Threshold Concepts: Informing the Curriculum

Abstract

Threshold concepts are defined by Meyer and Land (2003) as those concepts that are held to be central to the mastery of a discipline; students must grasp these concepts before they can move forward significantly. When a threshold concept is grasped, that is, when understanding is robust, the learner will see, know and behave quite differently within their discipline. To put this work in context, the idea that there are likely to be threshold concepts in all subject areas grew out of a national research project entitled ‘Enhancing Teaching-Learning Environments in Undergraduate Courses’(ETL) carried out in the UK between 2001 and 2005. The project sought to develop subject-specific conceptual frameworks that would influence the quality of student learning. There was a focus on developing not only generic ways of thinking and practising, but also disciplinary skills, and a focus on concepts and ways of thinking that students find difficult, particularly when they act as thresholds to further learning. During the past decade, the idea of threshold concepts has led to significant debate that has captured the interest of an ever-growing international community of teachers in higher education. In our experience, it has challenged and drawn in teachers who were not previously engaging in faculty development opportunities in their institutions. The reason for this may lie in the fact that the identification of threshold concepts, and the implications for curriculum design, place the disciplinary experts centre stage. This chapter will highlight certain common characteristics of threshold concepts and demonstrate how we can use these to inform curriculum design. It looks at what the student must do, and what we as teachers must do, to succeed. The chapter will examine in-depth one case study, which monitors students’ journeys as they are transformed by the grasping of a threshold concept.

Bibliographic data

Higgs, B., & Cronin, J. (2013). Threshold concepts: Informing the curriculum. Emerging Issues in Higher Education III: From capacity building to sustainability, 161-177.

External source

https://www.edin.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/ei3-ch12.pdf