Curriculum Improvement
Strengthening Programs for Changing Business and Learning Needs
At the University of Finance – Marketing (UFM), curriculum improvement is an ongoing process driven by program assessment, stakeholder feedback, changes in the business environment, and the learning needs of students.
For the High-Quality, Fully English-Taught Undergraduate Programs in Marketing, Business Administration, and International Business, curriculum improvement focuses on maintaining alignment among:
Program Objectives → Program Learning Outcomes → Curriculum → Courses → Teaching & Learning → Student Assessment → Graduate Outcomes
Through periodic review and improvement, the programs seek to ensure that students develop the knowledge, skills, and competencies expected of graduates in a rapidly changing business environment.
Our Curriculum Improvement Approach
Curriculum improvement is implemented through a systematic review of the program as a whole rather than through isolated changes to individual courses.
The process includes:
Review
Review program objectives, PLOs, curriculum structure, course content, and assessment requirements.
Align
Strengthen alignment among PLOs, courses, teaching and learning activities, and student assessment.
Respond
Respond to feedback from students, faculty, alumni, employers, and other relevant stakeholders.
Update
Update curriculum components, course content, specialized courses, and supporting academic activities where improvement is needed.
Implement
Implement approved curriculum and course improvements through the relevant academic units.
Evaluate
Monitor the implementation and use assessment and stakeholder feedback to identify further improvement opportunities.
Key Areas of Curriculum Improvement
1. Program Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes provide the foundation for curriculum development and student learning assessment.
The programs review and strengthen PLOs to ensure that they remain relevant to program objectives and are appropriately reflected throughout the curriculum.
Curriculum improvement activities include:
• Reviewing and updating PLO content where appropriate;
• Strengthening the alignment between PLOs and curriculum components;
• Reviewing the contribution of individual courses to PLO achievement;
• Improving communication of PLOs to relevant stakeholders; and
• Using assessment and feedback information to inform subsequent improvement.
For the Business Administration Program, improvement activities include reviewing PLO-related documentation and PLO contribution matrices. The International Business Program similarly identifies review and adjustment of PLOs and the contribution of specialized courses to PLO achievement as improvement priorities.
2. Curriculum Structure and Course Content
Curriculum improvement includes periodic review of the structure and content of the programs to ensure continued relevance to academic and professional requirements.
The improvement process considers:
• Curriculum structure and sequencing;
• Course content;
• Specialized courses;
• Course descriptions and specifications;
• Relationship between courses and PLOs;
• Emerging requirements of the business environment; and
• Feedback from relevant stakeholders.
For the Business Administration Program, the improvement process includes updating program descriptions, course information, and relevant curriculum documentation.
For the International Business Program, curriculum improvement includes strengthening content related to foreign markets, logistics, international trade, and other areas relevant to international business.
This reflects the program's orientation toward preparing graduates for an increasingly interconnected and internationally oriented business environment.
3. PLO–Curriculum–Course Alignment
A key principle of curriculum improvement is ensuring that students have sufficient opportunities to achieve the intended Program Learning Outcomes through their learning experiences.
The programs therefore review:
PLOs
↓
Curriculum Components
↓
Courses
↓
Learning Activities
↓
Assessment
This alignment process helps identify whether important learning outcomes are appropriately introduced, reinforced, and assessed across the curriculum.
It also provides a basis for identifying courses that need to be added, updated, strengthened, or realigned.
4. Teaching and Learning Improvement
Curriculum improvement is accompanied by improvements in teaching and learning practices.
The programs seek to strengthen:
• Active teaching and learning approaches;
• Appropriate teaching methods for different courses;
• Communication of program objectives and PLOs;
• Use of student and stakeholder feedback;
• Application of information and communication technology;
• Faculty capacity for English-medium instruction; and
• Alignment between teaching activities and intended learning outcomes.
The improvement plans for the three programs include actions related to teaching methods, feedback mechanisms, faculty development, ICT application, and the delivery of fully English-taught programs.
5. Student Assessment Improvement
Curriculum quality is closely connected with the quality of student assessment.
The programs therefore review assessment practices to strengthen the relationship between:
What students are expected to learn → What students are taught → What students are assessed on
Improvement activities include:
• Reviewing assessment methods;
• Strengthening assessment practices;
• Improving faculty capacity in teaching and assessment;
• Using feedback to improve teaching and learning; and
• Using assessment information as an input for program improvement.
