Embarking as “Captain of the Ship” for the Curriculum Committee

DISCUSSION

Just as the captain needs an understanding of the ship’s structure and its capabilities and capacities, the curriculum chair needs an understanding of the curriculum. When it comes to curriculum, complexities abound, perhaps because, as Genn stated, “curriculum is the most holistic, inclusive and comprehensive entity and notion in education.”¹ Faculty generally know which courses are taught in which semesters and how courses within a series are designed to help students progress toward graduation. However, curricular structure and sequencing are just the beginning of understanding the curriculum. An overview of questions related to curriculum design that can help the chair develop an understanding of the curriculum are presented in Table 1. In addition, the chair must also have an awareness of the differences between the intended curriculum, the implemented curriculum, and the learned curriculum.² The intended curriculum is the envisioned, planned curriculum that is represented in official documents (eg, courses listed in the school’s catalog). However, when instruction is delivered (ie, implemented curriculum), the planned curriculum may be altered in response to unanticipated problems (eg, snow day), resource changes, student performance, etc. The achieved or learned curriculum reflects what is received by learners (eg, the experience, outcomes, or competencies) that can be assessed, evaluated, and/or demonstrated. For a host of reasons, the implemented curriculum may not achieve the desired learning outcomes and the committee will need to take action to rectify the problem. The chair also must be aware of the presence and impact of the hidden curriculum, which is embedded in the organization’s structure and culture. This hidden curriculum may include “understandings,” which include messages about what is and is not valued and taken-for-granted aspects of what happens within the program. The implicit values and norms conveyed in the hidden curriculum can be reinforced or undermined by policy development, evaluation, resource allocation, and institutional nomenclature.³ Therefore, the chair should ask “What are the fundamental values and messages being created and transmitted as we engage in these activities?” Curricula are complex. In addition to the structure, sequencing, and outcomes, the chair must also be aware of the intended, delivered, learned, and hidden curricula.

Accomplishing the charges (and mission) of the committee will require an understanding of the organization’s structure, policies, and procedures, as well as working with various stakeholders (eg, college and university administrators, faculty, preceptors, students). Casiro and Regehr state that “the means by which decisions are made, implemented and monitored constitute the governance of a program.”⁴ They argue that good governance includes three dimensions: authority, decision-making, and accountability. As chair, what will be your authority, decision-making, and accountability? The route to good governance may be less than clear. Questions to ponder and actions to take to support the chair’s work in governance are listed in Table 1. The chair needs to understand the mechanisms for communication and dialogue, be sensitive to conflicting interests and minority viewpoints, and clarify and shape processes for decision-making and accountability. To enact recommendations and change, the committee also needs effective sponsorship from one or more administrators. The chair should work closely with these sponsors to ensure clarity on priorities for the committee and timely, bi-directional communication.

The curriculum chair has multiple roles. When observing a chair, it may appear as if their role is primarily in agenda coordination (eg, meeting management). However, this is far from the case. Stark and colleagues outline other roles, which are summarized in Table 2, along with possible tasks or actions.⁵ To keep the committee moving forward productively, the chair needs to recognize when a particular role is needed. For example, in the same way a captain can sense stormy weather approaching and chart a route that will ensure safe passage for the ship and crew, the chair must be keenly aware of curricular issues within the school and externally and bring these to the group’s attention. Another common role of the captain is that of advocate. Just as the captain requests assistance from persons ashore, or nearby ships (eg assessment, student affairs), the chair-as-advocate will need to procure resources or clarify priorities with others in the chain of command. The chair may find themself shifting roles even in the midst of a particular meeting or conversation.

Professional development is necessary for a captain to effectively lead the curriculum and gain the trust of the crew, passengers, and neighboring ships. As mentioned in Table 2, faculty will often recognize the chair as the curriculum liaison, which requires an understanding of factors affecting pharmacy curriculum and health sciences education. Keeping current on educational trends can be difficult, and a supportive network of colleagues is essential. The chair should consider becoming a member of the AACP Curriculum Special Interest Group and/or attending the AACP Annual Meeting. In addition, the chair should plan to actively scan the horizon for pharmacy education articles specific to active committee charges (eg, course review processes). To begin the learning process, Dorval and colleagues have described useful resources for curriculum committee members that relate to curricular terminology, syllabus review, teaching methods, course review, student workload, and interprofessional education (IPE).⁶

