CHALLENGES IN THE CHALLENGES AND APPROACHES IN UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM MANAGEMENT TO SUPPORT MICRO-LEARNING AMONG GENERATION Z STUDENTS

Abstract

Undergraduate education is facing increasing pressure from digital transformation, the skills-based economy, and the learning behaviors of Generation Z students, who demand learning that is flexible, concise, and connected to real-world application. This academic article aims to analyze key challenges and propose approaches for undergraduate curriculum management that support Micro-Learning. The article synthesizes academic literature, contemporary research, and relevant higher education standards. The synthesis reveals that Micro-Learning is not merely a reduction of instructional time or the production of short video-based learning materials; rather, it is a curriculum design approach that requires systematic alignment among program learning outcomes, course learning outcomes, learning units, learning activities, and assessment evidence. Key challenges include condensing content to its essential core without compromising quality, dividing learning outcomes into micro-units, maintaining continuity among learning units, designing formative assessment, accumulating learning outcomes, developing instructors’ competencies, and reducing technological inequality. The new body of knowledge proposed in this article is the 3C-S Micro Curriculum Management Model, consisting of Condense, Chunk, Connect, and Stack. The model serves as a framework for transforming curricula from content-heavy structures toward outcome-oriented, evidence-based, and competency-linked learning systems. A key recommendation is that curriculum administrators should use this model as a tool for reviewing courses, developing learning outcome maps, designing micro-learning units, piloting the approach in selected courses, assessing learning evidence, and continuously improving the curriculum while considering learner contexts, instructors’ readiness, supporting technologies, and curriculum quality standards. The article recommends that higher education institutions begin by reviewing PLOs, CLOs, and MLOs, pilot the approach in general education courses or courses with overlapping content, and then expand it to major courses in order to develop curricula that are modern, flexible, and responsive to digital-era learners with quality.