Curriculum Development - UET Lahoreuet.edu.pk/.../qec/qec_intro/downloads/Curriculum_Development.pdfPrevents compartmentalization of subjects ... Examples of learner-centred curriculum

The fundamentals

Curriculum Development

Ms Sumbal Salim. PCEPT Workshop 2011

Task 1

Lets begin by defining the terms:

1. Curriculum

2. Course

3. Syllabus

Ms Sumbal Salim PCEPT Workshop 2011

Differentiating between curriculum and

syllabus

A curriculum may be viewed as the content, standards, or

objectives for which an institution hold the learners accountable.

Or it may be taken as the set of instructional strategies teachers

plan to use

However, taken as educational plans, standards or intended

outcomes, curriculum becomes a political stance.

The teacher is then accountable for the effectiveness of theirs

plans and the implementation of the curricula in a premeditated

manner- leaving little room for flexibility.


Differentiating between curriculum and

syllabus

Syllabus may be viewed as a concise statement or table of the

heads of discourse..the subjects of a series of lectures..it is

connected with the courses leading to examinations.


What do experts say?

“.. Curriculum is a very general concept which involves

consideration of the whole complex of philosophical, social

and administrative factors which contribute to the planning

of an educational program. Syllabus on the other hand, refers

to that subpart of curriculum which is concerned with a

specification of what units will be taught” (Allen 1984).


Things to remember

Curriculum MUST be a flexible document..

A curriculum should ONLY give a guideline for planning.

A curriculum may be provided by the institution or expert

curriculum planner.

Syllabus is a concrete document..

A syllabus should remind the instructor of what is to be taught,

how it is to be taught and from where it is to be taught.

A syllabus should be drawn up the instructor or those involved

directly in the teaching.


Types of Curriculum frame-works

Subject-centred

Problem-centred

Learner-centred


Subject-centred Curriculum

Here the focus is on the content of the curriculum

The teaching in the subject-centred curriculum corresponds

to the textbook written specifically for the subject


Subject-centred Curriculum

The focus in subject-centred curriculum may be on

Traditional areas in the traditional disciplines

Interdisciplinary topics that touch on a wide variety of fields

On processes such as problem solving

On the goal of teaching students to be critical consumers of

information


Subject to be taught

Topic area within the subject to be covered

Determination of objectives

Deciding upon learning experiences relevant to mastering the content

Evaluating the extent of mastery of what was taught

Definition of important

generalization and

understandings to teach

Identification of accompanying

intellectual discipline


Examples of Subject-centred

curriculum

1. Subject Design

Stresses entirely on the content

Learning is very compartmentalised

Does not account for learner interest, experiences and

tendencies



curriculum

2. Discipline Design

Knowledge gained through a method which the scholars

use to study specific content of their fields

Only the In-depth study of specialised areas takes place



curriculum

3. Correlation Design

It links separate subject designs to reduce fragmentation

Subjects are related to one another but also retain

individual identities



curriculum

4. Broad field design/ interdisciplinary

Prevents compartmentalization of subjects

Integrates the contents which are related to each other


Learner-centred Curriculum

Centred on certain aspects of the learners themselves

May explore the learner‟s own life, family history or local

environment


Examples of learner-centred curriculum

1. Child-centred design (John Dewey, Rouseau, Pestallozi and

Froebel)

Anchored on the needs and interests of the child

Learner is actively involved in the learning process

Learning takes place through doing

Learners interact with the teachers and the environment



2. Experience-centred design

Experiences of the learners become the starting point

The learning environment is open and free-no boundaries

are defined

Learners choose from various activities the teacher

provides

Learners are empowered to shape their own learning



3. Humanistic design (Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers)

The ultimate goal is development of the self

Integrates thinking, feeling and doing with the whole

person

Stresses the development of positive self-concept and

interpersonal skills.


