The impact of curriculum redesign in a Mexican university on students' abilities, attitudes and values

In 1997, the ITESM in Monterrey Mexico initiated a system-wide programme of curriculum reform, bringing about three major changes: (1) a focus on the student in the teachinglearning process; (2) the incorporation of abilities, attitudes and values as an integral part of course content; and (3) the use of a technological platform for every course. In August of 1998, a longitudinal study was initiated at the ITESM Guadalajara Campus to measure the effectiveness of one aspect of the redesign process-changes in students' abilities, attitudes and values. A Likert-type scale was developed to measure students' level of agreement with an operationalized form of the abilities, attitudes, and values promoted by the ITESM mission. It was hypothesized that students would improve in their level of agreement over time. Students completed the Likert-type scale on entering the ITESM and then again after three years. As a whole, students scored significantly higher after three years on categories related to abilities, such as collaborative learning, self-evaluation, critical thinking, and authentic learning. No change was seen in personal values such as honesty and responsibility.