It is none other than realizing the potential of the university in the twenty-first century. I cannot think of a more important initiative for higher education and the future of the university.
Students connect with researchers and with the institution’s research
A throughline of research activity is built into each programme Each programme of study needs to be designed in such a way that
Students make connections across subjects and out to the world This dimension focuses on the importance of students making concep-
Students connect academic learning with workplace learning Students need to be able to connect academic learning explicitly with the
Students learn to produce outputs – assessments directed at an audience
Students connect with each other, across phases and with alumni Taught programmes and co- curricular opportunities should enable
The origins of the Connected Curriculum framework are also rooted in research-intensive universities in the UK. Many of the examples of practice in the following chapters are from such institutions. The first dimension of the Connected Curriculum framework is to allow students to connect with research and researchers.
Creating a sequence of mandatory modules, which clearly follow on through each year (or phase) of study and which explicitly chal-
Some programs are built on a very high degree of student choice, while others consist primarily of compulsory study topics. Even in the latter, it is not always easy to build students' skills in inquiry and research gradually over the duration of the program, or to enable students to see how different areas of knowledge relate to each other and skills covered by the program. Nor is it easy for students to gain a clear picture of their knowledge, skills and values as they develop during their period of study.
It can even lead to a program-wide Showcase Portfolio, which allows students to collect and curate their best work for review. Creating a series of mandatory modules that clearly relate to each academic year (or phase) and that explicitly challenge them.
Creating a series of ‘Connections’ modules, which act like the mandatory, connective modules above but allow for some student
Ideally, there should be new subject content for the students in these modules; the new material can then act as a springboard for challenging students to connect the new insight with other themes covered in the education. Creation of a single linear module that extends from the beginning to the end of the program, running along with other optional mod-.
Creating a single linear module that stretches from the beginning to the end of the programme, running alongside other optional mod-
Building timetabled peer study groups into the full length of the degree. In these groups, students are challenged to work
Orientating the whole degree programme towards a real- world event, such as an undergraduate or postgraduate research
The theme of research and investigation can be marked as central to the form of the degree, and the whole program can be shaped in such a way that it culminates in an undergraduate conference. Planning such a conference can involve a whole range of challenges, including working with alumni and/or employers to shape the event, as well as speaking and criticizing each other during the conference itself. Design a 'capstone' module for the final year/learning phase (e.g. in the last term or semester) in which students are explicitly challenged (e.g. in the last term or semester) in which students are explicitly challenged to learn about all apply dimensions of their studies to a complex, multifaceted task, problem or challenge.
Creating a single core assessment – for example a reflective analytical portfolio – that builds from phase to phase. Formative feedback from assessors along the way helps shape student development and improve work as they progress.
Using a programme of online learning which runs in parallel with face- to- face elements, but which provides structured opportunities
Ensuring that connective themes are regularly revisited as a repeated motif in the content and student assessments. This can
Underpinning the programme with an academic tutorial sys- tem, in which students work in small groups with the support of
Revisiting our earlier emphasis on the potential of education to affect the "global common good," we consider the potential of engaging students in interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary tasks that engage with and change the world. For example, when Clifford undertook research on various attitudes among academics regarding interdisciplinarity, she found it difficult for some to “move away from a focus on 'science' to a focus on holistic, personal and academic development. students. Boix Mansilla and Chua (2016, 3) define global competence as “the ability and willingness to understand and act on issues of global importance”.
It takes place during the last two weeks of the summer semester of each academic year. The scope of the program is such that it gives the opportunity to all students of the second year of the Technical Faculty. For example, Knight and Yorke (2006a) provide a characterization of four influential components: students' efficacy beliefs and self-theories. metacognition; it is the student's self-awareness in relation to learning and "the ability to think about, in and for action".
However, some of the design features and pedagogy inherent in the Connected Curriculum framework already lend themselves to ; .. the use of digital media).
Designing some student learning activities that mirror the
The ways in which departments and program leaders select from – and add to – these options will depend on many contextual factors.
