Impact Of Radical And Incremental Curriculum Changes On Students

Abstract

College curricula undergo changes periodically. This case discusses the various change management strategies employed by the faculty of a midwestern university in implementing incremental and radical change in the business school curriculum. It also analyzes the impact of these changes on student perceptions of the course and of the instructor. Our analysis reveals interesting trends in student responses over a seven year span. We find that students initially resist both types of changes, although the resistance is greater in the case of radical changes. Nevertheless, they eventually view both types of changes as adding value to the curriculum. However, the perception of value addition is temporary, lasting longer for radical change (seven semesters) than for incremental change (five semesters). This suggests that updating of curricula is required on an ongoing basis.