics as a tool to enhance learning. The research involves a literature review of studies and related practices, highlighting the benefits, challenges, and impacts of introducing robotics in the educational setting. The main objective is to contribute to the understanding of the role of this technology in improving the educational process and promoting the development of essential skills for students in the 21st century. The present work presents and discusses some conceptions regarding the connections arising from the relations promoted between curriculum, education and interactivity mediated by the use of robotics in the context of the classroom, aiming at the development of ideas based on the challenges imposed by the construction of the curriculum in the school today, establishing in Priore a critical and productive thinking through a bibliographic research on the proposed themes aiming at the junction between experiences, experiences permeated through the elaboration and changes in the educational curriculum, marked by technological innovation in education.

Resistance to Curriculum Changes among Teachers of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah in Indonesia

The objective of this research is to examine teachers’ resistance to curriculum changes occurring in Indonesia, which encompasses aspects of lesson planning, teaching implementation, and learning assessment. This research employed a qualitative approach with a case study design. Data were gathered through interview techniques using focus group discussions involving 20 teachers of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah. Additionally, it encompassed the study of lesson planning documents and learning task outcomes. On top of that, data condensation, data display, and conclusions drawn were also used for data analysis. Furthermore, to ensure the validity of the research findings, data triangulation among various sources was conducted. The research findings showed that teachers’ resistance to curriculum changes fell into the moderate category. This was primarily because teachers view curriculum changes as ordinary occurrences. In terms of lesson planning, teachers struggled to identify operational verbs relevant to competency achievement indicators, particularly those related to action verbs from the basic competencies or learning outcomes. Regarding teaching implementation, in addition, teachers still lacked experience in implementing the curriculum recommended, such as Project Based Learning (PjBL) and Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Furthermore, in the aspect of learning evaluation, teachers encountered difficulties in generating questions that prioritized higher-order thinking Skills (HOTS). As a result, the role of the Institute of Teachers’ Education (LPTK) and the training institute for teachers’ pedagogical and professional competence development needs to be expanded.

Factors for Public Primary School Teachers to Engage in Professional Development

This study focused on and critically analyses of factors for public primary school teachers to engage in professional development. A total of 68 respondents were purposive sampled and reached. Data on factors for primary school teachers engaging in professional development were gathered using interview and focus group discussion. Qualitative method employed during data collection, analysis and interpretation. Respondents perceived that, there is intrinsic factor and extrinsic factors which motivate them to engage in professional development. Within such disposition there is individual interest and improving skills and knowledge as intrinsic factors. Also there is salary increment, Promotion, career change, head teachers harassment, change of curriculum and availability of institutions as an extrinsic factors. The study indicated that primary school teachers need to learn more complex and varied repertoire of teaching in addition to what was necessary in their past. This study is crucial for widening up primary school teachers on the factors motivated them to engage in professional development. Finally, the study recommends that similar studies should be conducted in more public primary schools in the same municipality or in other municipalities in the same region or in more regions with more districts to come up with more generalizable findings by covering a large study area would make generalization on the challenges public primary school teachers face when engaged in professional development feasible.

What role should schools play in the prevention of disordered eating in children and young people?

Whilst clinical eating disorders are relatively uncommon in children and young people, a much larger proportion are thought to experience subclinical difficulties with eating, termed ‘disordered eating’. Given that the issue is so widespread and many young people experiencing disordered eating do not meet the criteria for specialist eating disorder services, schools have a responsibility to work systemically to reduce the prevalence of these difficulties. Educators may be able to use some of the risk factors for disordered eating, including body dissatisfaction, parental pressure to lose weight, peer influence and internalisation of food rules, to inform preventative strategies. These strategies may include, but not be limited to, implementing curriculum changes such as teaching about body image and nutrition education in developmentally appropriate ways, as well as considering whole-school policy changes such as specifying weight-related victimisation in the school’s anti-bullying policy and deliberating the school’s involvement in national child weighing schemes. Taken together, schools have the potential to play a critical role in reducing disordered eating in children and young people. Educational psychologists are well-positioned to raise educators’ awareness of disordered eating and support senior leadership teams implement these preventative strategies in an evidence-informed way as well as considering the role disordered eating might play in their own casework.

The Impact on Peer Mentorship After Implementation of a Competency-Based Residency Curriculum in Canadian Radiation Oncology Training Programs

