The curriculum that students experience influences their future success, satisfaction and career development. Hence, national curriculum reform is often pursued to enhance education. This article examines how classroom-level factors contribute to the effectiveness of this process. This is accomplished by using a qualitative approach and focusing on individual teachers as critical units of change. This study focuses on the adoption of a new, innovative curriculum in a health science program and evaluates whether this initiative has been successful at enhancing teaching and learning.
This evaluation is based on the Concerns-based Adoption Model (CBAM), which is an alternative to a traditional, quantitative evaluation. Data were collected through the Stages of Concern (SoC) questionnaire and personal interviews with identified faculty and staff. The SoC questionnaire was given to all clinical and basic science faculty who are members of the University Health Care curriculum committees. The interview sample included eight clinical chairs, thirteen basic science faculty and four staff members.
The research indicates that successful curriculum change requires capacity-building to address the initial concerns of faculty and staff. This includes the need for a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of curriculum reform, adequate time to work on changes, the ability to build a coalition among all interested groups, and the capacity to provide training opportunities. Finally, the faculty and staff need a strong sense of moral purpose to motivate them to implement a curriculum that they believe is necessary for the betterment of society.