Holistic Curriculum for the Technology-mediated Post-secondary Course

This case study research examines the adaptation, design, and enactment of John P. Miller’s Holistic Curriculum (2019) in a technology-mediated post-secondary course consisting of 90 students. The research is grounded in the field of curriculum studies through a social constructivist perspective and is informed through the framework of 21st century competencies which value active learning, metacognition, and digital literacy over specific disciplinary knowledge. The course directs students toward developing these competencies as they critically identify and reflect on relationships between technology and culture, economy and power, and industry and media. A primary learning outcome is for students to contemplate their technology usage through Ursula M. Franklin’s lens of holistic and prescriptive technologies (1990). Holistic technologies create potentials for innovation, communication, and collaboration, while prescriptive technologies pose perils of conformity, inactivity, and complacency. This research occurred amid social distancing measures that were necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus was conducted entirely online. Data indicated that students were highly engaged in the course, as it fostered a sense of connection and community, and was seen as relevant across personal, professional, academic, and creative contexts. Findings also indicated promotion of critical thinking, metacognition, and the transfer of knowledge across subject domains and disciplinary boundaries. Considerations for future enactments of Holistic Curriculum in post-secondary courses and other the technology-mediated educational contexts are recommended. These include a synthesis of holistic perspectives to inform the design of technology-mediated curriculum and the pedagogical significance of a passionate and compassionate teacher presence.Ph.D