Showing papers on "Curriculum published in 2005"

Engineering Design Thinking, Teaching, and Learning

Abstract: This paper is based on the premises that the purpose of engineering education is to graduate engineers who can design, and that design thinking is complex. The paper begins by briefly reviewing the history and role of design in the engineering curriculum. Several dimensions of design thinking are then detailed, explaining why design is hard to learn and harder still to teach, and outlining the research available on how well design thinking skills are learned. The currently most-favored pedagogical model for teaching design, project-based learning (PBL), is explored next, along with available assessment data on its success. Two contexts for PBL are emphasized: first-year cornerstone courses and globally dispersed PBL courses. Finally, the paper lists some of the open research questions that must be answered to identify the best pedagogical practices of improving design learning, after which it closes by making recommendations for research aimed at enhancing design learning.

Examining Key Concepts in Research on Teachers’ Use of Mathematics Curricula

Abstract: Studies of teachers’ use of mathematics curriculum materials are particularly timely given the current availability of reform-inspired curriculum materials and the increasingly widespread practice of mandating the use of a single curriculum to regulate mathematics teaching. A review of the research on mathematics curriculum use over the last 25 years reveals significant variation in findings and in theoretical foundations. The aim of this review is to examine the ways that central constructs of this body of research—such as curriculum use, teaching, and curriculum materials—are conceptualized and to consider the impact of various conceptualizations on knowledge in the field. Drawing on the literature, the author offers a framework for characterizing and studying teachers’ interactions with curriculum materials.

Designing Educative Curriculum Materials to Promote Teacher Learning

Abstract: Curriculum materials for Grades K‐12 that are intended to promote teacher learning in addition to student learning have come to be called educative curriculum materials. How can K‐12 curriculum materials be designed to best promote teacher learning? What might teacher learning with educative curriculum materials look like? The authors present a set of design heuristics for educative curriculum materials to further the principled design of these materials. They build from ideas about teacher learning and organize the heuristics around important parts of a teacher’s knowledge base: subject matter knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge for topics, and pedagogical content knowledge for disciplinary practices. These heuristics provide a context for a theoretically oriented discussion of how features of educative curriculum materials may promote teacher learning, by serving as cognitive tools that are situated in teachers’ practice. The authors explore challenges in the design of educative curriculum materials, such as the tension between providing guidance and choice.

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment

Abstract: Sector: Education Address: 24 Merrion Square, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland Phone: +353 (0)1 661 7177 Email: info@ncca.ie

How students learn : history, mathematics, and science in the classroom

Abstract: How do you get a fourth-grader excited about history? How do you even begin to persuade high school students that mathematical functions are relevant to their everyday lives? In this volume, practical questions that confront every classroom teacher are addressed using the latest exciting research on cognition, teaching, and learning. How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom builds on the discoveries detailed in the bestselling How People Learn. Now, these findings are presented in a way that teachers can use immediately, to revitalize their work in the classroom for even greater effectiveness. Organized for utility, the book explores how the principles of learning can be applied in teaching history, science, and math topics at three levels: elementary, middle, and high school. Leading educators explain in detail how they developed successful curricula and teaching approaches, presenting strategies that serve as models for curriculum development and classroom instruction. Their recounting of personal teaching experiences lends strength and warmth to this volume. The book explores the importance of balancing studentsa (TM) knowledge of historical fact against their understanding of concepts, such as change and cause, and their skills in assessing historical accounts. It discusses how to build straightforward science experiments into true understanding of scientific principles. And it shows how to overcome the difficulties in teaching math to generate real insight and reasoning in math students. It also features illustrated suggestions for classroom activities. How Students Learn offers a highly useful blend of principle and practice. It will be important not only to teachers, administrators, curriculum designers, and teacher educators, but also to parents and the larger community concerned about childrena (TM)s education.

Creativity in Schools : Tensions and Dilemmas

Abstract: Creativity in schools is changing, with greater emphasis being placed on creative skills across the curriculum than ever before. This shift has thrown up some challenging questions which this book tackles head-on in order to better understand the implications of this change and the effects on pedagogy and policy. The questions raised include: What is creative learning? How does it relate to creative teaching? How do we organize the curriculum to nurture creativity? What pedagogical strategies support creativity? How is creative learning different to effective learning? What responsibilities do schools have for stimulating creativity in relation to society, ethics and the wider environment? Laying out the key concepts in the current debate on creativity and placing them in a broader context based on practice, policy and research, this volume sets the agenda for future discussion and suggests practical ways to encourage pupils’ creative development in a new and more thoughtful way.

