How can you communicate curriculum changes to your students and faculty?

1 Define the rationale and goals

Before you announce any curriculum changes, you need to have a clear and compelling rationale and goal for them. Why are you making these changes? What are the benefits and outcomes for your students and faculty? How do they align with your institution's mission, vision, and values? How do they respond to the needs and expectations of your stakeholders, such as employers, professional bodies, or accreditation agencies? You need to answer these questions and communicate them clearly to your students and faculty, using evidence, examples, and testimonials where possible. This will help them understand the purpose and direction of the curriculum changes, and how they relate to their own learning and teaching goals.

3 Provide clear and timely information

Curriculum changes can cause confusion and anxiety for your students and faculty, especially if they are not well informed or prepared. You need to provide clear and timely information about the curriculum changes, using multiple channels and formats, such as emails, newsletters, websites, social media, videos, or podcasts. You need to explain what the curriculum changes are, when they will take effect, how they will affect your students and faculty, and what support and resources are available for them. You also need to anticipate and address any questions or concerns that your students and faculty may have, and provide them with contact details or links for further information or assistance.

4 Offer training and support

Curriculum changes may require your students and faculty to learn new skills, use new tools, or adopt new approaches. You need to offer them adequate training and support to help them adapt to the curriculum changes and enhance their learning and teaching experience. You can design and deliver training and support programs, such as workshops, webinars, mentoring, coaching, or peer learning, that are relevant, accessible, and flexible for your students and faculty. You can also provide them with online or offline materials, such as guides, manuals, tutorials, or FAQs, that they can refer to anytime and anywhere.

5 Seek and act on feedback

Curriculum changes are not a one-off event, but a continuous process of improvement and innovation. You need to seek and act on feedback from your students and faculty to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of the curriculum changes, and to identify and address any issues or gaps. You can use various methods to collect and analyze feedback, such as surveys, quizzes, tests, portfolios, reflections, or observations. You can also share and discuss the feedback with your students and faculty, and involve them in the decision-making and action-planning for further curriculum changes. This will help you monitor and enhance the quality and relevance of your curriculum, and foster a culture of collaboration and communication among your academic community.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?