This page will be an ever-growing library of articles and general readings related to curricular changes of content, skills, experiences, and structure that can support your curricular renewal and/or innovation.

Renewal and innovation comes from doing new things. New and unique elements structured into students' learning, specifically "" or HIPs, can support innovative and student-centric curriculum.

See below for helpful readings and resources to support curricular renewal and innovation and contact us to add your own.

The Self Study allows a program to assess its strengths and weaknesses; its appropriateness in the context of current trends in the field, relevant academic plans, and shifting degree level expectations and learning outcomes; areas of potential enhancement, how improvements can be made, and the obstacles it faces in achieving its goals; issues raised by students, and; topics on which it would like external advice.

Through the Self Study a program will critically examine its courses and curricular requirements, with an eye to degree level expectations and learning objectives that operationally drive admission requirements, curriculum content, modes of delivery, bases of evaluation of student performance and commitment of resources.

"Curriculum" is from the Latin currere, meaning "race" or a "race course." It began being used in the 1600s to flag an ordering of educational courses and by the 19th century the word "curriculum" commonly referred to a fixed course of study ().

In higher education, "curriculum" has often meant the collection of courses that represented the foundation of a discipline.

In elementary and secondary schools, curriculum has been more prescriptive, with mandated expectations, assessments, and even resources for each course (). While this level of prescription is incongruous with the goals, aims, and ethos of higher education, without a clear "course to run," higher education students may get lost in their program and leave without fully bringing together how their education can apply to the multiple situations they will encounter throughout their adult life.

This is why dreaming, designing, and determining a clear course of study in higher education is essential for program success and student experience.

In higher education, this plan includes the courses students are required to take and the courses students can elect to take to fulfill their degree. Curriculum can also include required experiences and opportunities such as capstones and/or internships, as well as optional or extracurricular experiences and opportunities such as exchanges and conferences.

Being thoughtful about curriculum can enhance students' learning and provide greater cohesion in teaching and learning.

This work involves visioning the student experience in your program, establishing Learning Outcomes for what they will learn, and ensuring that you have an assessment plan for making sure students are learning what you have planned for them to learn. This is what we call the three "Ds" of curriculum development: Dream, design, and determine.

Curriculum development is done when planning a , but can also take place when engaging in the process, when proposing the of an established program, or any time when the structure of a program could be reassessed and refreshed.

University Contacts

• Office of the Vice-Provost Academic

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• Readings on Curricular Innovation