Studied 44 academic departments judged by provosts to be engaged in effective curriculum planning to identify practices of continuous curriculum planning. Identifies 4 criteria and 20 indicators for assessing continuous program planning in a department. (SLD)

Tested the curriculum leadership framework that Stark and Lattuca adapted from Quinn's competing values model of management styles. Chairpersons of departments nominated as effective in curriculum planning answered a survey about their leadership activities and styles. Factor analysis partially supported the model. Activities that chairs reported…

Forty-four chairpersons of departments judged by academic vice presidents at randomly selected institutions to be engaged in especially effective curriculum planning were interviewed about their roles. The interviews suggested seven leadership roles used in the curriculum development process; they varied by institutional type, department size, and…

The responses of 10 disciplinary task forces to an Association of American Colleges challenge to improve the college major were examined, using content analysis. Consistent with previous research on academic planning, results showed that the disciplines respond to curricular reform proposals in different but characteristic ways. (Author/MSE)

Based on reports of 10 disciplinary task forces concerning improvement of college instruction, it is suggested that faculty respond to suggestions for curricular change in ways that reflect their disciplinary perspectives. It is concluded that faculty from varied disciplines need thoughtful leadership to develop support for any common curricular…

A national survey of faculty (N=2,311) teaching introductory college courses revealed 10 factors influencing course planning including: discipline-related content, student characteristics, facilities, resources, and campus support services. The strength of these influences differed substantially by discipline but only modestly by institutional…

A generic conceptual framework is presented to guide study of preservice collegiate professional preparation programs. Research based on the scheme can help to improve program self-study and external reviews, clarify educational goals, and foster collaboration across fields of professional study. (Author/MLW)

A summary of major writings on college and pre-college curriculum literature are presented in this report, which is an early step in establishing a framework for the research program of the NCRIPTAL (National Center for Research in Postsecondary Teaching and Learning) Program on Curricular Integration and Student Goals. Section 1 on the literature…

A survey of 59 faculty at two very different colleges investigated assumptions and influences on them as they worked with colleagues in planning program curriculum. While some common factors influenced course and program planning, program planning was irregular or infrequent compared to course planning, typically responded to a specific catalyst,…

Faculty beliefs about educational purpose and the nature of their academic field strongly influence how they plan introductory courses. Significantly different conceptions of educational purpose among faculty in different fields may inhibit agreement on plans for curricular coherence and ways of communicating expectations to students. Interviews…

Viewing curriculum as an academic plan permits development of parallel course and program planning models that are dynamic, conceptually related to student learning, and familiar to institutional planners. Opportunities gained by using the academic plan umbrella for curriculum are described. (Author/MLW)

Content analysis of task force reports on improving the undergraduate major in 10 liberal arts disciplines revealed that each discipline's epistemological character strongly influenced methodology, pedagogy, and curricular innovation, consistent with previous theory and research on disciplines. The role of these factors and pragmatic…

This report summarizes the results of the Planning Introductory College Courses study which examined influences on course planning among U.S. faculty members. The study was built on exploratory interviews conducted in the 1986-87 Course Planning Exploration survey with 89 faculty members. Major findings show that when planning introductory…

In this working paper on needed research issues, areas of inquiry are grouped in a way that parallels the programs of the National Center for Research in Postsecondary Teaching and Learning (NCRIPTAL); additional categories are also cited. The following topics are addressed: (1) issues of student learning (participation and involvement,…

Universities that devise models to involve faculty in curricular change, building on commonalities among academic fields, can progress toward curricular coherence. The story of an imaginary committee developing a core course for lower-division students, based on information drawn from research, illustrates this planning process. (Author/MSE)