The Struggle to Teach English as an International Language

Abstract: This book is about the worlds and conflicts of TESOL teachers and researchers whose professional lives are both enriched and problematized by the cultural and political interfaces created by working with an international language. Central to this discussion is the balance of power in classroom and curriculum settings, the relationship between language, culture, and discourse, and the change in the ownership of English.

Toward Technology Integration in the Schools: Why It Isn’t Happening

Abstract: Research in the past decade has shown that computer technology is an effective means for widening educational opportunities, but most teachers neither use technology as an instructional delivery system nor integrate technology into their curriculum This qualitative study examined the classroom practice of 30 "tech-savvy" teachers who used computer technology in their instruction, how much they used it, the obstacles they had to overcome to succeed in its use, and their general issues and concerns regarding technology Participants were volunteers from two elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school All identified by their schools as being proficient with technology The study found that the teachers were highly educated and skilled with technology, were innovative and adept at overcoming obstacles, but that they did not integrate technology on a consistent basis as both a teaching and learning tool Two key issues were that their students did not have enough time at computers, and that teachers needed extra planning time for technology lessons Other concerns were out-dated hardware, lack of appropriate software, technical difficulties, and student skill levels Results suggest that schools have not yet achieved true technology integration There are implications for teachers, administrators, and teacher educators ********** As a classroom tool, the computer has captured the attention of the education community This versatile instrument can store, manipulate, and retrieve information, and it has the capability not only of engaging students in instructional activities to increase their learning, but of helping them solve complex problems to enhance their cognitive skills (Jonassen & Reeves, 1996; Newby, Stepich, Lehman, & Russell, 2000) However, the same computer technology that permeates other sectors of American society and helps to drive our industrial sector has not been fully incorporated in the nation's schools (ISTE, 1999; Morrison & Lowther, 2002) Teachers in the United States are generally under-prepared to integrate technology into their instruction in meaningful ways (Strudler & Wetzel, 1999; Schrum, 1999; Willis & Mehlinger, 1996) Only one-third of teachers reported that they were well prepared to use technology in their classroom instruction (NCES, 2000) Fortunately, there is some indication that K-12 schools and teacher education programs are in the process of addressing the issues of computer technology being used in classroom contexts (Karchmer, 2001; Roblyer, 2003) Moreover, schools and teacher education programs are looking for effective models from teachers who have successfully integrated computer technology into their instruction (Becker, 1998; NCES, 1999) This study sought to identify some reasons that computer technology integration in US schools has not occurred at the rate both educators and the public have come to expect TOWARD THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY: THE CHANGING ROLE OF THE TEACHER Despite successful efforts to acquire computer hardware and to raise the student to computer ratio to 5:1 (World Almanac, 2002), there has been less success identifying, which computer skills should be taught in school and how computers can be used for teaching and learning (Dooling, 2000) Thus, current attention has turned to what is actually happening in the classroom with computer technology A survey of schools conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics reports that fewer than 20% of teachers felt that they were prepared to integrate computer technology into their classroom instruction (NCES, 1999) Despite all the time and money invested into putting the hardware and software in place, as Becker (1998) has suggested, " students still spend most the their school day as if these tools and information resources had never been invented" (p 24) Why has adoption of technology in the classroom been slower than acquiring the resources? …

Learning Identity: The Joint Emergence of Social Identification and Academic Learning

Abstract: This book describes how social identification and academic learning can deeply depend on each other, both through a theoretical account of the two processes and a detailed empirical analysis of how students' identities emerge and how students learn curriculum over a year in one classroom The book traces the identity development of two students, showing how they came habitually to occupy characteristic roles across an academic year The book also traces two major themes from the curriculum, showing how students came to make increasingly sophisticated arguments about them The book's distinctive contribution is to show in detail how social identification and academic learning became deeply interdependent The two students developed unexpected identities in substantial part because curricular themes provided categories that teachers and students used to identify them And students learned about those curricular themes in part because the two students were socially identified in ways that illuminated those themes

