​​Introduction

In our work, we often assume that our students, mentees, and colleagues share our same levels of knowledge about how university and the academic culture works. These implicit rules and expectations make up what is known as the hidden curriculum. In this chapter, we (a) introduce and define the notion of a “hidden curriculum”, (b) discuss problems with the hidden curriculum, (c) discuss who is impacted by the hidden curriculum, and (d) provide a set of recommendations for making the implicit rules and expectations of academia more explicit.

What is the Hidden Curriculum?

The hidden curriculum refers to the collection of  “implicit academic, social, and cultural messages,” “unwritten rules and unspoken expectations,” and “unofficial norms, behaviours and values” that are conveyed through the school culture and environment (Boston University, 2021). The concept is derived from educational scholar Philip W. Jackson’s Life in Classrooms (1968), in which he compares the hidden curriculum to the official curriculum. Although the hidden curriculum is not explicitly taught in the same way as the official curriculum, it is imperative that every student understands the teachings in the hidden curriculum as it invisibly influences academic achievement ​​(CTRL Faculty Resources, 2023). In practice, the hidden curriculum may include things such as:

• How to utilize office hours,
• How to approach a professor for assistance with a task,
• How to engage with the material in class,
• How to study for an exam or take notes on required readings,
• How to network and make professional connections,
• How to obtain research or volunteer experience,
• How to apply to graduate school,
• How to explore career paths.

Problems with the Hidden Curriculum

Colleges and universities have historically catered to white, non-disabled, middle-class students, and their policies have been established over decades with the idea that students will arrive with a similar level of prior knowledge upon which they can rely. As many of the skills found in the hidden curriculum are not formally taught, students frequently look to their families’ or communities’ experiences to help navigate the demands of higher education. Students can get advice on how to utilize office hours, build professional connections ​​etc., from family members or community members who have previously attended university. However, not all students have access to this informal guidance. Disparities in hidden curriculum knowledge between individual students or groups of students can perpetuate social inequities and limit opportunities during and after university ​​(CTRL Faculty Resources, 2023).

Who is Impacted by the Hidden Curriculum?

All students suffer when a hidden curriculum is maintained, but those who are most at risk are typically students from historically underrepresented populations, such as multilingual, first-generation university students, people of colour or racialized students, members of lower socioeconomic status communities, and immigrants (Boston University, 2021). ​​These students may have encountered an “opportunity gap” in which their high schools lacked the resources to fully prepare them for the demands of higher education. Students who attended well-resourced high schools with strong academics and university counselling were able to improve their university preparation and knowledge, allowing them to seamlessly transition to post-secondary education. Underserved students can achieve on par with their peers; the educational system’s systemic issues prohibit them from having that chance ​​(CTRL Faculty Resources, 2023).

Recommendations

This section outlines some recommendations geared primarily toward instructors, TAs, and other student-facing staff on how they can harness the hidden curriculum to give all students an equitable chance at academic achievement.

1. State implicit expectations: Make implicit expectations explicit. Instructors teaching A-level courses are encouraged to clearly state in the syllabus the unwritten rules students should follow to succeed in the course.

• • State the unwritten rule about what students should be doing before attending class: 
    • E.g., Take notes while reading the assigned chapter and write down any questions you may have

• • State the unwritten rule about what students should be doing during class: 
    • E.g., Take detailed notes, ask critical thinking or clarifying questions, avoid distractions, bring your textbook and your reading notes 

• • State the unwritten rule about what students should be doing after class: 
    • E.g., Reorganize your notes in connection to your other notes, begin the studying process by testing yourself on the content, and schedule an appointment with your instructor if you need clarification on a concept

• • State the unwritten rule about what students should do if they are unable to attend a class: 
    • E.g., Speak with the instructor, acquire notes from another student (Baldwin, 2020)

• • Promoting awareness of these habits and studying techniques can help students to be more successful in establishing effective academic behaviours earlier in their studies.

