Making Sense of Interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum Design - Case Study of Common Core Curriculum at the University of Hong Kong

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

Interview-based study of academics’ perspectives on planning and designing an interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum for undergraduate students in the Chinese context, using the Common Core Curriculum at the University of Hong Kong as a case. Twenty-eight academics participated in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews. The article identifies four interrelated dimensions: how to design, what is worth learning, how to learn and teach, and how to know students have learned, emphasizing coherent coordination, balanced breadth, openness, and flexible implementation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages23

Reading Time58 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose

Design/Approach/Methods

Findings

Originality/Value

Introduction

Interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum background

Role of academics and research gap

Making Sense of Interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum Design: Case Study of Common Core Curriculum at the University of Hong Kong Adrian Man-Ho Lam (林文灏) The University of Hong Kong ECNU Review of Education 2023, Vol. 6(3) 410–432 © The Author(s) 2022 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/20965311221142888](DOI: 10.1177/20965311221142888)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/20965311221142888)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This research is an interview-based study that captures the academics’ perspectives toward the planning and design of an interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum for undergraduate students in the Chinese context, using the Common Core Curriculum at the University of Hong Kong as a case study. Design/Approach/Methods: A total of 28 academics with various levels of academic ranking, disciplinary context, proven teaching excellence, and research productivities were individually invited for and consented to a semi-structured and face-to-face interview. Findings: This article suggests four fundamental and interrelated dimensions for consideration when structuring an interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum, namely, how to design, what is worth learning, how to learn and teach, and how to know students have learned. It is suggested that the ideal curriculum should remain coherent and coordinated, broad and balanced, as well as open and ﬂexible, ensuring the capture of knowledge, skills, and attitudes, with the facilitation of active, authentic, and contextualized pedagogies and assessments. Corresponding author: Adrian Man-Ho Lam, Common Core, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China. Emails: u3519028@connect.hku.hk; lammanho@hku.hk Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as speciﬁed on the SAGE and Open Access page ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). Originality/Value: This article has the potential of providing insight for policymakers and educators around the world to better structure an interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum by creating an overall springboard for future discussion. They can also integrate these evidence-based elements and strategies into their everyday practices. Keywords Curriculum planning and design, general education, higher education, Hong Kong, interdisciplinary curriculum, undergraduate education Date received: 15 August 2021; revised: 27 December 2021; accepted: 3 January 2022 Introduction General Education Curriculum (GEC) can generally refer to the widening curriculum that aims at broadening students’ knowledge base and enhancing their fundamental competencies. Given its diverse and ambitious goals, many universities often employ an interdisciplinary approach in shaping their GEC. The inclusion of interdisciplinary elements in the university curriculum helps enhance students’ critical thinking, problem-solving, self-direction, meta-cognitive reﬂection, as well as other higher-order thinking skills (Ivanitskaya et al., 2002) . This is particularly crucial for newly admitted undergraduate students since they are often surprised by the potentials and ways in which university education can transform their thinking, identity, and perspectives. Lamentably, given the organizational boundaries that have long divided universities into highly specialized and differentiated institutions, any interdisciplinary attempt to transgress them in order to facil

FAQs

What is the purpose of the study?

To capture academics’ perspectives on planning and designing an interdisciplinary General Education Curriculum for undergraduate students in the Chinese context, using HKU’s Common Core Curriculum as a case study.

How were participants selected and what data was collected?

A total of 28 academics were invited to consent to semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, reflecting varying academic ranking, disciplinary contexts, teaching excellence, and research productivity.

What key dimensions does the article propose for structuring the curriculum?

It proposes four interrelated dimensions: how to design, what is worth learning, how to learn and teach, and how to know students have learned.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk