Abstract

Document Sections

I. Introduction

II. Related Work

III. Cybersecurity Skills Framework

IV. Mapping Higher Education Programs in Cybersecurity

V. Methodology and Recommendations on Creating Cybersecurity Curricula

VI. Conclusion

Appendix A

Curricula Analysis

Appendix B

Good-Practice Curricula

Abstract:

Cybersecurity education and training are essential prerequisites of achieving a secure and privacy-friendly digital environment. Both professionals and the general public widely acknowledge the need for high-quality university education programs and professional training courses. However, guides, recommendations, practical tools, and good examples that could help institutions design appropriate cybersecurity programs are still missing. In particular, a comprehensive method to identify skills needed by cybersecurity work roles offered on the job market is missing. This paper aims to provide practical tools and strategies to help higher education providers design good cybersecurity curricula. First, we analyze the content of 89 existing study programs worldwide, collect recommendations of renowned institutions within and outside the EU, and provide a comprehensive survey accompanied by a dynamic web application called Education Map. Based on the knowledge about the current state in cybersecurity education, we design the SPARTA Cybersecurity Skills Framework that provides the currently missing link between work roles and required expertise and shows how to develop a curriculum that reflects job market requirements. Finally, we provide a practical tool that implements the framework and helps education and training providers design new study programs and analyze existing ones by considering the requirements of cybersecurity work roles.

Introduction

The labour market lacks qualified cybersecurity professionals. This fact is stated in official reports, unofficial surveys among employers and easily visible in job databases. For instance, the cybersecurity Workforce Study 2019 [16] estimates that there is a shortfall of 4.07 million cybersecurity experts. Moreover, ENISA [13] affirms that current training courses do not sufficiently address different cybersecurity sub-sectors such as the critical infrastructures and the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). One solution to these problems is to enhance cybersecurity education and training so that more cybersecurity experts can fill in the vacancies. Indeed, many curricula focused on cybersecurity are currently emerging. However, these new degrees are often viewed as an add-on to computer science ones and fail to realize the critical importance of the interdisciplinary nature of this area [12].

This paper presents the methodology for creating cybersecurity study curricula for higher education. The presented methodology is based on (1) a mapping of expected capabilities of the cybersecurity workforce, (2) a deep analysis of existing recommendations for curricula designs (including recommendations from computing associations and national guidelines), and (3) an analysis of existing study programs covering 89 undergraduate and graduate programs in total and their mapping to work role requirements.

We design our methodology using the Cybersecurity Skills Framework [27] developed within the Strategic Programs for Advanced Research and Technology in Europe (SPARTA). Through it, we make it possible for different universities and training institutions to define their study programs according to their needs and capabilities. Our idea is that by using the same framework, the universities will share the same taxonomy of courses and the common procedure for selecting Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) required for particular work roles, i.e., positions on the job market, at which graduates are aiming.

 Keywords

Problem

Approach

Outcomes

Discussion

References

Article Info

Related Articles

The Children’s Mercy Kansas City Neurology Division has 113 division members (23 faculty, 16 advanced practice nurses (APRNs), five residents/fellows, 27 nurses, and 42 other learners) across five locations, which creates obstacles for engaging learners in educational conferences. Although previously some conferences were live-streamed, lectures were not recorded, and most were attended solely by trainees and a few select faculty. However, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and social distancing prompted rapid development and implementation of a complete virtual curriculum.

Approach

We created a neurology education group using Microsoft Teams, including all clinical and nonclinical members in our division. Within one week of beginning social distancing, we offered an average of four live virtual lectures per week, increased from two weekly lectures before COVID-19. Leaders promoted participation of all neurology division members, and decreased clinical load (secondary to COVID-19 restrictions) facilitated time for lecture preparation and attendance. Lectures covered diverse topics, including quality improvement and leadership development, in addition to clinical neurology. We tracked attendance and recorded and stored all lectures and supplementary materials in Microsoft Teams. We emailed a REDCap survey1,2 at the end of the third and fourth weeks of virtual education, and again after three months, with personalized reminders to complete the survey every two days for one week. Questions addressed participation and contribution to education, as well as perceived benefits and drawbacks of the curriculum.

