See how we are improving our curriculum to provide the best learning community for our students and staff.
What it is
Curriculum Reimagined is an institutional review of our educational offer and the structures that enable it.
- A restoring component to fix the frameworks and support structures, e.g. the academic year structure, the online prospectus.
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Reimagining component that will enable us to deliver the next strategy; embedding in Sussex Choice, Sustainability, Inclusivity, Human flourishing to improve the student experience, reduce awarding gaps and improve graduate outcomes.
When it's happening
The project is delivered over three years, 2023-2026, through four workstreams:
- distinctive,
- future Proofed
- inclusive
- streamlined
See what we are focusing on this term.
- Video transcript
[Professor Claire Smith stands talking to camera in a seminar room]
Professor Claire Smith: I'm Professor Claire Smith and I'm the Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Education and Innovation. I'm part of the team that is leading Curriculum Reimagined. Curriculum Reimagined is an institutional review of our educational offer and the structures that support it. Why are we doing this now? We haven't undertaken such a review for over ten years.
[Screen shows the University library, and the steps leading up to Pevensey II. Then returns to Professor Claire Smith]
Professor Claire Smith: There has been a rapid pace of change in the sector recently and we want to ensure that our students and our staff have the best experience possible. Curriculum Reimagined comprises of two parts.
The first part is the repairing part. It's fixing the things that you have told us and no longer working for us. We're currently looking to review the structure of the academic year and the information and the timelines associated with our online digital prospectus.
The second part of Curriculum Reimagined is that reimagining part. It's the building for the future. It's taking the parts that we at Sussex really care about our distinctive curriculum offer. Making sure that inclusivity, sustainability, human flourishing and the use of digital data is intertwined in everything that we do.
We're enabling this by looking at our elective provision and looking at the assessments that we use as an institution.
[Screen shows the Arts A building. Then a close up of students walking into a seminar room. Then students walking up the path from Falmer House. It then returns to Professor Claire Smith.]
Professor Claire Smith: Collectively, Curriculum Reimagined. It's going to bring about positive changes. It's going to help us decrease the awarding gap, increase graduate outcomes and increase the student and the staff experience.
[Screen card reads: Delivering a better education. For more information about the Curriculum Reimagined project, visit our website.]
Why are we doing this?
Our aim is to improve the curriculum for our students and increase their overall satisfaction with their studies. We will do this through transformative, high-quality education and learning experiences that will allow students to realise the futures that they want.
Curriculum Reimagined asks how we should deliver our curriculum for the best student outcomes and student/staff experience, and how we want Sussex to be known.
Watch our previous open meetings.
Our workstreams are:
Distinctive
To ensure Sussex’s educational offer is attractive to students by being distinctive, expresses our core values, and reflects our research strengths to enable students to succeed.
Inclusive
To enhance our approach to inclusivity and accessibility, including to ‘design-out’ Reasonable Adjustments and tackle Awarding Gaps.
Streamlined
To streamline the curriculum, and underpinning administrative processes, whilst preserving interdisciplinary choice and best pedagogical practice, including the use of digital technology.
Future proofed
To ensure that our courses prepare students with the contemporary and forward-looking skills needed for work or further study so they can influence global challenges such as environmental sustainability, digital and data technology, and human flourishing.
Project timeline
The stages the Curriculum Reimagined project will go through are:
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Scope phase
February – July 2023: This includes consultation with staff, Research and Development (R&D) academic approvals, and outlining our business case.
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Planning phase
July 2023 – February 2024: This includes developing our phased implementation plans. We are here.
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Implement phase
Depending on the need for change, identified through our consultation process, changes will be delivered in phases across 23/24, 24/25 and concluding in 25/26.
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Handover phase
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Evaluation phase
Curriculum Reimagined priorities for 2023-24 academic year:
Summer to Winter 2023
We will focus on:
- reviewing the elective provision.
- consulting on options for academic year structure.
- reviewing assessment modes, choice, and inclusive assessment strategy.
- reducing cross-threading/cross-levelling of modules.
- ongoing consultation of Curriculum Framework.
- launching online prospectus sub-project that will improve accurate published course information and enable innovative, flexible changes.
Winter to Spring 2024
We will focus on:
- reviewing minimum student numbers for optional module delivery, running a pilot throughout 2023-24 which we will evaluate throughout the year and finalise policy for rollout in 24/25.
- exploring and developing micro-credential mapping of skills for students.
- preparing to implement the review of assessment modes.
- reducing cross-threading/cross-levelling of modules.
- conclude the University’s approach to modes of learning at Sussex and inform digital teaching.
- designing future quality assurance processes to ensure curriculum reviews are embedded in future business as usual.
Related and Dependent projects
Projects that Curriculum Reimagined is closely linked include:
- student Information System
- timetabling projects
- e-assessments
- connected experiences programme (website estate)