Any new idea needs to be explored. The growth of understanding and knowledge for practice emerges through conversation, constructive criticism, generative thinking and making ideas explicit so that they can be debated, extended and adapted. The idea of a life-wide curriculum was born in March 2008. The first step was to create a picture and a simple description of what it might mean. This initial paper was used to promote discussion within the SCEPTrE Team and with a few people who I used as a sounding board. I incorporated the idea into presentations and workshops on 'Experiential Learning' and 'Enhancing Creativity in Higher Education' and spoke about them at several events in universities other than my own. The process of having to think about the idea in order to present it, and the feedback I received, helped me to develop the idea and increased my confidence. In May I prepared a concept paper for the WACE conference on Work Integrated Learning in Sydney and in June I presented the idea, in the context of enhancing learners' creative development at a conference in Brisbane. Following discussions with colleagues preparing a new University Student Experience Strategy the idea of exploring the Life-Wide Curriculum concept was incoporated into the strategy and action plan. This provided a policy mandate for engaging the university in the process of exploration and experimentation.
Norman Jackson September 2008
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