You’re responsible for a programme or curriculum in higher education, as a programme leader, curriculum coordinator, academic director, or head of department. You want it to be good, genuinely good. Not just accreditation-proof.
Curriculum Development Challenges in Higher Education
You may recognise this:
- What are students actually learning here, and for what future? You used to know. Now you’re less sure. Students use AI in ways you can’t fully oversee, and what used to count as “good assessment” no longer holds up.
- Your programme runs because your people push through. And you know that’s not sustainable. If someone drops out or gets sick, the programme starts to crack.
- Students show up less, avoid contact, and do the minimum to get through. You see it in the numbers, and that has consequences for funding and continuity.
- Accreditation is coming up. Quality is under scrutiny. And you know that if something goes wrong, it lands on your desk.
What a good curriculum looks like
I believe good curriculum design is evidence-informed, creative, and designed to activate students. It starts with a clear vision, and when it works, you can tell.
The curriculum fits: what students learn, how they work, and how you assess it make sense together. AI has found its place. Students are more engaged, more motivated. You notice it, in the room, in the results.
You know what you’re steering towards. Choices have been made, deliberately, and those choices hold, even when the accreditation committee comes by.
The programme runs without burning everyone out. And you can lead again, not just managing what goes wrong, but building what you actually believe in.
The gap between this and where most programmes are now? It’s rarely about ambition. It’s about having the space and clarity to make the right choices. Everything is connected: workload, curriculum, assessment, technology. Which is exactly why it’s so hard to get ahead.
How I help you improve your curriculum
I’m Irma Meijerman, educational consultant and trainer, working independently with programme leaders across Europe who want to improve their curriculum. I’ve spent over 30 years in higher education, starting in life sciences, then increasingly involved in curriculum development and educational design at universities.
I’ve sat where you sit. I know how a programme looks on paper, and how it actually runs when students arrive on Monday morning, three lecturers are stretched thin, and someone has just forwarded you a policy update that needs a response by Friday. Let me help you make sense of what’s happening, and figure out what to do about it.
Curriculum development: How we work together
Whether your current curriculum needs work — or you’re building something new — we can work together in different ways. What’s described below gives you an idea — and there’s always room to shape something that fits your specific situation.
A quick scan — Something feels off but you don’t know where to start. In a short, focused collaboration we look at your curriculum together and get clarity on what’s actually happening.
Targeted work — You know what needs attention: specific courses, your assessment structure, the connection between what you teach and what students do. We dig into that and make sure it works in practice.
Deeper redesign — Sometimes more fundamental change is needed: a new programme, a major overhaul. We define clear choices together across the whole curriculum and I support you in making those land with your team.
Curious what I can do for your curriculum? Let’s talk. We can meet in person or jump on a Teams or Zoom call, whatever works for you. Reach out at info@irmact.com and we’ll plan something soon.