Embracing Empathetic Curriculum Design
EduCred Services is excited to introduce Amy DiMaio, PhD, as the newest member of our team. With a wealth of experience in academic leadership and curriculum design spanning over twenty years, Amy joins us with a deep-rooted commitment to enhancing student learning and success. Amy’s alignment with our mission is evident in her passion for supporting and improving the quality and accessibility of higher education options. We are confident that her expertise and enthusiasm will make a significant impact on our team and the clients we serve.
Please join us in welcoming Amy to EduCred Services. We look forward to the innovative ideas and insight she will bring to our organization and yours.
Higher Ed Synergy: Empathetic Leadership and Curriculum Design
In the world of higher education, organizational success is not just a measure of administrative efficiency; it directly impacts student success. Every aspect of the institution, from leadership to curriculum design, plays a pivotal role in shaping the educational experience and outcomes for students. As an experienced and passionate higher education professional, I firmly believe that empathy is the cornerstone of intentional curriculum design, organizational efficacy, and, ultimately, successful students.
Empathy doesn’t always get the respect that it deserves. Some have criticized my management style, accusing me of being “too nice.” To those critics, I would clarify that empathetic leadership—active listening, emotional intelligence, compassion, open communication, support, development, and inclusivity—is not a liability; it’s a superpower, and one that is particularly synergistic in curriculum design.
Intentional curriculum design involves purposeful creation and organization of educational content and experiences to achieve learning outcomes. This requires careful planning and consideration of learners’ goals, needs, and perspectives. The lens of empathetic leadership sharpens the impact of the key elements of intentional curriculum design on learner success.
Key Elements of Intentional Curriculum Design
Clear Outcomes and Alignment
Understanding learners’ goals, needs, and perspectives should inform the development of learning outcomes (the objectives that we expect students to achieve by the end of a course or program). This comes from actively listening to, openly communicating with, and supporting learners. The added input of subject matter experts and professional practitioners (often advisory board members), coupled with research on existing courses and programs, further strengthens the establishment of clear and relevant learning outcomes. Mapping the resulting learning outcomes to instructional content, methods, and assessments ensures that the curriculum aligns with what learners need to know and what employers expect them to know. This process requires empathy in order to ensure that learning outcomes are clearly stated and accurately reflect students' aspirations and challenges.
Learner-Centered Approach
Considering the needs, backgrounds, and learning styles of students during curriculum development requires the ability to place ourselves in their shoes. A learner-centered approach demands compassion, understanding, listening, and emotional intelligence to develop inclusive, diverse, and accessible learning pathways. Personalized learning paths use diagnostic assessment to create a learner profile that includes a student’s prior knowledge, strengths, weaknesses, and preferred learning style to set personal learning goals aligned with course outcomes. The learner profile determines a dynamic personalized learning path that adjusts to the student’s performance as they progress through the course. Some personalized learning paths incorporate adaptive learning platforms that identify when students struggle with specific course concepts and provide added content and resources to support mastery of those topics. Personalized learning paths may also incorporate formative assessment, reflection, and continuous feedback and support. This approach, based in empathy, allows educators to genuinely connect with students' experiences, tailoring learning paths to better support their educational journeys.
Sequencing and Pacing
Organizing content logically to build on prior knowledge and allow sufficient time for learning and mastery requires meeting learners where they are in their educational journey. Acknowledging learners’ skills, abilities, experiences, and foundations of knowledge means we need to create multiple pathways to ensure they reach their intended destination. Flexible pacing and deadlines allow students to progress through the course at a pace determined by their learning path and how quickly they master certain concepts and outcomes. Presenting content in modules, scaffolding assignments, incorporating competency-based assessments, and providing varied and diverse learning materials (videos, podcasts, academic articles, interactive activities, and simulations) create multiple opportunities for students to achieve learning outcomes. Sequencing course content intentionally ensures that we reach and support students where they are, and provide the knowledge that helps them reach their goals. Empathy is critical to this process, as it helps educators create a learning journey that respects individual pacing and acknowledges diverse learning needs.
Assessment and Feedback
Designing assessments that accurately measure learning and provide meaningful feedback to students involves the mindful training of faculty so that they understand the assessment process, criteria, standards, and the importance of sharing constructive feedback with students. Providing focused faculty training on assessment, including how and why it occurs, how it is used, and how to assess objectively and accurately, is essential. Ongoing faculty training on the assessment process, tools (platforms, rubrics, and data), and data promotes faculty understanding, investment in, and commitment to their vital role in the process. Training faculty on how to provide continuous, constructive, and substantive feedback is vital for student engagement and success. This training should include varied examples, methods, and approaches to delivering feedback. For example, some faculty may prefer to provide feedback in video or audio to reach students who prefer that method of communication. Approaching assessment, feedback, and faculty training with empathy ensures that both faculty and students get what they need, fostering a positive learning environment where everyone can learn and grow.
Continuous Improvement
Regularly reviewing and revising the curriculum based on educational research to ensure its effectiveness requires the ability to listen and communicate openly with all stakeholders. Actively engaging with administrators, instructors, learners, and practitioners yields feedback that can be analyzed and thoughtfully considered to identify opportunities for improving the learner experience and measuring achievement of the learning outcomes. This process is cyclical, and after an indicated change is implemented, the collection of feedback and outcomes data continues. Employing empathy during this process ensures that feedback from all stakeholders is valued, considered, and integrated into the improvement process, leading to a more responsive and effective curriculum. Empathy fosters a culture of trust and collaboration, creating a space where stakeholders can feel free to share honest and constructive feedback, which is crucial for continuous improvement.
Intentional curriculum design is an area where an institution’s planning and internal workings directly impact its learners—this is where empathetic leadership’s rubber meets the road. By carefully listening to and considering learners’ points of view, institutions can make the educational process more coherent, focused, and responsive to their needs. Empathetic leadership and intentional curriculum design complement each other, emphasizing improved engagement, personalized experience, continued development, better retention and success rates, and increased accountability and transparency.
Empathy is not being “too nice.” It is a vital and strategic leadership practice that involves considering experiences from the perspectives of others and broadening your vision, approach, and knowledge base to create positive change. It allows leaders to make the right choices for their faculty and staff who, in turn, create environments and programs that allow students to thrive.