Resea ch Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Ge wel, C., James, A., Kanyangale, M., Auðunsson, H.,
Dagienė, V., Liem, I., Jasu ė, E., Waldeck, R., Rou ais, S., & Ma híasdó i , Á.
(2025). In e nal Fac o s In luencing Cu iculum T ans o ma ion in Highe
Enginee ing Educa ion. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G., Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy,
B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence. Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing
Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17631509.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
1
A. Ma hiasdo i
[email p o ec ed]
INTERNAL FACTORS INFLUENCING CURRICULUM
TRANSFORMATION IN HIGHER ENGINEERING EDUCATION
C. Ge wel P oches"a, A. Jamesb, M. Kanyangalec, H. Audunssond, V.
Dagienėe, I. Liem , E. Jasu ė g, R. Waldeck h, S. Rou ais i,, Á. Ma hiasdo i j
[1]
a Uni e si y o KwaZulu-Na al, Du ban, Sou h A ica, 0000-0002-2330-9575
b Uni e si y o KwaZulu-Na al, Du ban, Sou h A ica, 0000-0003-4644-1373
c Uni e si y o KwaZulu-Na al, Du ban, Sou h A ica, 0000-0003-2259-1449
d Reykja ik Uni e si y, Reykja ik, Iceland, 0000-0002-7730-346X
e Vilnius Uni e si y, Li huania, 0000-0002-3955-4751
DEL Ins i u e o Technology, Indonesia
g Vilnius Uni e si y, Li huania, 0000-0001-5183-9058
h IMT A lan ique, LEGO, B es , F ance, 0000-0003-2031-9054
I IMT A lan ique, Lab-STICC UMR CNRS 6285, B es , F ance 0000-0003-2801-
3498
j Reykja ik Uni e si y, Reykja ik, Iceland, 0000-0002-9831-5056
Con e ence Key A eas: Cu iculum de elopmen and eme ging cu iculum
models in enginee ing; Building he capaci y and s eng hening he educa ional
compe ences o enginee ing educa o s.
Keywo ds: Cu iculum T ans o ma ion, Highe Educa ion, Leade ship, Change,
S akeholde s.
ABSTRACT
In many coun ies in he wo ld, he e is g owing schola ly in e es in highe
educa ion cu iculum ans o ma ion. Howe e , he e is a lack o cla i y and
consensus on he ac o s, e.g. enable s and inhibi o s, which in luence cu iculum
ans o ma ion. The aim o his s udy was o explo e ac o s in luencing cu iculum
ans o ma ion in highe enginee ing educa ion, acco ding o he iews o highe
educa ion acul y, p og amme leade s, and depa men al heads. The s udy d ew
on he quali a i e esea ch app oach, using da a om an in e na ional hyb id
wo kshop. Da a we e analysed using hema ic analysis. The indings e ealed
eigh key ac o s iden i ied as in luencing cu iculum ans o ma ion: concep ual
cla i y in cu iculum ans o ma ion; u gency and need o apid ans o ma ion in a
changing landscape; cu iculum adap abili y and epis emological access; esou ce
cons ain s; s akeholde engagemen , di e si y and inclusion; bu eauc a ic
ine iciencies and slow decision making; highe educa ion leade ship; and
p o essional de elopmen . By os e ing an adap i e and o wa d- hinking
app oach, highe educa ion can o e come sys emic ba ie s and c ea e inclusi e,
esponsi e, and u u e-o ien ed lea ning en i onmen s ha p epa e enginee ing
s uden s o na iga e complex global challenges.
1 INTRODUCTION
Educa ion e ol es o e ime, as i e lec s he e a in which i exis s, and
enginee ing educa ion being a good example. Nowadays, Highe Educa ional
Ins i u ions (HEIs) mus p io i ize he quali y o hei leade ship p ocesses o
compe e e ec i ely in he in e na ionalized educa ion ma ke wi h i s dis up ions.
