More Than Good Curricula: A Guide For Curricular Change Agents

Each year, many engineering faculty members undertake curricular innovation projects, often with a long-term goal of the innovation becoming mainstream in their department, college, or institution. While the literature on curricular and pedagogical innovation is very large, the knowledge base on which engineering faculty members, who could be viewed as the essential curricular change agents, is smaller and scattered across different disciplines. This paper will synthesize research and practice on curricular change to offer an accessible knowledge base and guidance for curricular change agents. After the introduction, the paper will be organized in the following sections: (1) goals for change, (2) barriers to change, (3) foci for change, and (4) strategies for change.