Layering at all Levels: Integrating Layered Curriculum in Postsecondary Education

Abstract

Calls to increase active learning, an approach that positions students in the center of their learning experience, have increased considerably in recent decades. In response, there has been substantial work to expand our understanding and implementation of active learning approaches in many educational spaces. However, much of this instructional design has concentrated on elementary and secondary learning levels, with less development of practice and scholarship focused on active learning in postsecondary education (PSE). Layered curriculum (LC) (Nunley & Evin Gencel, 2019) is an approach to active learning, as well a form of differentiated instruction (DI), that offers students innovative ways to engage with and demonstrate their learning. The model includes three layers of learning, each with its own group of learning activities and assessments, that guide a student’s progression from foundational to more complex engagement with a subject. While the use of this approach is less frequent in PSE, and discussions and evidence of its implementation are limited in the PSE literature, this paper will explore why the integration of LC would especially benefit postsecondary learners. The challenges to its integration in PSE will be addressed, including mitigation strategies, and the importance of collaborative curriculum design.

Keywords

• active learning
• differentiated instruction
• layered curriculum
• spiral curriculum
• assessment for learning