Background: High-quality and relevant nursing education is needed to ensure graduates meet entry to practice competencies. Despite the important role of curricula in the development of nurses and the nursing profession, there does not appear to be a consistent or widely accepted approach to nursing curriculum renewal. Objective: To identify and synthesize existing curriculum renewal/redesign practices, create an aggregated logic model depicting an evidence-informed process for nursing curriculum renewal, and stimulate dialogue about how to keep nursing curricula relevant in an ever-changing healthcare context. Design: An integrative review, modeled on the Joanna Briggs Methodology of Systematic Reviews, of the available published articles, including empirical research and discussion articles. Data sources: We searched for quantitative, qualitative, and non-research literature (English and French) on full nursing programs or curriculum revisions for pre-licensure nursing students enrolled in an undergraduate or associate degree program. Databases included CINAHL, Nursing and Allied Health, and Medline from January 2010 to January 2017. We then did a hand search for articles from January 2017 to April 2019. Synthesis: Extracted data were synthesized into an aggregated logic model based on Yin’s method of cross-case analysis. Data included information about the internal context, the external context, drivers, the preparatory phase, the active phase, outcomes, and evaluation methods of the described curriculum renewal process. Results: Twenty articles were included, which were published between 2010 and 2018. The resulting logic model, The Ottawa Model for Nursing Curriculum Renewal, includes information on the context, process and outcomes of the renewal process, and how and when to evaluate curricula. Conclusion: This synthesis aids in defining the process of curriculum renewal for undergraduate nursing education. It stimulates systems level thinking and reveals gaps, such as the need for further research into curriculum evaluation. The Ottawa Model for Nursing Curriculum Renewal is a usable template to aid educators undertaking their own process of curriculum renewal.

Background

High-quality and relevant nursing education is needed to ensure graduates meet entry to practice competencies. Nurses are expected to maintain quality and ethical standards in busy, high-pressured, and sometimes under-staffed clinical environments (de Vries and Timmins, 2016; Peternelj-Taylor, 2013). Nurses support and advocate for individual and collective wellbeing, understand population health needs within fluctuating global landscapes, and provide skillful care for persons with acute and chronic conditions (D’Antonio et al., 2013; Faison and Montague, 2013). Given the complexity of nursing practice, undergraduate nursing curricula must constantly adapt and evolve to adhere to professional standards, meet academic accreditation requirements, integrate new evidence, respond to social and demographic changes, and accommodate technological advances (Hickey et al., 2010; Mailloux, 2011; van de Mortel and Bird, 2010). Contemporary nursing education includes greater pedagogical diversity, integration of new technologies, increased use of simulations, distance learning, and a shift away from strictly didactic teaching approaches (Hsu, 2012; Lira and Lopes, 2011). Research also supports the need to incorporate experiential and work-integrated learning opportunities to ensure that students gain exposure to clinical settings and are safe to enter nursing practice upon program completion (Didion et al., 2013; Noland, 2014; Wright, 2015). Despite the important role of curricula in the development of nurses and the nursing profession, there does not appear to be a consistent or widely accepted approach to nursing curriculum renewal.

1- Introduction

2- Literature review

3- The project

4- Actioning towards curriculum 2.0

5- Curriculum 2.0 complete with student content

6- Conclusion F

References

Abstract

This paper reports on an action research project designed to develop and integrate a new conceptual learning and teaching approach into four language-related courses in an Australian university. Being named Curriculum 2.0 after Web 2.0, the approach places the production, sharing and learning of student content at the centre. In this paper, we recount the project, focusing on how its aims were methodically pursued through reflective experiments to incorporate student content-based pedagogy into the selected courses. Among others, three major actions will be discussed, namely segmenting content, building a content bank and developing an equitable system for assessing individually created content, which proved effective in implementing the new approach. The course and outcomes of the project, to be presented in this paper, will inform the continuing evolution of the scholarship of language learning and teaching.

