Commentary: Curriculum Alignment and After: Prompts, Positions and Prospects at La Trobe University

Abstract

The move to align curriculum has been an important aspect of endeavours to improve and reform higher education. This article places alignment reform at La Trobe University in its institutional context. The reform of generalist degrees programmes is emphasised. The article first traces a problem of curriculum anarchy which La Trobe shared with many other institutions. The paths and foundations of La Trobe's move to align its curriculum are then described, with a focus on their implications for generalist (i.e., non-vocational) programmes. The article concludes by suggesting and sketching a new agenda for reform after alignment: a focus on what students are actually doing now that their academics think they have everything properly aligned.