2. Verbally communicate the policies and expectations of the course during class:

• • Syllabus. On the first day of class (and/or in welcome announcements), explain the purpose of a course syllabus and remind students that they should be checking it frequently.

• • Assignments. Let students know how they can access information about course assignments and where they can find a list of deadlines. Even if the same content is in the syllabus, wrapping up each class with a review of the assignments you expect students to complete before the next session might provide students a chance to ask clarifying questions ​​(CTRL Faculty Resources, 2023)

• • Office Hours. Similarly, consistently informing students that you are available to them during office hours helps reaffirm your approachability while increasing the likelihood of students who need assistance reaching out for help ​​(CTRL Faculty Resources, 2023). You may also want to explain to students how you typically treat office hours. Are students welcome to attend just to say “hi” or should they attend only if they have questions? If a student is not able to attend office hours are there other ways to reach out?

• • Email/correspondence.  Provide information on how students should reach out to you if they have questions or concerns that cannot be addressed in-class or during office hours. Should students contact you via email? Phone? The Quercus inbox? A Q&A Discussion Board? For which types of topics are they welcome to contact you? What is your typical response time? How should they address you in their email (Professor, Dr., or another honorific)? Do you accept informal inquiries or do you prefer that emails/correspondence be structured formally (with a formal greeting, introduction, body, and salutation).

3. Share resources and opportunities for skill development.

• • Course supports. Let students know what course-specific supports are available if they are struggling with the course. Is there an FSG or PNDA tutoring option available for your course? Are you or the teaching assistants available for one-on-one appointments if a student is struggling?

• • Academics. Inform students of the available institutional resources and workshops on academic skills such as writing, research, and presentation techniques (e.g.,UofT Writing Centre, ENG100H1 Effective Writing).

• • Well-being. Inform students of the available institutional resources on career counselling and grad school application preparation (e.g., Academic Advising & Career Centre, CLNx).

4. Use the Transparency in Teaching and Learning (TILT) framework (Winkelmes, 2023) to formulate assignments: In this framework, instructors describe the purpose of the assignment, the task that students must perform, and the criteria for success.

• • Students’ chances of success are higher when they approach their academic work with an understanding of the following:
    • Purpose (specific skills they will exercise, knowledge they will gain and potential applications of that knowledge beyond university)
    • Task (a strategy outlining the steps they will take to complete the assignment)
    • Criteria (how to assess the efficacy of their labour on ongoing work, and what several examples of good work could look like; Winkelmes, 2023)

• • Research has established the benefits of TILT for university students, including boosts in academic confidence, sense of belonging, metacognitive awareness of learning, perseverance, engagement, and work quality (Winkelmes, 2023).

• • The TILT framework also promotes educational equity. Transparent instructions provide greater benefits for underserved university students; those who belong to underrepresented ethnic groups, have low incomes, or are the first in their families to attend university (Winkelmes, 2023)
    • Consult the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) project for further information on creating transparent assessments. This site offers several helpful tools, such as transparent assignment templates.

Check Your Understanding

References

Baldwin, A. (2020). College Success. OpenStax. Retrieved from https://openstax.org/books/college-success/pages/1-introduction

Boston University. (2021). Teaching the Hidden Curriculum. Retrieved from https://www.bu.edu/teaching-writing/resources/teaching-the-hidden-curriculum/

CTRL Faculty Resources. (2023). The Hidden Curriculum: Helping Students Learn the ‘Secret’ Keys to Success. Retrieved from https://edspace.american.edu/ctrl/hidden-curriculum/

Winkelmes, M. (2023). Introduction to Transparency in Learning and Teaching. Perspectives In Learning, 20 (1). Retrieved from https://csuepress.columbusstate.edu/pil/vol20/iss1/2/

Contributions

Roles follow the CRediT Taxonomy. Names are listed in alphabetical order.

Conceptualization: Showmi Sribaskar

Writing – Original draft: Showmi Sribaskar

Writing – Review & editing: Kosha Bramesfeld

Supervision: Jessica Dere