Introduction

Language teaching has evolved from teacher-centredness towards student-centredness in both language (Biçer, 2017; Brown, 1994) and translation courses (Gonzalez-Davies, 2004
; Kiraly, 2000). However, student-centredness may not be accomplished due to a missing link, that of student content. The reliance on teacher content has been and continues to be prevalent in most language courses and may undermine the positive impact of student-centred pedagogy on the learners, especially in the era of Web 2.0 which is characterised by crowd production/sharing and cloud storage of content (O’Reilly, 2005). In addition, routines for the learning, teaching and assessment of student works have yet to be developed to make them a viable content option. Recognising the importance and potentials of student content, we, i.e. the researchers, conducted an action research project in two Chinese language courses and two translating and interpreting courses in a leading Australian university from 2005 to 2016. The project was designed to experiment with a new teaching approach that incorporated the crowd creation/ sharing and cloud storage-based use of student content. As the project had been conceptually inspired by DiNucci’s (1999) revolutionary concept of Web 2.0, we decided to name the new approach Curriculum 2.0. In this paper, we will first review how we identified student content as a major issue to address in the project in Section 2. Then, we will describe the project methodology, three of the major actions and the project outcome.

1- Background

2- Method

3- Results

4- Discussion

5- Limitations

6- Conclusion

7- Recommendations

References

Abstract

Attrition rates among nursing students are a global issue, and a possible factor in current nursing shortages. Numerous studies have been conducted to determine why students drop out of nursing programmes. The limitations of previous studies have included overly small sample sizes, being largely descriptive, and not focusing on attrition as an outcome. The aim of this study is to review the issue of attrition among undergraduate nursing students in relation to curriculum design. Five electronic databases, namely CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane Library, British Nursing Index, and PsycINFO, were adopted. Using the Population-Intervention-Comparison-Outcome model, search terms were identified, such as ‘student nurse’, ‘undergraduate programme’, ‘curriculum design’, and ‘attrition’. Mixed Method Appraisal Tools were used to evaluate the methodological quality of the identified research papers. A total of 16 publications were reviewed and four themes were identified: pre-enrolment criteria for recruiting nursing students; curriculum content; clinical placement-related policies; and student support services. Institutional-level risk factors that could be reduced were identified, including academic failure, poor clinical performance, stress, and unrealistic expectations of nursing. This review gives insights into how a curriculum for undergraduate nursing programmes can be designed that will engage students and increase the nursing workforce.

Background

Nurses play a significant role in healthcare systems. According to the World Health Organization (2018), nurses and midwives comprise nearly 50% of the global health workforce. They provide primary care and treatment to patients, educate the public about the importance of health in the community, and participate in controlling diseases and infections (World Health Organization, 2018). Therefore, the importance of nursing education and training cannot be overemphasized. Today, most registered nurses are trained in universities, where the emphasis is on critical thinking, leadership, systems analysis, and teamwork (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2016; The Nursing Council of Hong Kong, 2016). Students need to complete a bachelor’s degree to become registered nurses. However, a significant number of students worldwide drop out from undergraduate nursing programmes (ten Hoeve et al., 2017). Hence, the complex reasons behind such attrition need to be investigated, such as personal, institutional, course-related, and financial factors (Urwin et al., 2010). Of these, it is practical to explore the design of the undergraduate nursing curriculum, because it can potentially be modified and improved so that students can better enjoy and appreciate their learning experience (Taylor, 2005). This will encourage more students to complete their nursing programme and increase the supply of nurses, easing the burden on public healthcare systems.

