Background/Context: From 2021-2023, our university revolutionised its teaching and learning model. The traditional approach of lectures, semesters and exams was transformed into an immersive block model combining active learning pedagogy with 6-week terms (Roche et al., 2024).
Description: This study offers insights into the impact of major curriculum change on teaching-focused academics' development. We specially explored what mattered to us during the reform, and what the impact was on our pedagogic knowledge, identities and teaching practices.
Method: Using the participatory action research methodology of co-operative inquiry (Heron & Reason, 2001), a group of six academics from business, tourism, social work, engineering, health and pathways met weekly over 15 months to engage in rich and nuanced conversations about curriculum change, identity and student engagement.
Evidence: Thematic analysis revealed the themes of student engagement and academic identity (McCune, 2021) as foremost concerns among the participant-researchers. These themes were integrally linked to our understandings and practices concerning curriculum change, pedagogy and context.
Contribution: The study suggests teaching-focused academics place high value on student engagement as both a driver and consequence of their teaching. Perceptions of student engagement were challenged by curriculum reform, and yet remained central to teacher identity and shaped our responses to the introduction of the immersive block model. Our findings also suggest that providing opportunities for collaborative reflection and
sense-making is an important avenue for academic development during times of curriculum reform. We reflect on co-operative inquiry as a participatory action research approach that allowed us to improve our well-being and teaching practices.