Curriculum design innovation in flexible science teaching

Abstract

In this paper you will be introduced to a number of guidelines, which can be used to inform good teaching practice and rigorous curriculum design. Guidelines relate to: 1. application of a common sequence of events for how learners learn; 2. accommodating different learning styles; 3. adopting a purposeful approach to teaching and learning; 4. using assessment as a central driving force in the curriculum and as an organising structure leading to coherence of teaching and learning approach; and 5. the increasing emphasis that is being placed on the development of generic graduate competencies over and above discipline content knowledge. The guidelines are particularly significant in relation to adult learning and together they form the basis of a practical approach for learning module development. Three specific learning modules are used to illustrate the application of the guidelines. They are taken from a second year subject in introductory supercomputing that uses scientific case studies.