Introduction

The business world is changing exponentially and so is the practice of human resources management (HRM). Some of the key changes in the business field over the past two decades include the diversity of digital platforms available to educators and students of HRM. In the fast changing business world, methods, tools and processes used in recruitment and selection, training and development are vastly different compared to just three decades ago. It is apparent that business schools will be better off if they can adapt their teaching and course offering to the changing needs of industry. In the field of HR practice, changes have occurred in the recruitment, selection, training and appraisal methods and the processes used in ensuring that these core functions of HR are strategically fit for purpose. Possibly, a long list of changes occurring in the business world exists albeit this is not the focus of this paper. In some sectors, educational transformation has been embraced particularly in the field of teaching and learning although such a change is mainly in approaches to pedagogy and less so in content. Recently, Helyer (2015) carried out a study that calls for reflective thinking in work-based learning (WBL) emphasising that such an approach promotes adaptable behaviours that can address the changing roles in today and future jobs market. Such a radical move to incorporate hitherto unpopular methods of assessing learning is defensible, and has been supported by others including Garnett and Cavaye (2015) and Morris and Blaney (2014) who advocated for the recognition of prior learning (RPL) practiced widely by Teesside University, University of Lancaster and Middlesex University. Still, there are gaps in the curricula of several other universities. As the gap between subject matters, current HRM practices, teaching practices and assessment methods continue to widen, a number of scholars in HR (Herman, 2007; Martin-Rios et al., 2017) and in other educational work (Garnett et al., 2016; Graham, 2017) have expressed their concern, calling for a review of the approach taken in educating the modern HRM graduate. One area in particular that lags behind in educational practice is the method by which students of HRM are assessed—this is not exclusive to HRM; several higher educational institutions including, high-ranking universities in the UK, Australia as well as several government institutions in Vietnam and most of the developing world, continue to still assess their students in the traditional way—typically, a 3-h final exam aimed sometimes, and unintentionally, at regurgitation of semestral course material that features theories often formulated five decades ago. A quick scan through the website and academic calendars of these universities will reveal evidence of scheduled examinations for courses that are not necessarily theoretical in nature, for example, a formal exam for a course in recruitment and selection or training and development raises questions about what skills are being measured through these formal exam-based summative assessments. This practice in itself has some academic merits; however, in contrast, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences adopted a motion in support of eradicating final exams except in cases where the faculty makes a request to the registrar to end a course with a formal, seated exam.

1. Introduction

Since 1982, the curriculum of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht (FVM) has changed several times in a relatively short period. Significant changes were made in 1995 and 2001, followed by a fundamental change to an organ-based curriculum within a BachelorMaster (BaMa) structure in 2007. Each time, changes were driven by a need to further improve training in communication, problem-solving capacity and aspects of the profession related to non-clinical areas. The change in 2007 was also driven by a need to conform to the Bologna process in 1999. The main focus in this agreement was: (1) the introduction of a three-cycle system (Bachelor/Master/Doctorate, the latter for example PhD in Academia); (2) strengthened quality assurance; and 3) greater recognition of qualifications and periods of study (http://ec.europa.eu/education/policy/higher-education/bolognaprocess_en). Eysker (2002) discussed the necessity for these changes, and it was noted that teaching of the discipline veterinary parasitology (VP) became more challenging with each curriculum change. This was partly due to the decrease in student contact hours for teaching VP. Within the current BaMa curriculum, a multidisciplinary approach is undertaken, as particularly the Bachelor program is organ-oriented. As if three major curriculum changes over the last two decades were not enough, we now face a new curriculum change proposal to combine the Bachelor of Veterinary and (Bio) medical studies into one common Bachelor, the Life sciences Bachelor. To identify limitations and opportunities in the current and proposed curriculum, we will first present an historical overview. This starts with a short introduction of our Utrecht curriculum of 1995, because that is more similar to the current bi-phasic situation than the 1982 curriculum.

2. The older curricula

2.1. 1995 curriculum

The Netherlands is a small country with a good infrastructure and only one FVM. In this context, older curricula focused on educating Dutch veterinarians for Dutch practices. Students all had the same access to teaching materials, academic staff members and opportunities to witness hospitalised patients as required. The main objective of changing the older curriculum was to improve problem-solving, communication and academic competencies of students (Eysker, 2002). The bi-phasic system then consisted of a so-called general curriculum for all veterinary students, lasting 4 years, followed by a 2-year differentiation program into farm, companion or equine animal health. Improving problem-solving and stronger communication skills was to be achieved with the introduction of (supported) self-study, small working groups of 25 students and group tasks. A core curriculum was supported by elective courses, and the latter were mainly offered to students based on choice of differentiation (from only one, two or up to three differentiations). In the second phase of this curriculum, all students had to carry out a 3-month research assignment to enhance their academic competencies. The total number of contact hours for VP in both phases taken together, was between 72 and 90 h (Eysker, 2002).