When planning professional development, consider the major work that is needed during the appointment term. There might be a new design or development project (eg, updating quality assurance measures), a college-wide implementation initiative (eg, mapping, new technology), a major evaluative cycle (eg, course review, accreditation self-study), or a challenge (eg, addressing student workload). Perhaps there is knowledge to be gained to aid immediate curriculum design and decision-making, such as a curriculum development process, information on spiraling, use of portfolios, or approaches to supporting professional identity formation.^7-11 The implementation of the curriculum, and feedback from assessment and evaluation, may also be generating learning-related needs, such as strategies for managing cognitive load or encouraging deliberative practice.¹² Depending on the major work being planned, it might be helpful to learn about program evaluation (eg, use of logic models) or particular technologies being used to support the curriculum.¹³ It is not necessary to learn everything, but strategic learning priorities should be identified.

As presented by McKimm and Swanwick, educational leaders carry a “double burden” to both lead and manage the many aspects of their work.¹⁴ This is also true of curriculum committee chairs. Leadership is generally about change and movement, and management is about order and consistency.¹⁴ Kotter describes leadership and management as “two distinctive and complementary systems of action,” each with distinct functions and activities.¹⁵

Management typically involves planning, budgeting, organizing, staffing, and maintaining order (eg, monitoring and reporting).¹⁵ For example, the chair must monitor the academic calendar, ensuring that decisions (eg, whether to approve a new course) and tasks (eg, the course review process) are completed on time. Leadership is about guiding change.¹⁵ Leadership involves setting direction as well as motivating, inspiring, and aligning people.¹⁵ For example, the chair may need to build commitment among faculty and students for the launch of a new IPE initiative and work to help them see the benefits. Major curricular efforts may require buy-in from many individuals and groups outside of the committee. The chair may also encounter committee initiatives that are reliant on other staff or committees. All of the situations will require building strong relationships with others.

Effective chairs, like good captains, need to utilize both management and leadership skills. In particular, the chair needs to oscillate between problem-solving (management) and problem-defining (leadership).¹⁴ For example, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic involved quick pivoting to online learning that required nimble problem-solving, often on a day-by-day basis. However, leadership is needed post-pandemic to help chart a new course, potentially exploring hybrid models that blend online and live instruction. In these cases, the chair may need to provide information, raise questions, and suggest options to help the members address the new reality.

With the many roles of the chair, rapidly changing environments, and a dynamic set of charges, the responsibilities of the chair can easily become overwhelming. To ensure productivity, managing time and maintaining order are crucial aspects of committee meetings. Like the captain who looks to the officers and crew for support, the chair must look to the members and staff. For example, there may be the need for a formal first officer (co-chair or vice chair) to share the responsibilities and enable strong continuity over time (ie, preparing them for chair responsibilities). Is there a shipmate designated for minutes or, in the age of real-time document sharing, are they crowdsourced and reviewed by the committee as a whole? The answer may depend on organizational culture, history, and the willingness to experiment with new processes. The chair needs to have a sense of these school-specific, contextual variables when attempting to assemble the necessary support.

While the captain needs a working knowledge of the galley, there is no need for the captain to make the meals. The chair needs to be aware of the expertise, interests, and commitment levels of the members and should work to align members with initiatives that draw on their talents. Subcommittees may need to be created for efficiency. Ideally, the membership is sufficiently diverse, connected, and respected to allow information and input to be collected that enables the group to do its work. The credibility and influence of members can have a powerful positive impact in navigating highly charged or political issues. The committee should be sufficient in size to accommodate changes (eg, parental leaves) or temporary members may need to be appointed. Expertise, such as instructional designers or assessment personnel, needs to be available if not specifically appointed to the committee. The captain must consider the journey ahead when assessing the expertise required in the crew. When possible, the chair should advocate for strong membership, suggesting appointments to help diversify the group and provide coverage for the various skill sets needed.

The chair will need to set expectations with the group. For example, how will respectful and inclusive conversations occur? How will the group engage in meaningful deliberation? How does the group work through conflict? When decisions are made, how are they communicated and supported? New members may require an orientation process (eg, trends in pharmacy education, curriculum-related procedures) to ensure they are prepared for the conversations and tasks of the group.