Enablers of and Barriers to Successful Curriculum in Higher Education: A Literature Review

Abstract

Literature shows that many curriculum reforms in higher education institutions fail because curriculum change sponsors fail to identify and plan effectively and proactively to deal with barriers to curriculum change as well as to harness enablers. One such critical reason why curriculum change sponsors such as academic middle managers fail to adequately plan to effectively deal with challenges to curriculum change as well as to maximize on the opportunities provided by enablers to successful curriculum change has been shown in literature as lack of knowledge. The above claim is further supported in other researches which show that for the majority of curriculum users, their understanding of curriculum and curriculum change is still at neophyte stage. This study therefore, supported by literature, wishes to lay claim to the fact that there are as many enablers as there are challenges to successful curriculum change in higher education which academic middle managers (AMMs) can take note of when planning as well as implementing curriculum change. In laying the foundation for this claim, this study examines the various enablers and challenges to successful curriculum change in higher education.