The e o e, con inuous imp o emen o educa ion cu icula is essen ial o mee he
g owing needs o socie y (Sup iani e al., 2022; Webb e al., 2021), as well as o
be p oac i e in planning o an unce ain u u e. Enhancing he quali y o cu icula
is a complex ask ha equi es he dynamic and con inuous e o o se e al
s akeholde s.
The cu iculum has been widely analysed and in e p e ed by a ious expe s,
whose pe spec i es a e shaped by hei espec i e disciplines and expe iences.
Albe y (1962) o example, de ined he cu iculum as encompassing all ac i i ies
p o ided o s uden s unde he school’s esponsibili y, bo h inside and ou side he
class oom. In i s chap e o he highe educa ion sec o on he meaning and
con en o ans o ma ion, a ecen UNESCO epo indica es ha changes a e
equi ed in he modus i endi and modus ope andi o ins i u ions, wi h six possible
ansi ions sugges ed, all g ounded in speci ic con ex s and local cul u es (Ope i,
2023).
Cu iculum de elopmen is a s uc u ed p ocess ha de e mines he con en o be
augh , he a ge lea ne s, and he ins uc ional me hods used wi hin an
educa ional p og am. I is a delibe a e, p og essi e, and comp ehensi e app oach
aimed a enhancing he educa ion sys em o ensu e ha g adua es a e well-
equipped o u u e success. This p ocess in eg a es co e con en , enginee ing
p inciples, ans e able skills, and e ec i e eaching me hodologies o c ea e a
cohesi e se o lea ning expe iences ha align wi h he in ended p og am-le el
ou comes (Mi chell e al., 2024).
In ecen decades he e has been ongoing discussion in enginee ing educa ion
buil on he need o ollow and adap o echnological and socie al changes ha
call o new and di e en compe encies in s uden s' educa ion (B ink e al., 2024).
While uni e si ies in eg a e ad ancemen s in scien i ic knowledge in o hei
cu icula, hey o en ail o ecognize and adap o e ol ing skill demands in he
ex e nal wo ld (Van Damme, 2021).
Ma hiasdo i e al. (2024) conclude ha e ec i e cu iculum de elopmen o
enginee ing educa ion in ol es mul iple key aspec s, including indus y ele ance,
ac i e lea ning, in e disciplina y app oaches, and he de elopmen o so skills. A
well-s uc u ed cu iculum ha seamlessly inco po a es hese elemen s no only
p o ides s uden s wi h echnical expe ise bu also os e s adap abili y and
e sa ili y essen ial o a h i ing enginee ing ca ee . As echnology p og esses
and socie al demands shi , enginee ing educa ion mus s ay a he o e on o
inno a ion o p epa e g adua es o u u e challenges.
Cu iculum ans o ma ion is a challenging ye necessa y p ocess, in luenced by
ac o s such as policy e o ms, echnological ad ancemen s, and globaliza ion. To
equip s uden s wi h he knowledge and skills equi ed o na iga e an e ol ing
wo ld, cu icula mus unde go con inuous de elopmen o be esilien o he
ola ile, unce ain, complex and ambiguous wo ld (VUCA), adap o mode niza ion
and he changing demands o socie y (Webb e al., 2021, Waldeck e al., 2024).
Cu iculum ans o ma ion in ol es implemen ing new eaching and lea ning
guidelines, highligh ing he need o s akeholde s o de elop clea policies and
p ocedu es o add ess eme ging challenges e ec i ely (Law, 2022).
Today, we need a ans o ma i e cu iculum in enginee ing educa ion
p og ammes o keep up wi h p o essional de elopmen and esea ch in highe
educa ion en i onmen s, as well as, in socie y and pedagogy buil on as p og ess
o echnology and changing needs o he s uden g oup (B ink e al., 2024).
