Curriculum-as-Research Framework

The educational design research framework (McKenney & Reeves, 2018) arranged every course element; course overview, weekly lesson plans, class activities, assignments, and supplemental resources; as an object of study. Each artifact was:

• Documented: Different versions were archived with details indicating dates, intended learning outcomes, and the reason for the change.

• Tested: Artifacts were placed in real world teaching cycles across different cohorts and delivery methods.

• Analyzed: Evidence of how artifacts performed in practice informed the identification of design principles.

For example, when a lesson plan on prompt engineering was introduced, the study followed which step in the instructions caused the most questions. After adding a short video demonstration, the same lesson was observed again to see if confusion appeared to decrease. Each iteration gave new data that refined subsequent lesson plans, creating a cycle of real time curriculum improvement.