Reshaping Education Curriculum Landscape: Lessons from Unprecedented Past

Abstract

Experiences may be obsolete in the days of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), but lessons to learn are fresh and essential. This study aimed to explore the academic voices of teachers during VUCA period to find their needs and aspirations as essential inputs in reshaping the academic landscape of the education curriculum. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, seven teachers were purposely selected as participants in the study. Findings revealed that a) teachers’ mental anxiety was raised to a higher level; b) they suffered physical illness resulting from psychological stress and c) they experienced instructional frustration such as anxiety in the use of technology, dissatisfaction with virtual classes, and writing course pack as an added burden. As such, they needed a) mental wellness preservation, b) physical health protection, c) spiritual and moral boosters, d) personal quality time and, e) assessing student outcomes was a great challenge. This study recommends to reshape the landscape of the present education curriculum by integrating courses that address the lessons of the unprecedented past like innovative mental anxiety management, catastrophic crisis management, spiritual boosters, work-life balance, hygiene and sanitation, and the new ways of doing things for assessing student outcomes with futuristic approach.