Curriculum Agility: Strategies for Future-Proofing Learning and Teaching

Other conference contribution, 2025

This workshop addresses the critical need for Curriculum Agility (CA) in contemporary engineering education, defined as the ability of a curriculum to be responsive and adaptable to rapid changes in society, industry, and student and university faculty needs by dynamically adjusting its structures, learning outcomes, and activities. Participants will explore the rationale behind CA, emphasizing its role in mitigating the Stakeholder Expectation Error that arises when educational programs fail to meet evolving stakeholder demands. The workshop delves into the concept of CA as a responsively organized education with dynamic learning content and flexible pedagogies, supported by the continuous development of staff. The ten principles of CA are discussed, which were formulated through extensive research and co-creation within the international engineering education community. The workshop also introduces the CA Self-Mapping Protocol, a facilitated, multi-level, cocreative process, designed to enable higher education institutions to assess and enhance their CA. This protocol, developed and refined through workshops and pilot studies at various European institutions, facilitates curriculum stakeholders to come to a shared understanding regarding the current state of CA and identify strategic actions for future improvement. Participants will gain insights into the protocol's key phases—Informing, Probing, Envisioning, Strategizing, and Prioritizing—and its emphasis on inclusive dialogue. The expected outcomes include a comprehensive understanding of CA, its guiding principles, and the value of the Self-Mapping Protocol as a tool for strategic curriculum innovation to ensure sustained quality and relevance of engineering programs.