Curriculum Development

The Trinity Curriculum Development Committee (TCDC) is committed to reviewing the structure and content of the curriculum that governs much of undergraduate education at Duke and proposing changes that speak to the interests and needs of our students in the coming decades. In receiving its charge, the committee was asked to think big – setting no limit to what they can ask or explore, while creativity, purposeful dreaming and curiosity were strongly encouraged.

To best engage the full Duke community in this task, the TCDC is holding numerous listening sessions with constituents, exploring institutional research on students’ pathways through Duke, and making committee materials (e.g., readings, institutional reports) accessible to all Duke faculty.

Read the Charge Access Committee Materials* Read the Interim Report

*Having trouble viewing the materials Box folder? Request access by emailing sarah.ishmael@duke.edu with your NetID, name and academic unit affiliation. 

Principles of the Curriculum Development Process

  • Developing the Trinity curriculum is a core responsibility of its faculty. We will take advantage of the breadth of expertise and perspective among our faculty and will ensure that all faculty have opportunities to contribute to our discussions. The recommendations of the TCDC will also be subject to approval by the faculty at large, as represented by the Arts & Sciences Council.
  • Planning should be grounded in evidence. We will explore institutional research on how the current curriculum has shaped Duke students’ experiences and scholarly research on other curricular models.
  • Committee activities should be transparent. We will provide regular updates to stakeholders on committee activities.

Recent & Upcoming Activities

Spring 2023 - Student Engagement & Curricular Elements

Formal discussions about any new curriculum and its elements began, after the completion of meetings with faculty stakeholders and after soliciting input from Duke students in early spring. We synthesized all we have learned into a set of principles that form the basis of an interim report that we presented to Arts & Sciences Council on Thursday, March 2.

Fall 2022 - Meetings with Faculty & Staff

Using our Interview Questions as our guide, we will collect input from faculty and staff about the process and content of curriculum reform via meetings organized in three categories:

  • Initial meetings about process
  • Meeting with department/programs about curricular content
  • Meetings with other stakeholders

Summer 2022 - Planning & Preparation

  • Institutional and scholarly research directed at the above questions
  • Ad hoc projects by subcommittees, largely in preparation for Fall 2022 discussion topics
  • Planning for extensive fall meetings with faculty and stakeholders

Spring 2022 - Foundational Discussions

Initial committee meetings were organized around the four foundational questions:

  • What should we know about Duke students and about how they interact with the curriculum?
  • What should we know about the scholarship of teaching and learning, student outcomes, etc.?
  • What should we know about the larger educational landscape (e.g., universities, their curricula)?
  • What should we know about how our students and their world will change in the next 25 years?

Read More Activity Details

Additional Opportunity for Faculty & Staff Input

Along with the extensive slate of departmental meetings, Arts & Sciences Council meetings, and other scheduled stakeholder events, the Trinity Curriculum Development Committee also invites feedback from faculty and staff through this brief, open-ended survey. 

Access Survey

Feedback from students on a different set of questions will be solicited in Spring 2023.

Members of the Trinity Curriculum Development Committee

  • Scott Huettel, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Curriculum Development Committee Chair
  • Edna Andrews, Professor of Linguistics and Director of the FOCUS Program
  • Owen Astrachan, Professor of the Practice, Computer Science
  • David Berger, Associate Professor, Economics
  • Mine Cetinkaya-Rundel, Professor of the Practice, Statistical Science
  • Denise Comer, Professor of the Practice, Thompson Writing Program
  • Stephen Craig, Professor, Chemistry
  • Michaeline Crichlow, Professor, African & African American Studies
  • Gustavo Furtado, Associate Professor, Romance Studies
  • Christina Gibson-Davis, Professor, Sanford School of Public Policy
  • Hae-Young Kim, Professor of the Practice, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies
  • David Malone, Professor of the Practice, Education
  • Jarvis McInnis, Assistant Professor, English
  • Lillian Pierce, Professor, Mathematics
  • Deborah Reisinger, Professor of the Practice, Romance Studies
  • Sophia Santillan, Associate Professor of the Practice, Pratt School of Engineering
  • Tom Schultz, Assistant Professor of the Practice, Nicholas School of the Environment
  • Josh Sosin, Associate Professor, Classical Studies
  • Sarah Wilbur, Associate Professor of the Practice, Dance
  • Chris Wildeman, Professor, Sociology
  • John Willis, Professor, Biology
     
  • Candis Watts Smith, Vice President for Undergraduate Education, Ex-Officio
  • Josh Socolar, Chair of Arts & Sciences Council, Ex-Officio