Curriculum Reform: A whole community approach
Publication date: 12 Oct 2026
This Collaborative Enhancement Project explores good practice in community engagement, and seeks to develop a curriculum reform toolkit that supports higher education institutions to engage in multi-stakeholder dialogue about redesigning their student experience.
About this project
Curriculum reform is a hot topic right across higher education right now – with lots of providers looking to create more efficient and distinctive programme portfolios. But large-scale reform involves winning ‘hearts and minds’ of diverse academic communities and can carry the risk of colleagues feeling that change is done ‘to’ them, not ‘with’ them. We’re keen to explore good practice in community engagement, and to develop a toolkit that supports HEIs to engage in multistakeholder dialogue about redesigning their student experience.
Project details
Curricular reform is driven partly by financial pressures but is also an important response to wider calls for more consistency in the student experience, more inclusive teaching and learning and for ‘workplace ready’ graduates. But the financial climate and post-pandemic context makes this a difficult time for HE communities to accept and engage in widescale institutional change, and proposals to change curricula pose potential (or perceived) threats to strong, important disciplinary identities and academic freedom. This project will enable us to work with students and stakeholders to compare approaches to engaging academic communities in this important work, and develop practical guidance and stakeholder engagement resources to facilitate curricular innovation.
The partners engaged in the project are all at varying stages of their curricular reform journey with some well advanced, some beginning their implementation and others at the beginning of their discovery or development phase. Each institutional perspective provides insight to the development of the project resources and outputs and is essential to helping the wider sector understand the lifecycle of a whole-institution curricular review.
Project team
Professor Beverley Hawkins
Dean for Taught Students and Professor of Leadership and Organisation Studies,
University of Exeter
Roscoe Hastings
Director of Teaching Excellence and Enhancement,
University of Exeter
Outputs
Reports and Toolkit List
Explore the reports and toolkit resources below for further information and guidance.
Curriculum Reform CEP Toolkit List
Publication date: 12 Oct 2026
Talking Transformation Podcast Episode 4: Future-facing Curricula
Episode 4: Future-facing Curricula
Host Professor Mark O’Hara is joined by guests, Professor Beverly Hawkins, Dr Samantha Burvill and Associate Professor Chris McInerney, to discuss:
- Preparing students for rapidly changing work environments
- Building “change-capable” graduates with growth mindsets
- Curriculum transformation initiatives
Shaping the Future: Creating Newcastle’s Education for Life Skills and Attributes
What does it truly mean to prepare students for life beyond university?
At Newcastle University, the Education for Life 2030+ Strategy responds to this question by placing core skills and attributes at the heart of a university wide commitment to preparing students for their futures.
Staging Curriculum Change at the University of Reading
The story of curriculum change at the University of Reading began in 2020 in the wake of Covid. We knew that we were going to emerge from lockdown into a very different context for HE. Our primary goal was to enhance student experience; tackling long-standing systemic issues raised by students- like the volume and distribution of their assessment.
Restructuring the academic year – a case study from the University of Bristol
Many universities have considered restructuring their academic years, from a variety of motivations. The University of Bristol introduced a new Structure of the Academic Year in 2024/25. In this brief post, I reflect on what we were hoping to achieve and what we needed to put in place.
University of Salford: Inclusive Assessment Transformation to Support Diverse Student Pathways
The University of Salford’s Inclusive Curriculum Transformation programme was developed in response to sector-wide concerns regarding awarding gaps, continuation, and progression for students entering higher education through different routes, particularly vocational qualifications (e.g. BTECs).
Inclusive Assessment Four Case Studies
Publication date: 14 Oct 2026
Developing Sustainable Field Courses
Publication date: 15 Oct 2026
Stakeholder Consultation for Curriculum Transformation
Publication date: 14 Oct 2026
Melt: To Melt the Boundaries Between Belonging
In this blog, three University of Exeter students describe their work to create more opportunities for first year undergraduates to socially connect within their programmes.
Your Curriculum Transformation Project on a Slide
Publication date: 14 Oct 2026
Template Your Curriculum Transformation Project on a Slide
Publication date: 14 Oct 2026
Curriculum Change: Addressing the challenge of ‘community’ buy-in
Implementing curriculum change does not happen in a vacuum. It usually links to other institutional priorities or financial pressures. Obtaining the buy-in from the wider academic and professional services community for such changes can be a challenge.
Leading Curriculum Change: Case, Community, Communication
Professor Elizabeth McCrum explains three aspects of leading curriculum change that helped progress the University of Reading’s Portfolio Review.
Read the blog here
Embedding skills to thrive: A new skills framework at the University of Exeter
In this blog, project co-sponsor Nicky Thomas and project manager Emma Norman outline how the University of Exeter designed its new ground-breaking skills framework known as ‘Skills to Thrive’.
Read the blog here
Discovering a curriculum for success: Why small changes matter in curriculum reform
In this post, Chris Hill Head of Education Strategy and Student Experience at the School of African and Oriental Studies, London, reflects on why ‘small changes are beautiful’ in curriculum reform.
Workshop Facilitation Guide: A Virtuous Circle for Curriculum Change
Publication date: 15 Oct 2026
Insights from leaders of seven curriculum transformation projects
Publication date: 15 Oct 2026
Curriculum Transformation at The University of Exeter: supporting implementation
In this blog, Beth and Hannah share how they supported curriculum transformation at the University of Exeter. By working collaboratively across Professional Services and Academic divisions, they helped the transformation programme move from discovery to implementation.
Newcastle University’s Leading Edge Curriculum: Interview with Rachel Dearlove and Sara Marsham
Publication date: 15 Oct 2026
‘Curriculum Reform: a whole community approach’ Project Summary for Executive Leaders
Publication date: 15 Oct 2026