ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the challenges of working in the ever-changing and complex higher education sector resonates. The University of Queensland, a large research-intensive university in Australia with over 50,000 students and 300 award programmes. Traditionally, curriculum design focus has been on semester-long courses, with teaching academics having autonomy over content, learning activities, assessment design and learning outcomes. Despite this transformation in practice, at my institution, programme leaders develop their capabilities through experience – basically via trial and error. One of the questions that remains for me is whether the workshop-based and formal CDP approach adopted by the programme does result in the kinds of long-term, systemic change that Gibbs argues is needed when he advocates a move away from the CDP approach towards a more project-based and need/outcomes orientation that is particular to the participant. Classes are larger – it's common for first year students at my institution to be in a class of over 1,000 students.