Peer mentorship provides professional and personal support between physicians with similar experiences and levels of training. While peer mentorship has shown to benefit academic success and professional growth, little data has examined contextual factors, such as curricular change, that may affect the quality of these relationships. This study aims to explore the impact of a new, nationwide radiation oncology (RO) residency curriculum, known as competence by design (CBD), on peer mentorship experiences between Canadian RO residents. A qualitative study, with a social constructivist approach, was conducted with 2 groups of Canadian RO residents. The first were those in the academic year before CBD implementation (non-CBD cohort), and the second were those in the inaugural year of CBD (CBD cohort). Semistructured 1-on-1 interviews were conducted to explore experiences of peer mentorship as it related to curriculum change. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed with deductive and inductive methods until data saturation. Between April and December 2021, 14 participants (6 non-CBD and 8 CBD residents) from 8 out of 10 eligible English-speaking RO training programs across Canada participated. Three major themes were identified: (1) the CBD cohort identified fewer opportunities for peer mentorship, with specific concerns regarding new evaluation processes and uncertainty about the later stages of training; (2) there was minimal impact on specialty-specific learning; and (3) peer mentorship thrived when occurring as spontaneous in-person interactions. Inaugural residents of a CBD curriculum perceived fewer opportunities for peer mentorship. There were specific concerns about new evaluative processes, though this did not affect specialty-specific learning. Peer mentorship was most impactful as informal and in-person interactions. Our findings suggest that unintended consequences of curriculum change may be mitigated by improving communication about new training objectives and increasing opportunities for informal interactions between residents.

Portrait of teaching English in primary school under Kurikulum Merdeka: Teachers' voices

The changes in the national curriculum in Indonesia have been regular since independence day. It is an action taken to improve the quality of education given the demands of both the era and society, as well as to prepare for more competitive outcomes. This study concerns teachers' perceptions of the current curriculum (Kurikulum Merdeka). It is important to see how it is going in the practical field, particularly in teaching English in primary schools. Six English teachers from six different schools in Indonesia took part as participants in the current study. They were interviewed in two modes, onsite and online, to share their views regarding the Merdeka curriculum implementation. The result shows that both schools and policymakers have done several things regarding implementation. Meanwhile, along with its implementation, challenges exist, including time allotment, students’ proficiency, and students' motivation. Therefore, the findings should be taken seriously to improve the quality of teaching English at the primary level. Keywords: English; primary school; Kurikulum Merdeka; policy

Indic Education in Pre-Colonial India

School education in pre-colonial India was universal and inclusive. Children of every caste and class, at an average age of 5 years, attended schools. The elementary school teaching consisted of three universal subjects: akshara (script) gyan, bhasha (language) gyan and arithmetic. The fourth subject varied from regions to regions: it was moral–civic education to skill education. The education was in the mother tongue. The higher education was in medium of Sanskrit. After the arrival of Muslim rulers, Persian became the alternative language of instruction, and there was a change in the course curriculum. The Muslim students were compulsorily taught the Quran, and the medium of instruction was Persian. Students interested in higher academics and research had wide number of subjects to study—grammar, philosophy, medicine and others. These students were called Brahmins, and based on their professional skills, they were designated as acharyas, upadhyaya, mukhopadhyay and so forth. The technical skills and the knowledge required constant upgradation as India was the hub of the pre-colonial economy, the ‘land of desire’. This knowledge and skill had also made her the ‘land of wisdom’. That’s how Hegel used to address about India in his class rooms in 1820s in Germany.

Incorporating ABC in physiology education: Active learning, blended learning and curricular changes.

Physiology is of central importance in medicine. Teaching the complex physiological frameworks to the current generation of students with the implementation of competency-based medical education (CBME) has become a challenging task. Development of digital technology in educational field during Covid-19 pandemic has made medical educators modify their teaching learning strategies from traditional to blended mode. We offer tips to embrace the three major challenges namely, generational diversity with active learning strategies, technological growth with blended learning, and strategies to implement curricular changes in physiology education. Adult learning principles involve active learning as a crux component. Various simple active teaching strategies that can be adapted for large and small group teaching are highlighted. Blended learning is characterized by self-paced learning, and face-to-face training sessions with online collaborative learning. Simple ways to incorporate the blended mode of teaching strategies with the use of virtual platforms and learning management system (LMS) are described. Further, we discuss the nuances that help to adapt the various curriculum changes brought about by the implementation of CBME. Teaching physiology is an ever-challenging task. With an appropriate mindset, medical educators can turn these challenges into opportunities and make teaching learning a better experience.

Cytotechnology schools: Future outlook.

Recent changes in the standard and guidelines governing the education of cytotechnologists herald in a new era of cytology education. The long-discussed move to master level education and name change of the professional to cytologist signifies an alignment with current and projected scope of mid-level diagnostic cytology practice. Cytotechnology programs going forward are charged with implementing curricular changes that prepare practitioners to perform tasks such as computer assisted screening, and cell block interpretation as well as to perform evidence-based research methods. Cytotechnology education programs are sure to face challenges particularly in student recruitment and the hiring of expert faculty. There are however opportunities for programs to develop innovative teaching techniques, recruit from underrepresented groups and collaborate to develop needed curricular resources. The future outlook for cytotechnology programs is that they are at a turning point, poised to educate the next generation of pathology extenders who will continue to be integral members of the patient care team.

SLIS Director's Report

Welcome to the Fall/Winter issue of SLIS Connecting. It has been a busy time here in SLIS. The faculty have been hard at work developing new courses based on feedback from the most recent survey and focus groups. Several new courses and curricular changes have been approved to begin in the Fall of 2024.