Maintaining Curriculum Consistency of Technical and Vocational Educational Programs through Teacher Design Teams

Maintaining the quality and relevance of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curricula is a great challenge for TVET institutions in developing countries. One major challenge lies in the lack of curriculum design expertise of TVET academics. The purpose of this multiplecase study is to explore the potential of professionally supported Teacher Design Teams (TDTs), a group of department teachers working collaboratively on a curriculum (re)design task, as an institution-based strategy for improving the relevance of TVET programs to the needs of the concerned stakeholders, namely industry. The study describes how four TDTs from different TVET college departments redesigned their programs systematically and relationally to improve their internal and external consistency. The findings indicated that although the teams found the re-design task a challenge, they felt positive about the TDT experience and its outcomes. The teams also perceived the consistency of their programs to have improved. The criticality of the support offered to the teams and the variety of the teams’ design work were salient themes captured during the design process. It is concluded that professionally supported TDTs can be an efficient strategy for maintaining the consistency of the TVET curriculu

Professionalization of curriculum design practices in technical vocational colleges: curriculum leadership and collaboration

In response to a growing demand for qualified middle-level professionals by industry and businesses, developing countries are paying increasing attention to Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Overestimating the capacity of the TVET academic managers and teachers to maintain the quality and relevance of the TVET educational programs, given the lack of professional preparation for such a critical academic task, holds little promise for achieving the mandate of these institutions. The purpose of this educational design research was to professionalize curriculum design practices in TVET academic departments through enhancing the curriculum leadership of Heads of Department (HoDs) and promoting teacher collaborative curriculum design. The study intervention comprised two rounds of a professional development arrangement (PDA), which comprised training, coaching, exemplary materials, and a hands-on curriculum renewal experience.\ud \ud The findings clearly indicate that the participating HoDs highly valued the design, content, and relevance of the PDA to their job as middle academic managers. The PDA provided positively influenced the HoDs' attitude towards and learning about systematic and relational curriculum design, curriculum leadership, and collaborative curriculum design. The PDA also changed and/ or enhanced certain traditionally held beliefs by the HoDs about 'curriculum' and 'curriculum design'. The learning gained helped the HoDs better realize the complexity of curriculum design and the criticality of their role as curriculum leaders. The participating HoDs managed, with varying degrees, to lead their teacher collaborative curriculum design teams to apply both systematic and relational curriculum design procedures. Both HoDs and teachers perceived their formal curricula to have now better clarity and consistency with the needs and expectations of the concerned stakeholders. It was also found that the ways the HoDs enacted curriculum leadership and the challenges they encountered varied based on several factors such as the HoD's commitment, management and leadership skills, knowledge about curriculum design, and the department context. Among the challenges encountered were the lack of senior management support, unfavorable work conditions, the high rate of middle managers' attrition, and the lack of formal professional networking and liaisons with industry .\ud \ud The study has concluded that TVET HoDs in developing countries highly value professional development programs that seek to improve their curriculum leadership competency. The study findings show that professionally supported middle managers and teachers can demonstrate improved curriculum design and leadership practices that contribute to the improvement of the curriculum internal and external consistency. The reported improved curriculum design practices and curriculum consistency in this study can be attributed to several factors such as the multiple forms of the professional support provided to both the HoDs and teachers, the application of systematic and relational curriculum design practices, and the consideration of certain contextual constraints. The findings suggest that TVET HoDs need both professional and organizational support so as to demonstrate effective curriculum leadership. Based on the study findings, a curriculum leadership competency model for TVET HoDs in developing countries is proposed . The model pictures curriculum leadership competency as the integration of three competency domains: curriculum design, management, and leadership. The model also highlights the importance of attending to the context where curriculum leadership is practiced

Curriculum Leadership in Action: A Tale of Four Community College Heads of Department Leading a Curriculum-Development Project

College Heads of Department (HoDs) are increasingly expected to perform more curriculum-leadership tasks, maintaining and advancing the department curriculum, especially in developing countries. However, in practice, HoDs are reported to pay little attention to this aspect of their job due to several factors—one of which is a lack of professional support to play this role. This case study investigated how four HoDs of a community college perceived and enacted curriculum leadership during a curriculum-development project after receiving relevant training and assistance. The findings showed that the HoDs valued the relevance and usefulness of the professional support received, which made them realize the significance of their role as curriculum leaders. The findings also indicate that the ways the HoDs enacted the curriculum-leadership tasks and the challenges they encountered varied based on several factors. The conclusion drawn is that the support HoDs need and the challenges they encounter in assuming active curriculum leadership suggest their need for three professional competencies and the need for supportive organizational structures

Improving curriculum development practices in a technical vocational community college: examining effects of a professional development arrangement for middle managers

Learning about curriculum development is critical for middle managers of technical vocational institutions in order to assume curriculum leadership in maintaining and enhancing the quality and relevance of their educational programs. This case study reports on the design and effects of a professional development arrangement (PDA), with such a focus, for 13 middle managers of a technical vocational community college in a developing country. The findings indicate that the middle managers appreciated the relevance of the PDA for curriculum development at the community college and gained substantial learning about systematic curriculum development. However, the middle managers' post-PDA curriculum development improvement efforts were minimal and characterised by individual initiatives, due to a lack of senior management support, unfavourable work conditions, and a high rate of middle manager attrition. The conclusion drawn is that for trained middle managers to lead systematic curriculum development practices, contextual and organisational barriers germane to technical vocational education in developing contexts need to be considere