TOWARDS DEEP AND MEANINGFUL LEARNING: SHAPING CULTURE, DESIGNING CURRICULA AND CONSIDERING STUDENT NEEDS

Over the past decade, higher education has shifted its focus from teaching to learning excellence, The Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care (DFMPC) at the University of the Witwatersrand has embraced this shift, adopting a learning excellence philosophy that informs their approach to teaching, learning, and assessment. This philosophy emphasises a personal connection to learning through the Deep and meaningful learning framework and COVID-19 highlighted the diverse learning needs of students. The DFMPC applied the deep and meaningful learning framework to understand and address student needs, putting the student voice at the center of curriculum development. This chapter explores three essential dimensions for reimagining learning: context, culture, and curriculum. It emphasizes the importance of understanding student needs within their context, promoting innovative, adaptive, and inclusive student-centered curriculum design. The concept of constructive alignment has been expanded to consider various stakeholders and notional hours.