Development of system thinking skills in the context of earth system education

Abstract: The current study deals with the development of system thinking skills at the junior high school level. The sample population included about 50 eighth-grade students from two different classes of an urban Israeli junior high school who studied an earth systems-based curriculum that focused on the hydro cycle. The study addressed the following research questions: (a) Could the students deal with complex systems?; (b) What has influenced the students' ability to deal with system perception?; and (c) What are the relationship among the cognitive components of system thinking? The research combined qualitative and quantitative methods and involved various research tools, which were implemented in order to collect the data concerning the students' knowledge and understanding before, during, and following the learning process. The findings indicated that the development of system thinking in the context of the earth systems consists of several sequential stages arranged in a hierarchical structure. The cognitive skills that are developed in each stage serve as the basis for the development of the next higher-order thinking skills. The research showed that in spite of the minimal initial system thinking abilities of the students most of them made some meaningful progress in their system thinking skills, and a third of them reached the highest level of system thinking in the context of the hydro cycle. Two main factors were found to be the source of the differential progress of the students: (a) the students' individual cognitive abilities, and (b) their level of involvement in the knowledge integration activities during their inquiry-based learning both indoors and outdoors. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Big Picture: A Meta-Analysis of Program Effectiveness Research on English Language Learners:

Abstract: This article presents a meta-analysis of program effectiveness research on English language learners. The study includes a corpus of 17 studies conducted since Willig’s earlier meta-analysis and uses Glass, McGaw, and Smith’s strategy of including as many studies as possible in the analysis rather than excluding some on the basis of a priori “study quality” criteria. It is shown that bilingual education is consistently superior to all-English approaches, and that developmental bilingual education programs are superior to transitional bilingual education programs. The meta-analysis of studies controlling for English-language-learner status indicates a positive effect for bilingual education of .23 standard deviations, with outcome measures in the native language showing a positive effect of .86 standard deviations. It is concluded that bilingual education programs are effective in promoting academic achievement, and that sound educational policy should permit and even encourage the development and implementation of bilingual education programs.

Using Curriculum‐Based Measurement to Improve Student Achievement: Review of Research

Abstract: This review examines the efficacy of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) as an assessment methodology for enhancing student achievement. We describe experimental-contrast studies in reading and mathematics in which teachers used CBM to monitor student progress and to make instructional decisions. Overall, teachers' use of CBM produced significant gains in student achievement; however, several critical variables appeared to be associated with enhanced achievement for students with disabilities: teachers' use of systematic data-based decision rules, skills analysis feedback, and instructional recommendations for making program modifications. In general education, positive effects for CBM were associated with use of class profiles and implementation of peer-assisted learning strategies. Implications for instructional practice and future applications of CBM are described. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 795–819, 2005.

THE MISSING LINK: Exploring the Relationship Between Higher Education and Political Engagement'

Abstract: Empirical political behavior research has consistently observed a robust and positive relationship between education and political engagement, but has failed to adequately explain why education is so important. Using data from the Baccalaureate and Beyond (B&B) Longitudinal Study, I test three competing hypotheses explaining the enduring link between higher education and political behavior. I find that a verbal SAT scores and a social science curriculum are related to future political engagement, suggesting that the content of higher education, especially a curriculum that develops language and civic skills, is influential in shaping participation in American democracy.

Linking Research and Teaching to Benefit Student Learning

Abstract: Linking research and teaching is a topic of international interest. The links may take many different forms and may be found in all types of higher education institution. The main aim of the paper is to explore the complexity and contested nature of the research-teaching nexus in different national and institutional contexts, with particular reference to geography. It is argued that the relationship depends on how the terms ‘research’ and ‘teaching and learning’ are conceptualized. It is suggested that undergraduate students are likely to gain most benefit from research in terms of depth of learning and understanding when they are involved actively, particularly through various forms of inquiry-based learning. The development of such research-based curricula provides challenges to staff across the sector, not least because they may lead to finding new ways for staff and students to work together.

Effective e-learning for health professionals and students--barriers and their solutions. A systematic review of the literature--findings from the HeXL project.

