Workshop at International Blended Learning conference 2012 - Curriculum Design programme - Greenwich and MMU

1. Winning hearts and minds: tools and
techniques to engage staff in curriculum
change initiatives
Claire Eustance, Rachel Forsyth, Marianne Sheppard
21/06/2012 slide 1

2. Session Outline
Intros (10 mins)
 Overview of the Curriculum Design Programme (Marianne Sheppard)
 University of Greenwich UG-Flex ‘Snakes and Ladders’ (Claire Eustance)
 Manchester Metropolitan University SRC ‘Accreditation!’ (Rachel Forsyth)
Activity (30 mins)
 Breakout into groups
Round-up (5 mins)
21/06/2012 slide 2

3. Institutional Approaches to Curriculum Design
The programme has explored ways in which technology can
support more flexible, agile and responsive curricula through
the development of more efficient systems and processes
which underpin teaching excellence and a high quality
learning experience.

4. Institutional Approaches to Curriculum Design
 4 year programme: completing July 2012
 12 university projects
Outcomes and outputs
 Changing practices and developing cultures of
innovation in curriculum design
 New or improved processes to support holistic
curriculum management (e.g. review and
approval, single source of data)
 Guidelines on effective curriculum design
 New design tools and environments
 Staff development approaches and resources

5. Information and Resources
http://bit.ly/jiscds
#jisccdd Blog: http://jisccdd.jiscinvolve.org

6. “Snakes” and “Ladders”
Interactive Workshop:
A resource for realising inclusive
curriculum design and delivery
Claire Eustance, UG Flex Project

7. “Snakes” and “Ladders”
Drivers
 Effective curriculum design;
 Cross-institutional collaboration & responsibility;
 Sharing of experience, effective practice &
innovation in curriculum design and wider
student experience;
 Embedding enhancements and policy:
Greenwich Graduate and New Students’
“Entitlement”;
 Interactive approach to staff development.

8. “Snakes” and “Ladders”
Development of the workshop:
An institutional journey involving multiple
stakeholders drawn from across the academic
and student support and professional services
spectrum.

9. Snakes Ladders
OBSTACLES students face to STRATEGIES for retention,
success and progression: progression and success
o obstacles to integration Specific, concrete examples of:
o Enablers & Interventions
o obstacles to engagement
RETENTION & TRANSITION ACTIVITY:
i. Map the obstacles students face (the "SNAKES”) onto the
academic year (10 mins)
ii. Map the enabling interventions that work (the “LADDERS”)
onto the academic year (10 mins)
iii. Reflection / Group discussion: identify one ‘top’ obstacle
and the intervention/s to address it to share. (10 mins)

10. • Retention & Transition resources available via email.
• Short how-to guide available on JISC Design Studio now – set
of resources to follow - jiscdesignstudio.pbworks.com/
• Bowl, M (2003), Non-Traditional Entrants to Higher Education, London : Trentham Books
• Cook, A, Rushton B (2008) Student Transition: Practices and Policies to Promote Retention. The STAR
Project, University of Ulster. SEDA Paper 121
• Lowe, H. and Cook, A. (2003) Mind the Gap: Are Students Prepared for Higher Education? Journal of
Further and Higher Education, 27(1), pp.53-76.
• Tinto, V (19932), Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition, Chicago: Univ. of Chicago
• Yorke, M & Longden, B (2008), The first year experience of higher education in the UK. York: The Higher
Education Academy. Available at:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/resources/publications/FYEFinalReport.pdf.
Sally Alsford s.e.alsford@gre.ac.uk
Claire Eustance c.eustance@gre.ac.uk

11. Curriculum design
JISC project: Supporting Responsive Curricula.
• Responsiveness: The ability to recognise
change drivers, and to make changes, in a
timely manner.
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12. Planting Ideas
• Stakeholder workshops used scenarios to prompt
discussion.
• This highlighted barriers to responsiveness:
culture and processes.
• Outcomes were used:
– to press for changes in processes.
– to design staff development materials to help with
discussion about culture.
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13. Curriculum design and approval
• Usually causes stress and confusion – two of the
barriers to responsiveness.
• Curriculum tools devised
– to simplify planning
– to encourage debate.
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14. Accreditation! The game
• Encourages discussion
about any frustrations
with processes
• More effective than
explaining the process
via presentations?
Thursday, June 21, 2012 14

15. Summary
• Variety of techniques needed to get effective
discussion;
• These techniques encourage collection of examples
and scenarios;
• Need to involve mixed groups of
planners, programmers, administrative and academic
staff
• Are games a good way of de-stressing the debates?
Learning about new systems?
Thursday, June 21, 2012 15

16. Availability
Game is available on Creative Commons licence:
http://jiscdesignstudio.pbworks.com/w/page/4408
7950/Accreditation!
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