ACEs education in health professions

ACE awareness spawned from medicine has gained widespread interest in multiple settings like school systems, higher education, criminal justice and policy arenas (Felitti, 2017). Nevertheless, health professionals practicing at the frontline of care have been slow to detect clients at high risk for health problems associated with ACEs. Educating health professionals including nursing students about ACEs is pertinent to ascertain the harmful effects of ACEs on health. Current literature has documented time-limited and/or graded variations of ACEs education/ training. For example, a Child Advocacy Studies Training program was studied to examine the effect of educating first-year medical students about child abuse prevention and intervention by taking a two-semester elective course. The study found that first-year medical students felt prepared to identify and report signs of child maltreatment and recommend services for abused children (Knox, Pelletier, & Vieth, 2014). Another study found that graduate students from nine health professional programs at two campuses reported being more familiar with clinical and scientific findings of ACEs and trauma-informed care after they completed a three-week training (Strait & Bolman, 2017). Finally, another example of ACEs education in health professions is a continuing education article written for pediatric nurse practitioners regarding childhood trauma, toxic stress, resilience and use of screening checklists to identify abuse and neglect (Hornor, 2015). The above-mentioned training and educational offerings have made efforts to educate health professionals about ACEs; yet, no systematic integration of ACEs curriculum in an educational program has been documented. ACEs need to be an integral component of nursing curriculum to equip graduates with essential ACEs knowledge and skills in clinical prevention, population health, health promotion and disease prevention to create a culture of health for diverse groups and communities (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2011; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017). To prepare the nursing workforce with necessary knowledge for promoting health for children and families, LCON designed and initiated a systematical integration of ACEs across BSN curriculum. The project involved developing the ACEs curricular model, selecting key courses for integration, engaging faculty with the integration process and designing future studies. ACEs Curriculum Integration Model The ACEs Curriculum Integration (ACI) Model stems from the Culture of Health (COH) Action Framework developed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) in partnership with the RAND Corporation (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017). The COH Action Framework is an exemplar framework to illustrate building health equity (Plough, 2015a). Health equity is the highest attainment of health for all people and an overarching goal of the ACI Model (Healthy People, 2018). The four major constructs of the COH Action Framework are: a) making health a shared value; b) fostering interdisciplinary collaboration; c) creating healthier, more equitable communities; and d) strengthening integration of health systems and services (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2017). The ACI Model was developed to guide ACEs curriculum integration in the BSN program. The model follows a scaffolding approach to teaching and learning through building concepts across the five semesters of the BSN curriculum. Major conceptual constructs of the ACI Model are: a) develop ACEs awareness and prevention, b) reduce toxic stress and improve socio-ecological conditions, c) build resiliency and enable care providers, d) implement trauma-informed care and e) inform policy (Fig. 1.0). Conceptual definitions and propositions in the ACI Model will be discussed followed by a description of courses selected for curriculum integration.

Introduction

Analysing the critical

Reviewing the literature: principles, priorities and practices

Shades of the critical

Provisional conclusions

Coda—in medias res | adrift on Neurath’s boat?

References

Abstract

Perspectives and approaches to health and wellbeing education vary considerably over time and space even as certain contextual and critical features may be maintained. Through an analysis of a range of studies published in the Journal of Curriculum Studies, we illustrate what unites as much as divides various positions taken by their authors through a focus on which assumptions they proceed from, those they may seek to problematise, and which they try to rework through their scholarship. Our analysis centres on two key questions: (a) the critical question of health education, and (b) the question of critical health education. To advance our analysis, we draw on insights from critical literature review techniques and the need to problematise research topics and assumptions that frame and guide their selection and investigation. Key outcomes include six thematic categories and the key parameters for identifying various degrees of light and shade to the criticality within these studies, including their thresholds. We conclude with a reflection on the significance of determining the object of critique during curriculum studies, and the continuing need to inquire into, rather than bypass, what counts as critical in health and wellbeing education.

