We propose an adaptive methodology for the curricular redesign based on the performance indicators of the student progression observed after a follow-up period. The feasibility of adopting the same approach should be thoroughly studied to assess its compatibility with institutions and countries that employ an academic credit system based on…

This article explores initiatives to decolonise the curriculum via two specific disciplines, namely Economics and Politics, both of which have tended to marginalise the study of race, empire, and colonialism and whose canonical thinkers are overwhelming white. By providing the first comparative analysis of decolonising initiatives in these…

In higher education literature, academic staff have long been considered the main blockers in internationalizing study programs, but recent research suggests that the real blockers are the many changes required in their disciplinary contexts. However, both perspectives have not been based on organizational change theory including academics and…

Employability is a primary concern for many students who face a competitive job market in the aftermath of COVID-19. It is also a pressing concern for universities with governments increasing pressure on universities to deliver courses that bring value for money to the students whilst also positively contributing to the economy. To address these…

Decolonisation aims at exposing the ills of colonialism in an attempt to undo their long-standing effects. Important criticism of curriculum decolonisation has focused on potential conflicts with academic freedom. However, this criticism has to some extent suffered from a perceived lack of agreement on the concept and status of academic freedom…

Academic development is a recent project in the university, intended to enable the university to respond to the needs of a more diverse student body. In South Africa, such work arose during late apartheid, and has now moved to a more central institutional position advocating responsiveness in the light of the educational disparities that are the…

In this paper, we propose a methodology to support the Curriculum Design and Development (CDD) process with the aim of aligning competences provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the ones required by companies. The proposed methodology stems from the identification of companies' training needs and aims at classifying a set of…

The standardisation of a curriculum is a contentious issue, with critics complaining it leads to a loss of control and creativity. What is less clear, however, is how the lack of standardisation impacts a discipline's curriculum. This article, taking the coursework-based Master of Finance programs at Australian universities as the case study,…

Increasing enrolment of Chinese students has become a key feature of internationalisation for Western universities, but there is limited research into how curriculum internationalisation affects Chinese students' learning experiences. Using the typologies of curriculum internationalisation as a framework, this paper explores and compares how…

Civic engagement in higher education encompasses a diversity of goals, strategies and activities. These include particular approaches to teaching and learning--community-based or service learning--which share an explicit civic focus and combine the features of experiential learning with opportunities for engagement. A range of…

Drawing on the work of Bernstein and Maton and using a case-study approach, this study explores the formation of an undergraduate history curriculum at the University of Cape Town. This article focuses on two periods of curriculum formation referred to as history as canon and history as social science. With respect to these two curriculum periods…

This paper argues that a precondition for good studying and learning in undergraduate study is a reasonable student workload. Ways in which workload can be measured, in advance of presentation, are outlined. Suggestions on how to regulate student workload and some implications for curriculum and course design are presented. (GLR)

To study the curriculum, as Bernstein argues, is to begin to understand what it is possible to think and who can think it. This powerful notion will underpin an exploration of the impossibility of women's studies courses in the context of the UK higher education system. Whereas women's studies has become a recognized subject area in other…

A personal view is offered of a recent development in teaching English Medieval Studies at the University of Exeter in which the entire curriculum was reconstructed to deal more effectively with the character and needs of the undergraduate in the 1970s. (LBH)

What factors contribute to the acceptance of a new discipline? The disciplinary map is not static but not all candidate disciplines find acceptance in the academy. This article presents a case study of the acceptance of a discipline in one university. It argues that a close association with an existing high-status discipline was fundamental to the…