The contextual nature of university-wide curriculum change

ABSTRACT

We explored the relationships between social contexts and factors that promoted and inhibited curriculum change at two universities. Thirty interviews were analysed using a general inductive approach to identify factors and forces in three social contexts (lecturer, departmental, and institutional). Curriculum change was characterised by six forces: ownership, resources, identity, leadership, students, and quality assurance, each composed of factors that differed in their direction (enabling or inhibiting) and/or intensity (strong or weak). Academic developers should find the approach and lessons learned useful for planning interventions and identifying where they may encounter resistance or enablers in the process of change.

KEYWORDS:

• Context
• curriculum change
• organisational development
• university

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to McMaster University for their assistance with this research. We deeply regret that Susan Vajoczki passed away during the preparation of this manuscript.