Enginee ing educa ion esea ch suppo s his, highligh ing ha he equi ed skills
se in enginee ing is di e se (Passow & Passow, 2017), ole-speci ic (C aps e al.,
2021), and con inuously e ol ing, pa icula ly in esponse o challenges such as
he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals (Beagon e al., 2022). Enginee ing acul ies
a e add essing hese social and echnological shi s in a ious ways. Hadg a and
Kolmos (2020) iden i y key ends in mode n enginee ing p og ams, including he
in eg a ion o heo y and p ac ice, s uden -cen e ed lea ning, digi al and online
lea ning, and a ocus on p o essional compe encies. Simila ly, in he s udy on he
global s a e o enginee ing educa ion, G aham (2018) dis inguishes be ween
‘cu en ’ and ‘eme ging’ leade s in enginee ing. She no es ha he la e a e
cha ac e ized by unique educa ional app oaches such as wo k-based lea ning,
mul idisciplina y p og ams, and a dual emphasis on s uden sel - e lec ion and
enginee ing design.
E ec i e cu iculum ans o ma ion equi es meaning ul s akeholde engagemen ,
in ol ing educa o s, indus y p o essionals, policymake s, and s uden s o ensu e
di e se pe spec i es a e in eg a ed in o educa ional e o ms. In cu iculum
ans o ma ion, di e si y o he s akeholde s is impo an o ensu e a mul i-
pe spec i e app oach, which balances he needs o HEIs, socie y and indus y. I
is p uden o gain cla i y on enable s and inhibi o s, wi h espec o he powe and
in e es s o di e se s akeholde s which may shape hei suppo o esis ance o
cu iculum ans o ma ion (Golse e al., 2025).
This s udy was a pa o he DECART (Designing Highe Educa ion Cu icula o
Agili y, Resilience, and T ans o ma ion) esea ch and inno a ion p ojec . DECART is
an in e na ional coope a ion pa ne ship ini ia i e co- unded unde he Eu opean
Commission’s E asmus+ p og amme. The p ojec uni es highe educa ional
ins i u ions in F ance, Ge many, Iceland, Indonesia, Li huania, and Sou h A ica.
The aim o he s udy was o explo e ac o s in luencing cu iculum ans o ma ion
in highe enginee ing educa ion, acco ding o he iews o HEI acul y, p og amme
leade s and depa men al heads.
2 METHODOLOGY
A wo-hou hyb id wo kshop was held in Uni e si y o KwaZulu-Na al, Du ban,
Sou h A ica on 28 h Janua y 2025 wi h 34 pa icipan s. Ten membe s om he
DECART p ojec a ended in pe son, and ou p ojec membe s online, using he
online communica ion pla o m Zoom. The es o he pa icipan s we e acul y,
p og amme leade s, and depa men al leade s mainly om he Uni e si y, who
we e key s akeholde s in cu iculum ans o ma ion.
Pa icipan s wo ked in g oups; h ee g oups in pe son, and one online g oup.
G oups we e o med by alloca ing a numbe (1, 2, o 3) o each pa icipan in he
physical oom. Pa icipan s iden i ied and examined enable s and inhibi o s
ela ing o cu iculum ans o ma ion and he consequences o he enable o
inhibi o on cu iculum ans o ma ion. Pa icipan s engaged in discussions and
used lip cha s o lis hei esponses. The wo kshop was eco ded, onsi e and
online, and he ansc ip ions analysed, using hema ic analysis. As B aun and
Cla ke (2006) ha e poin ed ou , hema ic analysis is widely used bu no well
de ined. They emphasize ha hemes should cap u e wha is impo an in he da a
in ela ion o he esea ch ques ions and highligh he use ul meaning in links o
he ques ions.
3 RESULTS
Analysis o he da a h ough a o mal p ocess o hema ic analysis, iden i ied he
ollowing ac o s ha in luence cu iculum ans o ma ion in highe enginee ing
educa ion: 1) concep ual cla i y in cu iculum ans o ma ion; 2) u gency and need
o apid ans o ma ion in a changing landscape; 3) cu iculum adap abili y and
epis emological access; 4) esou ce cons ain s; 5) s akeholde engagemen ,
di e si y and inclusion; 6) bu eauc a ic ine iciencies and slow decision making; 7)
highe educa ion leade ship; 8) p o essional de elopmen .
