Curriculum Development Phases

Explore each phase of curriculum development in greater detail. Each phase includes objectives, guiding questions, how OVPIUE can help, and tools and approaches to support programs through their curriculum development project.

A diagram showing the phases of a process; implement, contextualize, ideate, plan

Contextualize

Objectives

  • Understanding the nature of the problem/concern/opportunity that’s driving curriculum development 
  • Understanding the external context of the program 
  • Understanding the internal context of the program   

Guiding Questions

  • What goals does our unit have for curriculum development? Why is change needed?  
  • What are the best ways to engage our faculty, students, and other stakeholders in the renewal process? 
  • What information will help us better understand the external context of our program? (E.g., changes in the discipline and/or industry, changes in the labour market, alumni or external partner perspectives, the approach of peer institutions/competitor programs, input from professional associations, etc.)  
  • What information will help us better understand the external context of our program? (E.g., enrollment, retention, and graduation data; student perspectives, including course evaluation data; faculty and staff perspectives; etc.) 

Tools & Approaches

  • Environmental scan
  • Labour market analysis
  • Enrolment data
  • Student and alumni consultation

How OVPIUE Can Help

  • Consultation with unit/program leader to help develop plan/process  
  • Guidance on information gathering & template/instrument development (e.g., surveys, scans, etc.)  
  • Guidance on development of a comprehensive consultation plan 
  • Guidance on establishment of curriculum committee (who to involve, estimated workloads, timelines, etc.) 

Ideate

Objectives

  • Establishing the future direction or vision of the program 
  • Articulating the purpose or key objectives of the program 
  • Determining what learning students are intended to gain from the program 

Guiding Questions

  • What are the current trends and potential future developments that might impact the goals of our program?  
  • What knowledge and skills do we value most, individually and collectively, in our discipline/subject/profession?  
  • How are students typically inducted into our discipline?  
  • What is important for students to leave the program knowing, knowing how to do, and valuing? 

Tools & Approaches

  • Unit retreat
  • Program goals or objectives
  • Program learning outcomes
  • Vision and/or mission statement

How OVPIUE Can Help

  • Development of visioning process & departmental retreat facilitation  
  • Development and facilitation of program learning outcome (PLO) brainstorming workshop(s) for unit 
  • Guidance on writing effective PLOs or review of established PLOs with suggestions for improvement 

Plan

Objectives

  • Understanding to what extent the current program fulfills the new vision/purpose 
  • Deciding which courses should be required or elective and what sequence courses should be offered in 
  • Deciding what other kinds of learning experiences (e.g., experiential learning opportunities) the program should offer to students 

Guiding Questions

  • (If relevant) How and where in the current program do students develop and/or practice each program learning outcome? 
  • What kinds of changes will help take our program in the direction it needs to go?  
    • Related to curriculum (the concepts and skills students are taught) 
    • Related to modality (how the program is delivered) 
    • Related to program structure (which courses and other learning experiences students have, and in what sequence) 
    • Related to pedagogy (how students are taught) 
  • What kinds of key learning experiences do we want students to have in the program? (E.g., community learning project, research with faculty, internship or field experience, study abroad, etc.)

Tools & Approaches

  • Curriculum mapping
  • Program design workshop
  • Program requirement revisions

How OVPIUE Can Help

  • Support for curriculum mapping: 
    • Consultation with unit/program leader to plan the curriculum mapping process  
    • Development and facilitation of curriculum mapping data collection workshop(s) for a unit 
    • Guidance on the interpretation and use of curriculum maps 
  • Participation in or facilitation of curriculum committee meetings
  • Coordination with institutional and/or divisional offices re: experiential learning, community engaged learning, hybrid program design, etc. as relevant
  • Development and facilitation of curriculum design workshops for unit 
  • Guidance on soliciting input on proposed changes from key stakeholders 

Implement

Objectives

  • Taking intended changes through governance 
  • Determining an approach to roll out program changes 
  • Establishing a program evaluation plan to monitor the changes 

Guiding Questions

  • What type/extent of academic change is being proposed? (See ‘Key Characteristics’ in Tools & Approaches for more guidance) 
  • Will instructors need course design or pedagogical support to make the proposed changes to their courses? 
  • When is the best time to roll out the changes? (Consider what implications the changes will have on workload, TA support, physical space, and other resources.)    
  • Which courses should you target to assess students’ progress toward the program learning outcomes? What courses’ assessments best represent achievement of a program outcome (or level-appropriate progress toward achievement)? 
  • What kinds of evaluation can you do in the short vs. mid vs. long term? (E.g., Course evaluations, collect completed assessments to benchmark progress, monitor grade pattern, student feedback, etc.) 

Tools & Approaches

How OVPIUE Can Help