Drawing on the authors' extensive experience and robust survey data, this critical resource unpacks the inner workings of one of the most powerful mechanisms for improving teaching and learning in higher education: the course design institute (CDI). CDIs are intensive, often multi-day facilitated experiences where instructors design or redesign a…

This article shares the key feature of a successful general education curriculum reform effort: the creation and approval of Guiding Principles that governed both the process of reform and the design of the curriculum. The author pays special attention to the role of Guiding Principles in shaping the design and content of curricula. The Guiding…

Mathematics education has been a distinct source of inequity in students' educational journeys. The way mathematics is taught and tested can determine students' chances of completing high school, entering the college of their choice, and earning a degree in a field that interests them. Black, Latinx, and other marginalized students are most likely…

The objective of this study is to evaluate the content of social studies textbooks, which are written and taught based upon the social studies curriculum adopted between 1968-2018, in terms of the curriculum and content designs, and some general educational principles. For this purpose, document analysis, one of the qualitative research…

In October 2022, the Center for the Analysis of Postsecondary Readiness (CAPR) released a systematic review of evaluation literature on developmental education reforms to identify interventions found to have positive effects on student outcomes entitled, "Five Principles for Developmental Education: A Review of the Evidence" (see…

Over the past decade, policymakers, educators, and administrators in community colleges and other broad-access postsecondary institutions have focused on reforming developmental education practices, including how students are assessed as needing additional academic support. Concurrent with widespread changes in practice, researchers have engaged…

This article explores the rationale for the 2011-2013 review of the National Curriculum in England, a rationale informed by the work of an Expert Panel chaired by the author. The focus is on the fundamental principles that determine the nature and content of the curriculum. The approach adopted by the review is contrasted with that adopted when…

The concept of project-based learning (PBL) has garnered wide support among a number of K-12 education policy advocates and funders. This working paper builds on and updates a seminal literature review of PBL published in 2000. Focused primarily on articles and studies that have emerged in the 17 years since then, the working paper discusses the…

The qualitative study reported in this paper focuses on the ethical dimensions of curriculum and its interpretation and implementation by secondary school teachers. It explores what teachers do to respond to a curriculum that increasingly adopts a values-laden perspective (e.g., social justice education, critical literacy) that establishes…

This paper presents a case study of the co-design process for an online course on Sustainable Development (Degree in Tourism) involving the teacher, two students, and the project researchers. The co-design process was founded on an inquiry-based and technology-enhanced model that takes shape in a set of design principles. The research had two main…

In March 2012, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) released for public consultation the Shape Paper for the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education (HPE) that was finalized for publication in August 2012. This paper set out the key propositions for a "futures-oriented" curriculum suggesting…

ELT (English language teaching) in Spain is witnessing the arrival of content and language integrated learning (CLIL) and English is changing from a goal-oriented school subject to a medium of instruction for content subjects. What is taking place in our system is influenced by what has previously happened elsewhere. Two research episodes have…

This contribution aims at informing readers about a current education and training design approach which is based on theory building and practical experience. It is about the development of comprehensive competence-based education, which is different from earlier attempts to develop competence-based education. In many education development…

In this essay, I examine the problems I now see with the sample curriculum I proposed in "College Writing and Beyond: A New Framework for Writing Instruction" in 2007. There are numerous factors that must be considered in designing a writing course: choice of subject matter, choice of genres to assign, sequencing of writing assignments, number of…

10 Great Curricula is a collection of stories written by educators who have come to understand curricula differently as a result of their engagement with a graduate course and its instructor. The book represents the best of what can be found in teaching and learning, in general, and in the quest for meaningful ways to understand curricula in…