3.1 Concep ual cla i y in cu iculum ans o ma ion
Pa icipan s wan ed a be e unde s anding and de ini ion o wha cu iculum
ans o ma ion is. As indica ed by a pa icipan : "And again, we know we ha en'
had his discussion on wha do we unde s and by cu iculum ans o ma ion?
We' e ans o ming om wha ? F om wha a e we ans o ming?".
S akeholde s need o unde s and wha cu iculum ans o ma ion builds on and as
s a ed by ano he pa icipan , "I we unde s and om wha we' e ans o ming,
hen we know he di ec ion in which we' e going o mo e."
3.2 U gency and need o apid ans o ma ion in a changing landscape
Pa icipan s epea edly highligh ed he u gen need o apid cu iculum
ans o ma ion, wi h many emphasizing he slow pace o change, pa icula ly
wi hin HEIs.
As s a ed by one pa icipan : “Thus wi h he changing imes, wi h he
di e si ica ion and massi ica ion o highe educa ion, ou s uden body p o ile has
changed.”
This u gency s ems om se e al ac o s, including he apid ad ancemen o
echnology, he changing needs o s uden s, and he e ol ing knowledge
economy. In he con ex o he changing knowledge economy, he need o
cu icula o emain ele an , esponsi e o con empo a y socie al shi s, as well as
p og essi e, is becoming mo e pe inen . The sen imen ha ans o ma ion mus
be apid, highligh s he anxie y su ounding he po en ial o HEIs o all behind in
p epa ing s uden s o he u u e.
3.3 Cu iculum adap abili y and epis emological access
Pa icipan s men ioned ha adi ional cu icula, designed o he di e en s uden
demog aphics, no longe se e he needs o di e se lea ne s o as one pa icipan
s a ed: “So wi h he changing imes, wi h he di e si ica ion and massi ica ion o
highe educa ion, ou s uden body p o ile has changed.”
Ano he pa icipan a gued: “How hen, do we each ou s uden s so as o enable
epis emological access o he cu iculum? We as s a need o be able o
unde s and he cu iculum ou sel es.”.
I was hus sugges ed ha HEI leade ship should ocus on acul y de elopmen in
e ms o he cu iculum and cu iculum ans o ma ion, os e ing a deepe
engagemen wi h e ol ing knowledge sys ems, and ensu ing adap abili y in
eaching me hods.
3.4 Resou ce cons ain s
Pa icipan s poin ed o he lack o esou ces, whe he inancial, human, o
echnological, as a signi ican limi ing ac o in achie ing cu iculum
ans o ma ion. HEIs mus assess a ailable esou ces and add ess gaps o
ensu e ha ans o ma ion e o s a e sus ainable and impac ul.
As one pa icipan s a ed: “... wha is he esou ce? Who do we ha e he
esou ces in? We don' ha e he esou ces o deal wi h his ye .”
A lack o inancial esou ces can be especially inhibi ing and nega i ely a ec
cu iculum ans o ma ion e o s. Howe e , he quan i y and quali y o HEIs also
play a ole. HEIs need s a who ha e he ime o ocus on cu iculum
ans o ma ion, and engage wi h di e se in e nal and ex e nal s akeholde s, o
wo k collabo a i ely o d i e change. The challenge howe e o some acul y is
hei wo kload, whe eby hey ha e mul iple key pe o mance a eas, including
eaching, supe ision, esea ch, communi y engagemen and adminis a ion.