Abstract: Introduction: In 2003/4 the Information Management Research Institute, Northumbria University, conducted a research project to identify the barriers to e-learning for health professionals and students. The project also established possible ways to overcome these barriers. The North of England Workforce Development Confederation funded the project. Methodology: The project comprised a systematic review of the literature on barriers to and solutions/critical success factors for e-learning in the health field. Fifty-seven references were suitable for analysis. This review was supplemented by a questionnaire survey of learners and an interview study of learning providers to ensure that data identified from the literature were grounded in reality. Results: The main barriers are: requirement for change; costs; poorly designed packages; inadequate technology; lack of skills; need for a component of face-to-face teaching; time intensive nature of e-learning; computer anxiety. A range of solutions can solve these barriers. The main solutions are: standardization; strategies; funding; integration of e-learning into the curriculum; blended teaching; user friendly packages; access to technology; skills training; support; employers paying e-learning costs; dedicated work time for e-learning. Conclusions: The authors argue that librarians can play an important role in e-learning: providing support and support materials; teaching information skills; managing and providing access to online information resources; producing their own e-learning packages; assisting in the development of other packages.

Metamodeling Knowledge: Developing Students' Understanding of Scientific Modeling

Abstract: We argue that learning about the nature and utility of scientific models and engaging in the process of creating and testing models should be a central focus of science education. To realize this vision, we created and evaluated the Model-Enhanced ThinkerTools (METT) Curriculum, which is an inquiry-oriented physics curriculum for middle school students in which they learn about the nature of scientific models and engage in the process of modeling. Key components of our approach include enabling students to create computer models that express their own theories of force and motion, evaluate their models using criteria such as accuracy and plausibility, and engage in discussions about models and the process of modeling. Curricular trials in four science classes of an urban middle school indicate that this approach can facilitate a significant improvement in students' understanding of modeling. Further analyses revealed that the approach was particularly successful in clarifying and broadening students' unde...

Should Science be Taught in Early Childhood

Abstract: This essay considers the question of why we should teach science to K-2. After initial consideration of two traditional reasons for studying science, six assertions supporting the idea that even small children should be exposed to science are given. These are, in order: (1) Children naturally enjoy observing and thinking about nature. (2) Exposing students to science develops positive attitudes towards science. (3) Early exposure to scientific phenomena leads to better understanding of the scientific concepts studied later in a formal way. (4) The use of scientifically informed language at an early age influences the eventual development of scientific concepts. (5) Children can understand scientific concepts and reason scientifically. (6) Science is an efficient means for developing scientific thinking. Concrete illustrations of some of the ideas discussed in this essay, particularly, how language and prior knowledge may influence the development of scientific concepts, are then provided. The essay concludes by emphasizing that there is a window of opportunity that educators should exploit by presenting science as part of the curriculum in both kindergarten and the first years of primary school.

Students Becoming Chemists: Developing Representationl Competence

Abstract: This chapter examines the role that representations and visualizations can play in the chemical curriculum. Two types of curricular goals are examined: students’ acquisition of important chemical concepts and principles and students’ participation in the investigative practices of chemistry—“students becoming chemists.” Literature in learning theory and research support these two goals and this literature is reviewed. The first goal relates to cognitive theory and the way that representations and visualizations can support student understanding of concepts related to molecular entities and processes that are not otherwise available for direct perception. The second goal relates to situative theory and the role that representations and visualizations play in development of representational competence and the social and physical processes of collaboratively constructing an understanding of chemical processes in the laboratory. We analyze research on computer-based molecular modeling, simulations, and animations from these two perspectives and make recommendations for instruction and future research.

A Good Teacher in Every Classroom: Preparing the Highly Qualified Teachers Our Children Deserve

Abstract: Introduction The Focus and Organization of This Report 1 What Do Teachers Need to Know? Knowledge of Learners and Their Development Knowledge of Subject Matter and Curriculum Goals Knowledge of Teaching 2 How Can Teachers Acquire the Necessary Knowledge? How Teachers Learn and Develop Problems of Leaning to Teach 3 Implications for Teacher Preparation Promising Pedagogies 4 Policy Recommendations Development and Accreditation of Preparation Programs Licensure Reform Recruitment and Retention of New Teachers

How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom.

Abstract: How Students Learn: Science in the Classroom builds on the discoveries detailed in the best-selling How People Learn. Now these findings are presented in a way that teachers can use immediately, to revitalize their work in the classroom for even greater effectiveness. Organized for utility, the book explores how the principles of learning can be applied in science at three levels: elementary, middle, and high school. Leading educators explain in detail how they developed successful curricula and teaching approaches, presenting strategies that serve as models for curriculum development and classroom instruction. Their recounting of personal teaching experiences lends strength and warmth to this volume. This book discusses how to build straightforward science experiments into true understanding of scientific principles. It also features illustrated suggestions for classroom activities.

