identity. Differences across organisations and sectors could potentially be highlighted if there were common patterns. One suggestion from the reference group listed ‘sector specific case studies’ on the outcomes of ‘applying interpretive and instrumental approaches’ to curriculum design in these sectors. Some of the suggestions made by participants are quite specific (e.g. explaining what is meant by the different points on the scale). As pointed out by some members of the reference group, there is an inherent danger in ‘locking down’ definitions. Such an approach would change the original intent of the heuristic, from a reflective, communicative tool to a checklist. As such, it would no longer have value in serving as a communicative tool, creating the space for team members, stakeholders and so on to explore what they mean when they place themselves at particular points along the continuum. Rather it would probably become a tool where those who completed it would select what they thought was wanted rather than be a reflection of their own approaches.
4.3 Training, workshops and facilitated discussions It was clear from the interviews that the IDeA Model requires further unpacking to help the users to make deeper sense of the Model. This was especially so for new curriculum designers, as demonstrated in the previous chapter. Chris had this to say: … you may need to explain to them and … sometimes it’s very hard for them to visualise, or if they only have this idea [that] the curriculum is regulated … When you talk about transformative they may say, “huh I’ve never seen something like that, it’s not within my past experience” so they may not be able to accept this. The reference group made similar suggestions to leverage the model for a more productive dialogue when coaching novice designers. While it may be difficult to determine the degree of experience required to meaningfully access the model, reference group members considered that new curriculum designers should be familiar with pedagogical jargon and have attempted curriculum design to benefit fully from the use of the IDeA Model. To support the self-reflection and professional development process, additional resources to unpack the implications and impact of each dimension may be needed. To address these issues of support, there were suggestions that we could formalise the support and develop the materials into a training programme with learning outcomes. Yip proposed: … maybe there should be, besides this model, … a little bit of description of the target group, the learning objectives of that course, all right and then … a certification? Likewise, Ginny had similar thoughts on running a course for curriculum designers and practitioners in both PET and CET. She suggested that: IAL will be able to at least run some sort of equipping course for curriculum designers, and I hope it’s not just for adult curriculum, but it can also be for children curriculum … On where the training could be located, there were also suggestions from IAL adult educators who train for the Advanced Certificate in Training and Assessment (ACTA) and the Diploma in Adult and Continuing Education (DACE) to consider inserting the IDeA Model into certain segments of the DACE programme. For example, Chels proposed segments such as the practicum or the Design Curriculum and Instruction (DCI) module:
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