3.5 S akeholde engagemen , di e si y and inclusion
The need o s akeholde engagemen and di e si y was epea edly emphasized
by pa icipan s, as well as o ‘mo i a e s akeholde s’ and ensu e ha he ‘s uden
oice’ was highligh ed. Pa icipan s indica ed ha esis ance o change is a
p oblem, and could a ise om a ious s akeholde s, including lec u e s, s uden s,
and indus y. The inclusion o di e se pe spec i es and os e ing o collabo a ion
we e seen as c i ical enable s o success ul cu iculum ans o ma ion. I was
no ed ha di e si y is an enable and is signi ican in c ea ing inclusi e
en i onmen s ha alue di e se iewpoin s.
Engagemen was iden i ied as a c ucial ac o in success ul cu iculum
ans o ma ion and was conside ed o en ail pa icipa i e coope a ion among key
s akeholde s, including s uden s, acul y, leade ship, and ex e nal pa ne s.
E ec i e engagemen os e s sha ed ision, acili a es esou ce alloca ion, and
enhances collabo a i e p oblem-sol ing. A pa icipa o y app oach leads o
s onge buy-in, cu iculum ele ance, and inno a ion in educa ional p ac ices.
Pa icipan s emphasized ha engagemen should ex end beyond academia,
inco po a ing communi y oices and indus y insigh s, o ensu e holis ic and
con ex ualized cu iculum de elopmen .
As s a ed by one pa icipan : “We can esol e p oblems oge he as well. So,
esol ing p oblems and abili y o wo k as a eam o come up wi h a solu ion is
wha also comes ou o engagemen . And he discussions ha a ise ou o i
because we' e go mo e pa icipan s, he e's mo e buy-in, he e's suppo ”.
Engagemen is seen as a means o esol ing di e ences, building consensus, and
ensu ing ha he cu iculum is ele an o he needs o all s akeholde s. The
concep o "pa icipa i e coope a ion" highligh s he impo ance o c ea ing
inclusi e and pa icipa o y en i onmen s, whe e di e se pe spec i es a e sha ed
and alued. The bene i s o engagemen include he de elopmen o a "sha ed
ision," he abili y o " esol e p oblems oge he ," and inc eased "buy-in" and
suppo o cu iculum ini ia i es. The emphasis on "join engagemen "
unde sco es he need o mo e away om op-down app oaches o cu iculum
de elopmen and emb ace mo e collabo a i e, pa icipa o y, and democ a ic
app oaches.
3.6 Bu eauc a ic ine iciencies and slow decision making
Bu eauc acy and slow decision-making we e conside ed by pa icipan s o be
se ious ba ie s o cu iculum ans o ma ion. Ideas o cu iculum ans o ma ion
may occu mo e easily om hose a he coal ace, gi en hei p oximi y o
s uden s, and he VUCA con ex wi hin which HEIs ope a e. The challenge
howe e a ises in ha hose who a e closes canno jus b ing abou signi ican
changes as app o als need o be sough om a ious s akeholde s and leade s
(e.g. eaching and lea ning commi ees and he leade ship, quali y assu ance, and
o he commi ees wi hin HEIs). The p ocess can be qui e bu eauc a ic, gi en he
pape wo k and mo i a ions which need o accompany eques s o make changes.
Decision-making p ocesses wi hin uni e si ies a e o en p olonged, causing he
cu iculum o lag behind eal- ime changes in he academic and socie al
landscape. Leade ship s yles con ibu e o his issue, as some leade s hesi a e o
make apid decisions and p esen nega ing ac o s, while o he s adop a mo e
bu eauc a ic, hie a chical s yle. The complex leade ship s uc u e in uni e si ies,
whe e esponsibili ies a e dispe sed among mul iple leade s, u he exace ba es
delays. Fu he delays may also be expe ienced ou side he HEIs, e.g. ele an
na ional bodies in ol ed in p og amme acc edi a ion and quali y assis ance.