Requiring students explicitly to analyse and articulate their learning, both in core disciplinary areas and more widely, and its
Building in a core portfolio and/ or summative task, for example through a series of Connections modules and/ or a capstone module
Ensuring that some assessments are addressed to diverse audi- ences and so develop a wide range of digital and communication
The fifth dimension of the connected curriculum framework focuses on assessing student learning and the value of student learning to produce 'outcomes' - audience-oriented assessment. Both the task and the product are then authentically oriented to the needs of the audience-partner. We address the topic of human connections in Chapter 8, which addresses the final dimension of the connected curriculum framework: "Students connect with each other, across phases, and with alumni."
More fundamentally, for the Connected Curriculum initiative, learning with and from others is more than just part of the educational process: it is the purpose of education. In many ways, the sixth is the simplest dimension of the Connected Curriculum framework. First and second year students attend the lectures and this allows them to participate in the research process at all levels of the curriculum.
The best videos are then passed on to the teacher so that the relevant module can be included in the online resources for that subject. And together with the rest of the UCL team we went on to win first prize in the overall 'Be the Change' competition. UCL Arena therefore offers many opportunities for dialogue and collaboration, including events specifically focused on the dimensions of the Connected Curriculum framework.
A coherent set of possibilities that we could explore ran through the core of the training.
Providing academic guidance and support for diverse students Engaging students more fully in research and active enquiry focuses
Particular attention must be paid to whether women, black and ethnic minority colleagues, colleagues with disabilities and others who are not well represented in university leadership teams are empowered to become full and equal participants in our learning and research communities. For example, values are inherent in what is selected as a valid subject for research, in how research studies are funded, constructed and disseminated, and in who conducts and benefits from the research. They are deeply implicated in what is taught as 'canon' in a given discipline and in the silence of the curriculum: the areas of focus and the kinds of knowledge that are excluded.
We need to consider the relationships and power dynamics between teachers and students, between researchers and teachers, and between scholars, students, professionals and the community. But institutions must provide an environment in which this balance is possible: current institutional and even national policies may even need to be revised. Provision of academic guidance and support to diverse students To engage students more fully in research and active inquiry foci.
Students bring very different prior experiences and expectations to the internationalized higher education sector. This means that institutions must provide resources to provide structured guidance to students by academics and related professional staff.
Supporting researchers
Institutional structures and regulations
Roles, reward and recognition
Inappropriate divisions between types of academic roles in higher education need to be reassessed. Roles vary across the sector internationally, but in many contexts there is a historical division of roles: some university teachers are also researchers, while others take on education-focused roles. Both make an important contribution to ecology in a research-rich curriculum, but questions of inequality arise.
For example, in UK research-intensive institutions, a significant majority of those in traditional academic researcher-educator roles are male, while the majority of those in education-focused roles are female (Fung and Gordon 2016). Nevertheless, markers of prestige and advancement opportunities are more favorable in a male-dominated group. Contributing to this systemic imbalance in some higher education institutions is the employment of large numbers of people on short-term, fixed-term contracts (Locke and Bennion 2010), which can be destabilizing and demotivating for both staff and students.
A fragmented, disheartened workforce will surely be an obstacle to the goals and values of a connected curriculum: surely the better way is to build more job stability together with greater permeability between types of roles, so that everyone can play their scientific success. strengths, whether they are educators, researchers, or both (Fung 2016; Fung and Gordon 2016). Technical specialists and professionals in a wide range of roles should also be fully involved in curriculum development and rewarded accordingly: they contribute richly to student learning in a variety of contexts.
Developing partnerships with students
Forging links with local and wider communities
Institutions should invest in human resources, preferably in dedicated positions, whose focus is on this task; this is especially important when there are a large number of students. A specialist role may be required to liaise with members of the community (including alumni) as development partners, creating links with organizations and industry in order to promote opportunities for students to engage in the workplace through shadowing or practices and helping faculty members and students find audiences and partners for the outside work they produce.
Developing physical and virtual learning environments suited to research- based education
Resourcing development of, and research into, higher education Finally, the higher education sector as a whole needs to invest in
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