Introduction

The health and wellbeing of populations and their particular subgroups are both recurring and highly contentious themes in debates about public policy (De Leeuw, Clavier, & Benton, 2014; Thorburn, 2018). For the Journal of Curriculum Studies, it includes discussing general and specific priorities and policies regarding whether educational institutions should promote particular agenda and practices related to health and wellbeing, or not (e.g. Thorburn, 2017). At the heart of such debates are familiar and core questions for curriculum inquiry (Reid, 2018), such as examining: ● which educative experiences a curriculum should foster and why? ● what should be the scope of a worthwhile curriculum and how should it be decided, organised and reworked? ● why is distinctive curricula provided to different groups of students? and ● how should curriculum be best enacted and evaluated? The scholarly literature illustrating the ‘tinder’ that fuels debates on these matters in relation to health and wellbeing education is wide-ranging. It may be how those in education engage with relatively perennial to ephemeral topics related to healthy eating, physical activity, chronic diseases, sexual behaviours, and substance use (Marmot & Allen, 2014). Equally, ‘kindling’ may arrive by asking whether it is a core duty of schools to promote particular forms of mental health, mindfulness, happiness, and alternative forms of wellbeing (Leahy & Simovska, 2017). While stretching the analogy further to consider the ‘firewood’, debate and developments on these matters may flare up with some heat—and light, it is hoped—at various levels. Transnationally, a blaze of concerns may arise from how education, educators and educationalists are expected to respond to a wide range of health-related developments and ‘epidemics’ across populations in Western countries and beyond, e.g. related to obesity and other forms of malnutrition, beginningof-life to end-of-life policy and care, the relative benefits and burdens individually and collectively of health care provision and costs, and so forth. Equally, debates at national, regional and local levels might be fuelled by asking what is (deemed) necessary, appropriate and acceptable as health and wellbeing promotion initiatives in schools (Simovska, Nordin, & Dahl, 2016). And it is here, we note, that sometimes debate rages in relation to traditions and contestations of sociocultural conditions and priorities that are expressed in education (Green & Tones, 2010), while at others, it may well be to question the experiences students might expect to bring, have or discuss in a school setting on these matters—if not what others expect those to be—including their boundaries, participatory modes or challenges to such student experience (Grieber et al., 2017).

Visual attributes, from simple objects (e.g., backpacks, hats) to soft-biometrics (e.g., gender, height, clothing) have proven to be a powerful representational approach for many applications such as image description and human identification. In this paper, we introduce a novel method to combine the advantages of both multi-task and curriculum learning in a visual attribute classification framework. Individual tasks are grouped after performing hierarchical clustering based on their correlation. The clusters of tasks are learned in a curriculum learning setup by transferring knowledge between clusters. The learning process within each cluster is performed in a multi-task classification setup. By leveraging the acquired knowledge, we speed-up the process and improve performance. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method via ablation studies and a detailed analysis of the covariates, on a variety of publicly available datasets of humans standing with their full-body visible. Extensive experimentation has proven that the proposed approach boosts the performance by 4%–10%.

Introduction

Vision as reception. Vision as reflection. Vision as projection. –Bill Viola, note 1986 When we are interested in providing a description of an object or a human, we tend to use visual attributes to accomplish this task. For example, a laptop can have a wide screen, a silver color, and a brand logo, whereas a human can be tall, female, wearing a blue t-shirt and carrying a backpack. Visual attributes in computer vision are equivalent to the adjectives in our speech. We rely on visual attributes since (i) they enhance our understanding by creating an image in our head of what this object or human looks like; (ii) they narrow down the possible related results when we want to search for a product online or when we want to provide a suspect description; (iii) they can be composed in different ways to create descriptions; (iv) they generalize well as with some finetuning they can be applied to recognize objects for different tasks; and (v) they are a meaningful semantic representation of objects or humans that can be understood by both computers and humans. However, effectively predicting the corresponding visual attributes of a human given an image remains a challenging task [1]. In reallife scenarios, images might be of low-resolution, humans might be partially occluded in cluttered scenes, or there might be significant pose variations. Estimating the visual attributes of humans is an important computer vision problem with applications ranging from finding missing children to virtual reality. When a child goes missing or the police is looking for a suspect, a short description is usually provided that comprises such attributes (for example, tall white male, with a black shirt wearing a hat and carrying a backpack). Thus, if we could efficiently identify which images or videos contain images of humans with such characteristics we could potentially reduce dramatically the labor and the time required to identify them [2]. Another interesting application is the 3D reconstruction of the human body in virtual reality [3]. If we have such attribute information we can facilitate the reconstruction by providing the necessary priors. For example it is easier to reconstruct accurately the body shape of a human if we already know that it is a tall male with shorts and sunglasses than if no information is provided. In this work, we introduce CILICIA (CurrIculum Learning multItask ClassIfication Attributes) to address the problem of visual attribute classification from images of standing humans. Instead of using low-level representations, which would require extracting hand-crafted features, we propose a deep learning method to solve multiple binary classification tasks. CILICIA differentiates itself from the literature as: (i) it performs end-to-end learning by feeding a single ConvNet with the entire image of a human without making any assumptions about predefined connection between body parts and image regions; and (ii) it exploits the advantages of both multi-task and curriculum learning. Tasks are split into groups based on their labels’ cross-correlation using hierarchical agglomerative clustering. The groups of tasks are learned in a curriculum learning scenario, starting with the one with the highest within-group cross-correlation and moving to the less correlated ones by transferring knowledge from the former to the latter. The tasks in each group are learned in a typical multi-task classification setup. Parts of this publication appear in our previous work [4].

