MACMILLAN Populism and Higher Education Curriculum Development: Problem Based Learning as a Mitigating Response

Against a background of increasing inequality and a rising tide of nationalism and populism, this book raises concerns that curriculum is being shaped by powerful non-academic, non-accountable forces and that populism – and its manifestations – represent a grave challenge to learning. It explores the extent to which curriculum and learning methods in higher education should respond to this challenge. Using problem based learning as a case study it draws on crossdisciplinary studies to examine how regional, national and organizational perspectives emphasize different aspects of PBL. It questions whether PBL provides an effective response to external influences and a ‘populist’ higher education agenda. In conclusion the book poses an uncomfortable question whether graduates reflect the external forces shaping curriculum and hence may be as vulnerable to populist rhetoric as non-graduates precisely because the curriculum and learning methods do not engage with the challenges. This book will appeal to scholars of problem based learning, as well as populism and the role of higher education in society. Review "Writing in the midst of the Covid 19 pandemic, it is arresting to read a book that identifies the challenge of a totally different type of pandemic – Populism - and the threat which it poses to the academic world. This is a timely, thought provoking book precisely because it is searching for a type of academic vaccine to the undermining threats of populism, which will require wholehearted engagement to achieve." ― Professor Ilan Alon, Department of Management, University of Agder, Norway "Turcan and Reilly have crystallised what people working in and around higher education have begun to feel. In the book, the seismic shifts affecting the top tiers of academe are laid bare and their consequences on the sector explored. The range of voices brought together in the volume lead to recommended priorities and possible pathways for those engaged in curriculum design, learning development, research, and research dissemination." ― Dr Simon Haslam, Visiting Fellow, Durham University Business School, UK From the Back Cover This book explores the extent to which populism and the populist agenda is influencing curriculum content and learning methods in higher education. Against a background of increasing inequalities and a rising tide of nationalism and populism, this book raises concerns that populism – and its various manifestations – represents a grave challenge to learning. Using problem based learning as a case study, the editors and contributors draw on a range of cross-disciplinary studies from various regions to examine how regional, national and organizational perspectives emphasise different aspects of PBL. In doing so, they question whether PBL provides an effective response to external influences, or offers a counter force to a ‘populist’ higher education agenda. Has the learner become the centre of the process, or are they simply a reflection of the external forces shaping curriculum? This book will appeal to scholars of problem based learning, as well as populism and the role of higher education in society. Romeo V. Turcan is Professor of International Entrepreneurship and Organization Studies at the Department of Business Studies at Aalborg University, Denmark. His main research interests relate to cross-disciplinary organisation theory building, legitimation of new sectors and new ventures.  John E. Reilly is a higher education consultant with wide European and international experience. He is a member of the UK Bologna Experts team, having full understanding of the Bologna process and the European Commission modernization agenda. About the Author Romeo V. Turcan is Professor of International Entrepreneurship and Organization Theory at the Aalborg University Business School in Denmark. Romeo’s research interests relate to