FACTORS THAT MAY IMPACT CURRICULUM DESIGN IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN A VUCA WORLD

Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) have been characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), with the Covid-19 pandemic being a recent example, which significantly affected higher education worldwide. The aim of this research was to better understand which components of curricula are sensitive to potential VUCA-like events, and which VUCA events one may foresee that may impact study programs and teaching. A survey was developed to gather data, and thirty-seven faculty members with experience in curriculum design from six countries participated in the survey which was carried out in 2023. To start with, we outlined the different components of a curriculum which then formed the basis for evaluating their perceived sensitivity to VUCA-like events. Based on the survey we then analyzed and summarized the factors that may potentially impact the curriculum. The components of a curriculum that are most sensitive to VUCA-like events are the ones directly related to the actual teaching and learning processes. In addition, the study findings indicated that when considering potential VUCA-like events, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was expected most likely to significantly affect educational programs, followed by events such as disinformation online, cyberattacks, disrupted online communication, as well as climate change and natural disasters. The increasing VUCA characteristics of the world are expected to affect the curriculum in general and in particular the actual teaching and learning. Therefore, HEI leaders and curriculum designers need to ensure that the HEI system is responsive to the VUCA-like events and that the system becomes resilient.