Starting a dialogue

Didaktik, content and ‘exemplarity’

Curriculum and ‘powerful knowledge’

Didaktik, curriculum and the power of knowledge

Conclusion: knowledge and content, alienation and subjectivity

References

Abstract

Joseph Schwab’s famous remark, that the field of curriculum is ‘moribund’— no longer able ‘to . . .contribute significantly to the advancement of education’—has long echoed in curriculum studies. Although its specific meaning has changed, it still rings in our ears today. It now applies as much to discussions in the United States and United Kingdom as it does to those in Northern Europe—where the cognate field of General Didaktik has been described as ‘quiet’, or more recently, by Zierer and Seel (2012), as ‘dead’. This ‘virtual issue’ of the Journal of Curriculum Studies brings together five articles of direct relevance to the contemporary ‘crisis’ in transatlantic studies of curriculum and instruction that also share a common focus on the question of curricular content. ‘None of the many traditional American educational approaches have paid serious attention to the “school subject” or “instructional content,”’ as Westbury and Doyle have pointed out (1992, p. 137); and others in curriculum studies see this as the underlying reason for its ongoing crisis. This introduction provides an overview of each article included and concludes by outlining a few of the possibilities and challenges presented by questions of ‘content’ and ‘knowledge’ in curriculum studies.

Starting a dialogue

One would think that cross-cultural and intra-linguistic comparisons would be at least a tacit component of work in curriculum studies as an internationalized field of research. However, as Hopmann and Riquarts make clear, efforts at a transatlantic dialogue between the continental and English-speaking world began only with their 1995 article ‘Starting a dialogue’, the first in this virtual issue. They admit that there have been moments of influence between Didaktik and Englishspeaking curriculum at various points in history. For example, there is the highly appreciative American reception of German educational and instructional ideas in the late 19th century. There is also the more recent adoption of American ideas of curriculum in Germany in the 1970s and 1980s. Regardless, Hopmann and Riquarts conclude their brief article by saying: ‘Both traditions’ do not at all ‘know each other well enough’ (p. 8). And based on ‘a strong belief that we need an integrative approach’ to address common concerns, the authors recommend that both traditions make an explicit effort at mutual acquaintanceship (pp. 8–9). In introducing Didaktik to their English-speaking readers, Hopmann and Riquarts helpfully explain that it conceives of teaching in terms of the Didaktik triangle, a ‘model’ which brings into connection ‘the content, the learner and the teacher’ (p. 4). In so doing, it fulfills a key requirement that arose with mass schooling in the 16th century, and that became even more urgent with increasing administrative centralization in the 18th and 19th centuries.

