Curriculum Reform. Degree programmes must be attractive to students They must be recognised by employers Need involvement of both in all stages of the

Curriculum ReformCurriculum Reform


Degree programmes must be attractive to students

They must be recognised by employers

Need involvement of both in all stages of the review

Key!


We can aspire to graduate students who show:

Initiative

Independence

Critical thought

Problem solving skills

An ability to write and develop arguments

Moral judgement

Etc


Affects the way we teach as much as what we teach

Opportunities for some broader aspects of study could have merit, especially at 1st/2nd year

Eg, there is a good case for a broad base for scientists atlevel 1, potentially with more maths/ chemistry, and possibly non-science courses


However, we must recognise we have a diverse group of students with varied background and motivation

We may need to consider the potential to fast-track good students

To offer degrees with different exit strategies, orstreaming, perhaps including options such as general studies diplomas

But – can we afford the reduced fte’s!

May need to have the resources ctte involved at early stage to assess if a starter


Some students already find 1st/ 2nd year too general and thiscould be exacerbated if non-science courses were increasinglyrecommended

Could be a mismatch between what we would like (globalcitizen?) and what students want

The key seems to be choice and availability of (non-science) options

Can we keep good students motivated?


One sure way of increasing the learner experienceacross the board is to have more contact with staffand smaller class sizes

Again a resources issue


We may need to consider the working habits of studentsin terms of flexible delivery of courses

Timetabling in its own right is a key issue

Development of new/ increased joint degrees and interdisciplinary programmes is totally dependent on compatible timetabling

Timetabling and flexibility


We should not lose sight of what we do well at Aberdeen, or what we need to improve

Problem solving courses in CLSM teaching facility

Do we take enough advantage of peer assisted learning(perhaps helping with income)

SWOT!


Do Science students have different needs to Arts students?

Numeracy

Practical skills

● Lab

● Field studies


What can science programmes offer arts students

An understanding of cloning, GMOs, biofuels?

An understanding of environmental sustainability, C footprint, conservation/ biodiversity?

Darwinian evolution?

Bioethics


Links of secondary education to tertiary education

Links to level 5 programmes

Latter may be particularly relevant if wefast track students

But funding council rules could be an issue?

Links


Discipline issues

If we want to graduate students who are biologists then we need to comply with benchmarks from the IoB

Externals use these to assess our degree programmes

Many cases of accreditation by professional bodies

Can our aspirations for our graduates be achieved at discipline level?

Documents

Curriculum Reform. Degree programmes must be attractive to students They must be recognised by employers Need involvement of both in all stages of the