Use of scenario development and personal learning environment and networks (PLE&N) to support curriculum co-creation

Abstract

In much of the current discussions on business environments, a recurring theme both for academics and practitioners is that it is marked by inherent uncertainty (unknown unknowns). Hence, knowledge workers must have skills and understanding of the possible ways to navigate through and adapt to constant change. However, the tendency of prevailing approaches to curriculum development to focus on (static) learning outcomes, we argue, is not appropriate to train young people to adapt to the unpredictable working environment. Instead, more dynamic approaches to curriculum are required, which would instead focus on learning as a continuous relearning and emergent process of adaptation and stimulate students` inquiry and intellectual and creative skills. This paper approaches the issue by discussing the opportunities of using scenario thinking and development together with a personal learning environment and network (PLE&N) for co-creating a curriculum with students, teachers, and practitioners in higher education. In short, the methodology underpinning scenario development recognizes that uncertainty can be best dealt with and understood from the perspective of a range of possibilities and multiple futures through a facilitated, coherently structured process. PLE&N, on the other hand, serves as a learning space which stimulates self-regulated and network-based learning. The paper contends that curriculum informed by such a design methodology would lead to more frequent and appropriate updates as well as equip students with skills to work in a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environment.