Making Sense of Evidence in Curriculum Development

Educational developers are increasingly expected to support evidence-informed curriculum development. But what does that actually look like in practice? What counts as evidence, and how can you help programme teams make meaningful use of it without turning every curriculum conversation into a research project? It’s easy to feel that you are expected to have all the answers. In reality, that isn’t your role. Your greatest contribution is helping programme teams have the conversations that lead to those answers.

In this interactive workshop, we will explore how educational developers can help programme teams step back from individual courses, ask the questions that matter, and see the curriculum as a coherent whole. Using authentic curriculum cases, we will explore different forms of evidence and practise questions and facilitation strategies that help programme teams bring together evidence, different perspectives, and the expertise already present within the programme team. Instead of looking for one ‘right’ answer, we will focus on creating the conditions for thoughtful, evidence-informed curriculum decisions. Participants will leave with practical facilitation approaches they can immediately apply to help programme teams make meaningful use of different forms of evidence and move from productive discussions to confident, evidence-informed curriculum decisions.

Instructor:

Irma Meijerman, PhD, SFHEA 
Irma Meijerman is an educational consultant with over 30 years of experience in higher education. Originally trained as a toxicologist, she worked for 24 years at Utrecht University, where she combined research and teaching with curriculum development and educational innovation. She led the design of the interdisciplinary College of Pharmaceutical Sciences honours programme and contributed to curriculum renewal across programmes, including Biomedical Sciences. Irma is Chair of the EuroSoTL network, co-author of the Utrecht University Roadmap for SoTL, and co-editor of the recent book Routes to Change: Strategic Leadership in SoTL. Through her consultancy, she supports universities across Europe in curriculum development, educational leadership, and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.