Curriculum development in higher education: challenges for university teaching

Abstract

This article is based on a broader research project and aims to discuss the challenges faced by university teaching, particularly with regard to curriculum development in higher education. The first challenge points to the relationship between teacher planning and pedagogical action, content selection processes and teaching strategies. The second challenge reinforces the importance of creating interdisciplinary spaces for the development of the students’ competences. And the third challenge places emphasis on as-sessment as one of the key enhancers of curriculum innovation. There are not many studies that discuss in depth the curricular and pedagogical assumptions attached to university teaching. These challenges therefore make a significant contribution to this issue, in particular as regards their implications for tea-chers’ work and professional development.