Does ICT contribute to powerful learning environments in primary education

Abstract: In powerful learning environments, rich context and authentic tasks are presented to pupils. Active autonomous and co-operative learning is stimulated, and the curriculum is adapted to the needs and capabilities of individual pupils. In this study the characteristic of learning environments and the contribution of ICT to learning environments were investigated. A questionnaire was completed by 331 teachers in the highest grade of primary education. Results show that many teachers apply several elements of powerful learning environments in their classes. This especially goes for the presentation of authemtic tasks and the fostering of active and autonomous learning. However, the metods employed by teachers to adapt education to the needs and abilities of individual pupils proved quite limited. The use of ICT in general merely showed characteritstic of traditional approaches to learning. Chances of using open-ended ICT applications, which are expected to contribute to the power of learning environments, were greater with teachers who created powerful learning environments for their pupils and when there were more computers available to pupils. In addition teachers views with regard to the contribution of ICT to active and autonomous learning teachers skills in using ICT and the teachers gender appeared to be relevant background variables in this respect.

Teaching International Students : Improving Learning for All

Abstract: INTRODUCTION 'Canaries in the coalmine': International students in Western universities, Dr. Janette Ryan and Ms. Jude Carroll SECTION ONE: CULTURAL MIGRATION AND LEARNING Maximising international students' 'cultural capital', Dr. Janette Ryan and Dr. Susan Hellmundt, Gathering cultural knowledge: Useful or use with care?, Professor Kam Louie, Strategies for becoming more explicit, Ms. Jude Carroll, 'Lightening the load': teaching in English, learning in English, Ms. Jude Carroll SECTION TWO: METHODOLOGIES AND PEDAGOGIES Building intercultural competencies: Implications for academic skills development, Dr. Patricia McLean and Ms. Laurie Ransom, Writing in the International Classroom, Ms. Diane Schmitt, Fostering intercultural learning through multicultural group work, Mr. Glauco deVita, Multicultural groups for discipline-specific tasks: can a new approach be more effective?, Ms Jude Carroll, Improving teaching and learning practices for international students: Implications for curriculum, pedagogy and assessment, Dr. Janette Ryan, Postgraduate supervision,Dr. Janette Ryan SECTION THREE :INTERNATIONALISING THE CURRICULUM Internationalisation of curriculum: An institutional approach, Professor Graham Webb, Internationalisation of the curriculum: teaching and learning, Dr. Betty Leask, Postgraduate research: the benefits for institutions, supervisors and students of working across and between cultures, Associate Professor James Sillitoe, Ms. Janis Webb and Ms. Christabel Ming Zhang, Collaborating and co-learning: sharing the message on teaching international students within institutions, Ms Lee Dunn and Ms. Jude Carroll, The student experience: challenges and rewards, Dr. Janette Ryan

Problem-based learning and self-efficacy: How a capstone course prepares students for a profession

Abstract: Problem-based learning (PBL) is apprenticeship for real-life problem solving, helping students acquire the knowledge and skills required in the workplace. Although the acquisition of knowledge and skills makes it possible for performance to occur, without self-efficacy the performance may not even be attempted. I examined how student self-efficacy, as it relates to being software development professionals, changed while involved in a PBL environment. Thirty-one undergraduate university computer science students completed a 16-week capstone course in software engineering during their final semester prior to graduation. Specific instructional strategies used in PBL—namely the use of authentic problems of practice, collaboration, and reflection—are presented as the catalyst for students' improved self-efficacy. Using a self-efficacy scale as pre-and postmeasures, and guided journal entries as process data, students were observed to increase their levels of self-efficacy.