3.7 Highe educa ion leade ship
Pa icipan s no ed ha e ec i e leade s a e he key o success ul cu iculum
ans o ma ion and ha hey should enable ins i u ional g ow h, align wi h a sha ed
ision and ensu e ha ans o ma ion e o s a e in e connec ed a he han
agmen ed. The challenge acco ding o pa icipan s was o ensu e ha leade ship
is no jus symbolic bu ac i ely os e s pa icipa o y and collabo a i e ac ions and
sys emic unde s anding.
I was no ed ha leade s hemsel es may equi e de elopmen when hey assume
o mal leade ship oles in HEIs, gi en he esponsibili y. I is hus c i ical o ensu e
ha HEI leade s ecei e he necessa y suppo o h i e and be able o ake hei
HEIs o wa d, and no jus main ain he s a us quo. A pa icipan said: “To be a
leade is an in ense posi ion o be in. Bu how a e leade s enabled o be in hose
leade ship posi ions as well? O is i jus abou p omo ion?”
Leade ship en ails an in luence on ela ionships o achie e sha ed goals and
objec i es, and no jus being in a posi ion o au ho i y. In he con ex o cu iculum
ans o ma ion, HEI leade s need o be able o in luence he di e se s akeholde s,
by d awing on conduci e leade ship s yles o acili a e change and os e
collabo a ion. Leade s mus na iga e di e se in e es s, manage complex
academic s uc u es, and align mul iple componen s o d i e ans o ma ion.
Sys ems hinking is a c ucial compe ency, as leade s mus concep ualize and
implemen changes ac oss mul iple le els o he ins i u ion.
Leade ship in cu iculum ans o ma ion is no cen alized, i ope a es ac oss
mul iple le els, om policymake s o acul y membe s designing o and
implemen ing changes. The gap be ween policy o mula ion and ac ual
implemen a ion emains a co e issue, o en due o lack o o e sigh , esis ance
om s akeholde s o misalignmen wi h ins i u ional eali ies. Leade s mus no
only c ea e policies and ocus on en o cemen , bu should c ea e a conduci e
en i onmen , whe e HEI s a a e willing o ocus on c ea i e p ocesses o
concei e, design, ede ine, and implemen , wi hin a spi i whe eby he e is a
cul u e ha app ecia es such alues and app oaches o eaching and lea ning.
Pa icipan s no ed ha he ole o leade ship in cu iculum ans o ma ion was
conside ed a majo ac o in enabling o inhibi ing cu iculum ans o ma ion. "So I
hink he e needs o be a deepe con e sa ions a ound he no ion o leade ship
and especially o cu iculum ans o ma ion."
3.8 P o essional de elopmen
Pa icipan s indica ed p o essional s a de elopmen as a c i ical enable o
e ec i e cu iculum ans o ma ion. I was no ed ha HEI leade ship should
p io i ize con inuous p o essional de elopmen (CPD) ini ia i es. Wi hou a s ong
unde s anding o cu iculum dynamics, including o mal, in o mal, hidden, and
ac ual cu icula, academic s a may s uggle o implemen meaning ul
ans o ma ion.
Pa icipan s no ed he ole ha HEI leade s need o play in unde s anding he
need o meaning ul and ele an p o essional de elopmen o acul y bu also
ensu ing ha hey suppo hei s a in such ini ia i es.
A pa icipan indica ed: “... i is incumben on he leade ship o ecognize his
impo an aspec o ou p o essional de elopmen as academics and o suppo
ha . So how do he leade s hen suppo ha ?”
This is whe e he concep o he p o ession comes in and how c i ical i is o s ay
upda ed, ele an , lea n abou new ends and acqui e he necessa y skills and
abili ies o adap o he demands o he VUCA wo ld. This was conside ed
especially pe inen wi h espec o echnology and he lea ne s and hei unique
gene a ional cha ac e is ics.
4 CONCLUSION
“The las ew yea s ha e seen signi ican global c ises, including a ise in a med
con lic , and moun ing geopoli ical ensions, which ha e implica ions o public
spending, in e na ional mig a ion, global heal h, and na ional policy p io i ies. Thei
