Micro-Credential in Curriculum Design

Overview

Curriculum design involves planning, structuring, and organising the content, learning experiences, assessment methods, and educational outcomes of a course of study (such as a university programme, module or microcredential). It involves making deliberate decisions about what students should learn, how they should learn it, and how their learning will be assessed.

This micro-credential is rooted in the practicalities of curriculum design. Participants will develop the theoretical and practical tools necessary to design effective practice-based, inclusive, and future-oriented curricula. The micro-credential critically examines principles of constructive alignment, learning outcomes, learning & teaching activities, and assessment & feedback strategies. Emphasis is placed on student-centred learning, universal design for learning, integration of digital tools and flexible learning.

Participants will engage with the policies and processes which govern the quality assurance of programmes in alignment with the National Framework of Qualifications.

Participants will complete a project culminating in a rigorously developed action plan to enhance their practice.

Details

10 ECTS credits; 24 hours of class time plus peer engagement and independent learning; typically delivered mostly online with some in-person sessions.

Upon successful completion of the Curriculum Design micro-credential, participants may choose to progress to the "Curriculum Design in Practice" micro-credential (5 ECTS credits, see bottom of this page for details) through which the action plan developed in the Curriculum Design micro-credential will be implemented, evaluated and disseminated.

Entry Requirements

Participants must be working in an academic role in TU Dublin where they are teaching for at least four hours per week, or where they are in a management role with direct influence on the assessment practices of lecturers. Participants must have an NFQ Level 8 (or higher) qualification or complete a Recognition of Prior Learning process to demonstrate their capacity to participate in this microcredential.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module the participant will be able to:

Critically evaluate diverse theoretical models, frameworks and underlying principles of effective curriculum design in higher education.
Systematically design, develop, and refine, constructively- aligned curricula for university-level programmes and modules, ensuring coherence between learning outcomes, teaching activities, and assessment methods.
Design curricula that demonstrably embed principles of practice-based student-centred learning, inclusivity, and sustainability.
Discuss the impact of national and institutional quality assurance policies and external professional body requirements on curriculum development and ongoing review processes.
Collaborate effectively with peers and stakeholders to advocate for and implement curriculum enhancements and reforms that align with academic, professional, and societal needs.

Assessment

Participants will engage in a three-part project focused on curriculum design in higher education.

First, participants will critically reflect on a chosen theme from the curriculum design module or consider a specific curriculum need within their own context - using Brookfield’s Four Lenses to inform their approach. This commentary draws on engagement with stakeholders and appropriate literature.

This will be followed by the development of a redesigned module/programme, addressing the selected theme or specific need with justification for design decisions. A module descriptor and corresponding curriculum map can accompany the module/programme design.

Finally, participants will design an achievable action plan to implement the curriculum change outlined in their design. The action plan should include key prerequisites, resources, timelines, and feedback mechanisms.

Critical and scholarly reflection will underpin the entire process.

Indicative Syllabus

Key principles of curriculum design

Models and frameworks. Introduction to curriculum design principles.

Constructive Alignment

Learning outcomes; learning, teaching & assessment strategies; Bologna process; student-centred learning

Policies and processes underpinning curriculum design

Institutional, national & international

Broadening the curriculum – considerations beyond the discipline

Sustainability, graduate attributes & transversal skills, decolonising the curriculum, equality, diversity and inclusion.

Curriculum coherence & mapping: Engaging the programme team

Working with a programme team; Programme design v module design; sequencing: threshold concepts; assessment load; curriculum mapping.

Practical approaches and strategies to support the curriculum design process

ABC curriculum design; Carpe Diem learning design; Institutional approaches

Contemporary issues

Gen AI; digital education; student voice/co-creation; practice-based education; crowded curriculum.

Progressing to Curriculum Design in Practice

The Curriculum Design in Practice micro-credential follows from the Curriculum Design micro-credential. It cannot be taken prior to the successful completion of Curriculum Design, however, it does not need to be taken immediately following the completion of that micro-credential.

In the Curriculum Design in Practice micro-credential, participants will implement a focused, evidence-informed change in their assessment and feedback practices, critically evaluate its impact and disseminate insights to colleagues.

Acting on the plan developed during the pre-requisite Curriculum Design microcredential, participants will design an evaluation strategy to assess the impact of their actions, they will then implement the innovation within their action plan and gather insights, feedback, data etc. in tandem.

They will disseminate their findings to a group of five or more colleagues with the intention to influence the enhancement of curriculum design practices more broadly in their professional environment.

Details: 5 ECTS credits; runs over one semester. Can be taken in any semester, once Curriculum Design has been successfully completed.