Early feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive
Edith Cowan University's (ECU's) Curriculum Transformation Program (CTP) is already reshaping the student learning experience, with lecturers across the University embracing new approaches to course design, teaching and engagement, while enabling programmatic learning at scale.
As the first wave of transformed units is delivered in classrooms, early feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive, with many praising the closer collaboration with peers, the increased variety of activities, and flexible engagement opportunities.
For the academics leading the change, the program represents a significant shift in how courses are developed and delivered, placing student success, contemporary learning practices and industry relevance at the centre of the curriculum.
"I've only got one unit through CTP so far, but honestly, it's been such a positive experience that I'm keen to see more of my units go through the process," said School of Business and Law (SBL) lecturer Dr Richard Hughes.
"CTP forced me to stop and ask whether what I was doing was actually working for students, or whether I was just doing it because that's how it's always been done. It's a confronting question, but a really important one."
Dr Ahdieh Sadat Khatavakhotan said CTP has shifted her own approach to teaching towards a more integrated, activity-driven and portfolio-based learning design.
"CTP has enabled a more dynamic learning environment where students actively contribute, collaborate, and reflect throughout the semester rather than only at assessment points," she said.
"It has also supported the development of richer, portfolio-based artefacts that more clearly demonstrate student capabilities. From a teaching perspective, it has been particularly rewarding to observe students progressively build confidence, communication skills, and professional readiness through structured activities and ongoing feedback cycles."
A strategy for success
CTP is a key strategic initiative that sets an ambitious vision to reshape how ECU designs courses, assures learning outcomes, and facilitates learning in the context of a changing world, changing students, and changing demands on universities.
Led by Professor Katrina Strampel, Director of the Centre for Learning and Teaching, and sponsored by Professor Braden Hill, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students and Education), this multi-year, whole-of-institution program responds to the rapid advancements in technology, particularly the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the changing needs of students and the higher education sector.
Professor Braden Hill
"CTP is about reimagining education in universities, and higher education as a whole," Professor Hill said.
"This program has really transformed not only our curriculum, but also the ways in which our lecturers and staff relate to one another, and how our students relate to each other. I think it is a really important aspect of what we are trying to achieve here.
"Education is not something served up on a platter, it's something that is relational, it's something that happens between people, it's not a transaction. What we are working towards may make some people a little bit cautious, but we believe that it is perfectly doable. And not only doable but would deliver better outcomes for our students."
Thirteen courses are currently being taught in programmatic learning, including some from SBL, The School of Education, the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. All ECU courses will be transitioned to programmatic learning by 2029.
