This paper presents a multi-faceted analytical Course Innovation Framework (CIF) that can help institutes of higher education analyze multiple aspects of course innovation. The CIF was constructed by integrating insights from literature, policy documentation and course-innovation practices at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands.…

Curriculum alignment is crucial in realizing learning objectives, but in higher education the alignment is often challenged by practical problems. The adverse effect of misalignment is further amplified by the lack of student awareness of their position within the curriculum. We argue for the importance of the visibility of learning trajectories…

Recent years have seen a rise in the efforts to implement diversity topics into medical education, using either a "narrow" or a "broad" definition of culture. These developments urge that outcomes of such efforts are systematically evaluated by mapping the curriculum for diversity-responsive content. This study was aimed at…

To support the review of the National Curriculum, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was commissioned by the Department for Education in the spring of 2011 to produce a report detailing curricular arrangements in a number of high-performing educational jurisdictions. The principal source of information for this report has been…

Competence-based education is becoming increasingly popular. Competencies are used more and more as the starting point for designing curricula and instructional methods, especially in vocational education and training, to realize authentic and self-steering study programmes. Despite its popularity in both research and educational settings, there…

Academic curriculum and curricular units that are responsive to work necessarily involve the interaction of knowledge from two different communities. In this paper a number of cases of responsive curriculum are analysed in order to answer the following questions: Can general differences between work and academic knowledge be ascribed to the nature…

This study looks at the curricula for mathematics, science and literacy, comparing England's curricula with those of other countries based on performance in international comparative surveys. The main objective was to answer the question: How does the content of the Primary Curriculum in England at Key stage 2 compare in literacy, math and science…

Describes the process involved in the adaptation of a German multimedia package developed and produced by FWU Munich for the geography curriculum in the Netherlands. (CHC)

Some aspects of the reform of chemical education in the Netherlands are presented. These aspects include the reason for the reform and the results of the effort. Examples regarding the way entropy is treated and the treatment of quantitative chemical problems are given. (Author)

Formative evaluation of a physics curriculum unit (PLON) is reported. Phase one used general ideas and many instruments; phase two focused on specific questions arising from phase one. Findings suggested that relating curriculum content to ability to think about and explain a task was a prerequisite for student satisfaction. (CP)

This document highlights the aims and activities of a project designed to modernize and update physics teaching and physics curriculum in the Netherlands by developing materials for use with students aged 12-18 at intermediate general, higher general, and pre-university schools. Following general information (including a brief description of the…

The introduction and six articles of this special issue focus on curriculum evaluation in the Netherlands, reviewing approaches and results in the nation overall, and in the specific areas of physics, mathematics, and English. The use of innovative approaches and practice profiles is also explored. (SLD)

Compares postgraduate education for human geographers, particularly doctoral students, in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Finds similarities between the two countries' programs, but notes that Dutch programs have much better financial conditions for students. Discusses programs in the Netherlands and issues of comparable graduate training…

This paper examines possible explanations for the fact that evaluation results are rarely used. Most explanatory factors for use of results in decision making mentioned in the literature have been clustered in three categories of variables. They concern: (1) the making of decisions about the practical problem; (2) the way in which evaluation is…

This paper discusses the incongruity among education's multiplicity of conflicting actors, theories, and values that affect curriculum decision-making. This discussion is divided into three major concerns: sociopolitical, professional, and student. Sociopolitical concerns include the impact of peace, war, human sexuality, environment, work and…