Handbook of Research on the Education of Young Children

Abstract: Contents: B. Spodek, O.N. Saracho, Introduction: A Researcher's Vade Mecum. Part I: Early Childhood Education and Child Development. K.L. Seifert, Cognitive Development and the Education of Young Children. G.W. Ladd, S.L. Herald, R.K. Andrews, Young Children's Peer Relations and Social Competence. E. Johansson, Children's Morality: Perspectives and Research. S.A. Denham, The Emotional Basis of Learning and Development in Early Childhood Education. D.L. Gallahue, J.C. Ozmun, Motor Development in Young Children. M.A. Runco, The Development of Children's Creativity. Part II: Early Childhood Educational Curriculum. J. Anderson, L. Moffatt, J. Shapiro, Reconceptualizing Language Education in Early Childhood: Socio-Cultural Perspectives. S.E. Hill, S. Nichols, Emergent Literacy: Symbols at Work. R. Rueda, D.B. Yaden, Jr., The Literacy Education of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Young Children: An Overview of Outcomes, Assessment, and Large-Scale Interventions. A.J. Baroody, M-l. Lai, K.S. Mix, The Development of Young Children's Early Number and Operation Sense and Its Implications for Early Childhood Education. C.M. Thompson, Repositioning the Visual Arts in Early Childhood Education: A Decade of Reconsideration. K. Bradley With M. Szegda, The Dance of Learning. G.F. Welch, The Musical Development and Education of Young Children. R.D. Kavanaugh, Pretend Play. P.G. Ramsey, Early Childhood Multicultural Education. Part III: Foundations of Early Childhood Educational Policy. J.A. Sutterby, J. Frost, Creating Play Environments for Early Childhood: Indoors and Out. R.M. Ryan, R.C. Fauth, J. Brooks-Gunn, Childhood Poverty: Implications for School Readiness and Early Childhood Education. B. Chambers, A.C.K. Cheung, R.E. Slavin, Effective Preschool Programs for Children at Risk of School Failure: A Best-Evidence Synthesis. A-M. Wiese, E.E. Garcia, Educational Policy in the United States Regarding Bilinguals in Early Childhood Education. C. Howes, K. Sanders, Child Care for Young Children. B.H. Fiese, T. Eckert, M. Spagnola, Family Context in Early Childhood: A Look at Practices and Beliefs That Promote Early Learning. M.M. Ostrosky, B.M. Laumann, W-Y. Hsieh, Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs and Attitudes About Inclusion: What Does the Research Tell Us? O.N. Saracho, B. Spodek, Preschool Teachers' Professional Development. Part IV: Research and Evaluation Strategies for Early Childhood Education. D.F. Gullo, Alternative Means of Assessing Children's Learning in Early Childhood Classrooms. R. Lambert, M. Abbott-Shim, A. Sibley, Evaluating the Quality of Early Childhood Educational Settings. J. Pelletier, C. Corter, Integration, Innovation, and Evaluation in School-Based Early Childhood Services. J.A. Hatch, G. Barclay-McLaughlin, Qualitative Research: Paradigms and Possibilities. C.D. Thornton, L.S. Goldstein, Feminist Issues in Early Childhood Scholarship. S. Grieshaber, S. Ryan, Beyond Certainties: Postmodern Perspectives, Research, and the Education of Young Children. J.L. Roopnarine, A. Metindogan, Early Childhood Education Research in Cross-National Perspective. B.S.F. Hinitz, Historical Research in Early Childhood Education.

The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM)—a generic instrument for measuring students’ perceptions of undergraduate health professions curricula

Abstract: Students’ perceptions of their educational environment have been studied at all levels of the education system, from primary through post-secondary education. Recent imperatives towards enhanced quality assessment monitoring at a time when health professions education is increasingly committed to student-centred teaching and learning have stimulated a revival of interest in this field. This paper reports a body of research in health professions institutions around the world based on the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM), a reliable, validated inventory that claims to be generic to undergraduate health professions education and non-culturally specific.

Empowering participants or corroding learning? Towards a research agenda on the impact of student consumerism in higher education

Abstract: The paper seeks to link the structural and the institutional to learning outcomes in order to articulate a research agenda capable of evaluating the impact of consumerism on learning and teaching in higher education. Consumerist mechanisms are situated in the context of quasi‐market and new managerial regulatory frameworks and concepts developed by Pierre Bourdieu are drawn on to establish a theoretical model of the uneven impact of consumerism across different types of universities. Empirical studies, conducted in a variety of national settings, are outlined to confirm the plausibility of the model. The possible interactions between first, changes in academic identity, teaching and the curriculum; and secondly, on student identities and their impact on teaching and assessment and their consequent learning outcomes, are outlined. Some important questions about the consequences for the labour market are also raised. The paper hypothesizes that attempts to restructure pedagogical cultures and identities to ...