I've got 99 problems but this class I'm in wants me to focus on one

Here we are again - me, writing for the Master's in Education Technology program at Michigan State University, and you’re here, reading it for some reason.

In this course we'll be focusing on problems of curriculum development and how technology offers potential solutions (the course is titled "Applying educational technology to issues of practice").

However, the greater crux of the course appears to be on how to ask important questions about the curricular problems you're facing, so as to hone in on a useful solution (Berger, 2016).

The introductory question posed to us in this course is, "What problems am I facing in my field?" Well! I've just started a new job as an instructional designer, and in my first three months in the gig, it appears that problems abound!

• Inconsistent course design

• Redundant course content throughout program

• Over-emphasis on summative assessment vs deeper understanding

• Failures in accessibility

• Lack of mapping of objectives or aligning objectives to program goals

And so on.

It may all be condensed to one question:

How do we get faculty to communicate with each other?

And maybe one deeper:

Do faculty see inherent value in aligning their materials with one another, so as to make a more coherent program for students?

I have some ideas for the first question. It's the second that scares me a little - but I think it’s the one that needs answering. If faculty don’t see that the program needs to be greater than the sum of its parts (Aristotle, 340 BCE), then it will be difficult to convince them to work toward anything other than what they’ve already been doing.

I’m excited to see what ways this course might inspire new ways to approach these problems, and potentially other questions that need to be asked – and perhaps answered.

References:

"Aristotle (384-322 BC)" by Tilemahos Efthimiadis is marked with CC BY-SA 2.0.

Aristoteles, & Ross, W. D. (1997). Aristotle's metaphysics = Aristotelous Ta Meta Ta Physika. Oxford University Press.

Berger, W. (2016). A more beautiful question: The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas. Bloomsbury.