Flexible Curriculum Design for Quantitative Skills Development: Building on the Insights Gained during COVID-19

Autor/inn/en	Janse van Vuuren, Corlia; Muller, Annari; Strydom, Francois
Titel	Flexible Curriculum Design for Quantitative Skills Development: Building on the Insights Gained during COVID-19
Quelle	In: Perspectives in Education, 41 (2023) 1, S.137-154 (18 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Janse van Vuuren, Corlia) ORCID (Muller, Annari) ORCID (Strydom, Francois)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0258-2236
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Curriculum Design; Curriculum Implementation; COVID-19; Pandemics; Technology Uses in Education; Electronic Learning; Learner Engagement; Student Attitudes; Outcomes of Education; Teacher Student Relationship; Higher Education; College Students; Skill Development; Educational Environment; Instructional Innovation; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Lehrplangestaltung; Technology enhanced learning; Technology aided learning; Technologieunterstütztes Lernen; Schülerverhalten; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Teacher student relationships; Lehrer-Schüler-Beziehung; Hochschulbildung; Hochschulsystem; Hochschulwesen; Collegestudent; Kompetenzentwicklung; Qualifikationsentwicklung; Lernumgebung; Pädagogische Umwelt; Schulumwelt; Educational Innovation; Bildungsinnovation; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	Before the COVID-19 pandemic, technology-enhanced learning and its relation to student engagement, and the necessity of good student-staff relationships for creating a successful education environment were evident. The COVID-19 pandemic forced higher education to adapt to a challenging technology-led learning environment that demanded, inter alia, high levels of flexibility and human-centredness. Valuable lessons were learned that highlighted new perspectives on curriculum design and delivery in a normalised, technology-driven environment. Against the background of COVID-19-related literature on teaching and learning, the authors reflect on their insights regarding curriculum design and delivery of two quantitative skills modules during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact on further curriculum planning. The focus of the article is on the intentional flexibility built into curriculum offerings during 2020-2022. The study reviewed flexibility on three levels, namely student, facilitator (staff) and delivery levels, through a multi-method research methodology. Quantitative data related to the academic performance of 2 949 students enrolled for the two quantitative skills modules from 2020 to 2022. Qualitative data related to themes through thematic analysis of student and facilitator surveys, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews. The improved student academic performance reported by the study could be attributed to, amongst other factors, 1) flexibility of the selected delivery option, 2) positive staff and student experiences and engagement, and 3) intentional inclusion of activities promoting student-staff relationships. The good academic results obtained during the pandemic led to important curriculum decisions for a normalised future for these modules, which will be built on flexibility and human-centredness. Among these decisions is to continue presenting the modules in an online environment, even though traditional face-to-face teaching options are available. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	University of the Free State Faculty of Education. P.O. Box 339, Bioemfontein 9300, South Africa. Tel: +27-51-401-2368; e-mail: PiE@ufs.ac.za; Web site: https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/pie/index
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01