This approach supports a stronger connection between curriculum design and evidence of student learning.
6. Faculty Development to Support Curriculum Delivery
Curriculum improvement requires appropriate faculty capacity to deliver the revised or enhanced curriculum effectively.
Accordingly, faculty-related improvement activities include:
• Faculty recruitment and development;
• Professional development;
• Teaching competency;
• English-medium teaching capacity;
• Application of ICT in teaching;
• Teaching and assessment practices;
• Faculty evaluation; and
• Research and scholarly activities.
For the three fully English-taught programs, strengthening faculty capacity is particularly important to ensure that curriculum improvements can be effectively translated into students' learning experiences.
7. Stakeholder-Informed Curriculum Improvement
Curriculum development is informed by the perspectives of relevant stakeholders.
The programs strengthen mechanisms for collecting and using information from:
Students | Faculty | Alumni | Employers | External Experts
Stakeholder feedback is used as an input when reviewing:
• Curriculum relevance;
• Course content;
• Teaching and learning;
• Student support;
• Graduate competencies;
• Employment outcomes; and
• Further program development.
The improvement plans include activities to strengthen employer and alumni relationships, collect graduate-related information, monitor satisfaction, and use stakeholder feedback for improvement.
Program-Specific Curriculum Improvement
Marketing
The Marketing Program focuses on maintaining the relevance and effectiveness of its curriculum while strengthening the connection among PLOs, curriculum content, teaching and learning, assessment, and stakeholder expectations.
Key areas include:
• Review and strengthening of PLOs;
• Curriculum and course review;
• Teaching and learning enhancement;
• Assessment improvement;
• Faculty development;
• Use of student feedback;
• Stakeholder engagement; and
• Continuous monitoring of graduate and employer information.
The program's improvement plan specifically includes actions related to using survey results for teaching improvement, collecting and using feedback, and strengthening quality survey mechanisms.
Business Administration
The Business Administration Program emphasizes curriculum and program alignment through:
• Review and update of program documentation;
• Review of course information;
• Review of PLO contribution matrices;
• Addition or updating of relevant courses;
• Strengthening active teaching and learning;
• Faculty development;
• Student feedback mechanisms; and
• Engagement with alumni and employers.
The improvement process also extends beyond curriculum content to the broader learning ecosystem supporting the program.
International Business
The International Business Program places particular emphasis on ensuring that curriculum content reflects the requirements of international business.
Key areas include:
• Review and update of PLOs;
• Review of specialized courses;
• Strengthening course contribution to PLO achievement;
• Curriculum content related to foreign markets;
• International trade and logistics-related knowledge;
• Teaching and learning enhancement;
• English-medium faculty capacity;
• Stakeholder feedback; and
• Graduate and employment outcomes.
These priorities are consistent with the program's international orientation and its objective of preparing graduates for professional environments involving international markets and business activities.
Curriculum Improvement Across Three Programs
Although the three programs have different disciplinary orientations, their curriculum improvement processes share a common foundation.
| Common improvement dimension | Marketing | Business Administration | International Business |
| PLO review and alignment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Curriculum/course review | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| PLO–course alignment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Teaching & learning improvement | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Student assessment improvement | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Faculty development | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stakeholder feedback | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alumni/employer engagement | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Graduate outcome monitoring | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
The common framework allows UFM to maintain consistency in quality assurance while allowing each program to respond to its own disciplinary and stakeholder requirements.
Curriculum Improvement in the Continuous Improvement Cycle
Curriculum improvement is not a one-time curriculum revision exercise.
It forms part of the broader continuous improvement cycle:
ASSESS
Identify evidence about program and student learning.
REVIEW
Identify strengths, gaps, and emerging needs.
IMPROVE
Adjust PLOs, curriculum, courses, teaching, assessment, and supporting conditions where appropriate.
IMPLEMENT
Put approved changes into practice.
MONITOR
Evaluate implementation and gather further evidence.
REFINE
Use new evidence to inform the next curriculum review.
The curriculum is therefore treated as a living system that evolves in response to evidence, stakeholder expectations, and changing educational and professional needs.