INTRODUCTION

Anatomical dissection is considered a fundamental cornerstone of medical education in the United States. From the first formal anatomy course in 1745 at the University of Pennsylvania, cadaver dissection grew immensely popular as an educational tool. The scarce supply created a whole industry of procurement, with medical students turning to grave robbing in the 18th and 19th centuries.1 State legislatures began to enact laws facilitating supply of cadavers to medical schools starting in the 1830s, with laws allowing for unclaimed bodies of people who died in public institutions, hospitals, asylums, and prisons to be used for anatomical dissection.1 In 1968, the National Conference of the Commissioners on Uniform State Laws approved the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA), establishing that an individual’s right to donate their body superseded the wishes of any next of kin. Reforms in 1987 standardized the process of body donation in the United States, ensuring that human cadaver dissection is available to teach gross anatomy to medical students. Mastery of anatomy is important to the future career of all physicians. Student performance in this first-year anatomy course, especially in human cadaver dissection, is positively correlated with student outcomes. Contrary to the potential needs of practicing physicians, current changes in curriculum countrywide include decreased hours for anatomy lecture and dissection. While scores on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 examination have marginally increased over time, concerns have been raised about how well these students are prepared for residency and beyond. Over the 5 years of this study, hours dedicated to teaching anatomy at Tulane University School of Medicine (TUSOM) have consistently decreased, falling from 16 weeks in 2008, 2009, and 2010, to 15 weeks in 2011 and 2012. Hours continued to decrease to 11 weeks in 2013 and 2014, to less than 10 weeks in 2015. This study was conducted to determine the effects of this curriculum change and determine whether the shorter course schedules have been destructive to clinical knowledge. In this article, we discuss data related to anatomy knowledge collected during students’ third-year surgical clerkship at TUSOM. These data represent information from students from the first class of students taught with a changing anatomy curriculum, through 4 subsequent years of progressive reduction in time spent learning anatomy. We looked at the performance of almost 700 students, in six different areas of anatomical knowledge compared to their scores in first-year non-anatomy basic science knowledge and total exam scores during their surgery clerkships.

Introduction

Traditional lecture-focused curricular designs are failing to produce new graduates who can make the transition to safe and competent nurses. Although contemporary practice requirements are increasing, many novice nurses struggle with the ability to effectively critically think when making clinical decisions (Perez et al., 2015; Victor-Chmil, 2013). Today’s nurse is responsible for managing an escalating census composed of patients with multifaceted health care problems, all while navigating convoluted technology platforms in a hurried and outcome-driven environment (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010; Fero, Witsberger, Wesmiller, Zullo, & Hoffman, 2009; Missen, McKenna, & Beauchamp, 2015). Considering the intricacies associated with today’s health care arena, less than desirable traits of novice nurses, and demands of the nursing workforce, a revamp of nursing education is in high demand (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing [ACEN], 2013; Benner et al., 2010; Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2011; National League for Nursing [NLN], 2008). Utilizing innovative nursing curricula designs, whereby students are engaged in the learning process through methods that challenge their ability to process complex clinical scenarios, is more likely to prepare them for the challenges inherent in a 21st century health care setting (Benner et al., 2010). One curricular model possessing these qualities is a conceptbased curriculum. According to Erickson and Lanning (2014), a concept-based curriculum consolidates information by focusing on key exemplars. An essential component to a concept-based curriculum is the use of active teaching–learning strategies (Giddens, Caputi, & Rodgers, 2015), such as case studies, concept maps, problem-based learning, and simulation. Through the use of active teaching–learning strategies, students can formulate connections with information, leading to learning comprehension, critical thinking development, and the ability to decipher similar material when faced with a new experience (Erickson & Lanning, 2014). For example, a nurse educator in a beginning course may develop a case study regarding the concept of oxygenation when teaching students about the exemplar, pneumonia. As students progress through the nursing program, another nurse educator could reinforce the concept of oxygenation by assigning students to care for a simulated patient diagnosed with the exemplar, respiratory failure. Although different exemplars, both are supported by the concept of oxygenation and require similar nursing care. A conceptual approach to teaching has been applied to prelicensure nursing education for almost a decade and continues to expand in use. However, there remains a dearth of literature analyzing outcomes related to a concept-based curriculum. This study was developed in an attempt to address this gap in the literature and support research priorities created by the IOM (2011) and NLN (2013) regarding the evaluation of innovative nursing curricular designs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate critical thinking skills and National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) pass rates among associate degree nursing (ADN) students completing a concept-based curriculum. Also assessed in this study were the pass rate prediction test scores for the NCLEX-RN.