INFUSING GERONTOLOGICAL CONTENT INTO CURRICULA: EFFECTIVE CHANGE STRATEGIES

Abstract

This paper presents a review of curriculum-change literature with a special focus on curricular infusion and an analysis of curriculum-change strategies. These strategies were used by 62 social work education programs involved in the national gerontological infusion project supported by the John T. Hartford Foundation. Best practices to achieve gerontological infusion in foundation courses are identified. Curriculum-change strategies that focus on involving all faculty members appear to be strongly supported by the curriculum-change literature and positive outcomes, as shown by the results of the study reported in this paper. The training of faculty and field instructors, the involvement of the foundation faculty as a whole in changing foundation curriculum, and the encouragement of faculty by accepted academic leaders to complete the infusion process, all appear to be key in successfully achieving this kind of curriculum change.