Advantages of learner-centred

curriculum

Gives power to the learners who are viewed in experts in

knowing what they need to know

Takes into account the social and cultural context of the

learner

Creates direct link between in-class work and learners‟ need

for literacy outside the classroom


Disadvantages of learner-centred

curriculum

Relies on teacher‟s ability to create/select material

appropriate to learners‟ expressed needs

Requires a skilled teacher, time and resources

Teachers find it difficult to strike balance among the

competing needs and interests of students


Alternatives for a learner-centred

curriculum

Student-designed creative activities

Small group-activities (in and out of class)

Change seating configuration

Focus on team learning/peer teaching

Design problem solving activities

Paired activities

Design tasks cards

Standard lectured

Teacher demonstration


Problem-centred curriculum

Subject matter is organised around a real or hypothetical

problem to be solved

Is engaging and authentic and gives learners a real purpose of

inquiry


Types of problem-centred curriculum

Life situations involving real problems of practice

Problems which revolve around life in a given institute

Problems selected from local issues

Philosophical or moral problems


Curriculum Development

Is a multi-stage process involving dedication, understanding and

knowledge on part of the curriculum designer or developer


Curriculum Development for

Engineering

Various models have been presented in the engineering

educational literature for the development of curricula for study

programs in engineering.

In the teacher improvement workshop conducted by the

engineering development bank, the following adaption of the

model described by Grayson (1978)was given.

The model identifies the following stages in the design and

development of a curriculum:

Stage 1: Problem definition

Stage 2: Structuring the curriculum

Stage 3: ImplementationMs Sumbal Salim PCEPT Workshop 2011

Framework for developing an engineering

curriculum based on Grayson’s model

Problem Defitnition

• Mission statement

• Industry needs

• Societal needs

• Professional needs

Structuring the curriculum

• Domains of knowledge

• Stdent constraints

• Accrediting body

• Resources

• Teaching and learning methods

Implementation and evaluation

• Advisory boards

• External examiners

• Feedback from industry

• Outcomes assessment


Stage 1 Problem DefinitionThe inputs to stage 1 are:

The Mission Statement. This should be a part of the

strategic planning and quality management procedures of the

Department and it provides overall guidance of the purpose of the

Department.

Industry Needs. These can be difficult to obtain but

should include a competencies measure of manpower

requirements and the skills, knowledge and employers expect of

graduate engineers.

Societal needs. The role that the engineer will play in the

national development, the engineer's responsibilities to society,

society's expectations and the impact of technology on society are

necessary inputs to the curriculum design process.Ms Sumbal Salim PCEPT Workshop 2011

Stage 1 Problem Definition

Professional needs. This input includes criteria set

for the initial registration of professional engineers,

criteria for continued registration, and criteria for

educational program as set by the professional societies.

Evaluation of an Existing Curriculum. Feedback

from the existing curriculum, if any, can be used to

determine how well the existing curriculum satisfies the

educational goals. This information will help in improving the

curriculum.


Task 2

1. Does your department have a mission statement? What do

you think could be the mission statement?

2. How can you conduct a needs analysis to learn about the

industrial needs?

3. Make a list of the needs of the industry of your particular

field.

4. Make a list of the societal roles of engineers of your field.

5. What are the professional needs of engineers from your

field?


Outputs of Stage 1

A broad statement of the educational objectives of the

engineering education program.

These educational goals reflect the philosophy of the

Department and are based on the current and future needs of

society, the profession and industry.

A qualifications profile (Program outcomes) which is a list of

the knowledge, skills and attitudes that a graduate from the

program must possess.


Setting of Goals The Grinter Report, for example, proposed two broad goals-

one technical and the other social- for engineering education.

The first was the preparation of the student to perform analysis

and creative design, or construction, production or operation,

where a full knowledge of the analysis and design of the

structure, machine or process is essential.

The second goal was to develop an understanding of the

evolution of society and of the impact of technology on it, an

acquaintance with an appreciation of the heritage of other

cultural fields, and the development of both a personal

philosophy, which will ensure satisfaction in the pursuit of a

productive life, and a sense of moral and ethical values

consistent with the career of a professional engineer.Ms Sumbal Salim PCEPT Workshop 2011

Task 3

1. Write the aims of your curriculum.

(aims are the broad learning outcomes which talk about the

change to be brought about in the learners e.g Students will

learn how to use effective office communication skills in

English)

2. Create a professional profile for learners of your specific

field.


Stage 2 Structuring the Curriculum

ElementsThe inputs to stage 2 are:

The educational objectives and program outcomes fromstage 1.

The domain of knowledge for the engineering discipline.This represent the area of the knowledge that can beidentified as being fundamental to the particular discipline,including the basic sciences and mathematics on which theengineering principles and practice are based. Advances inengineering sciences and in technology will result in modificationsto the curriculum if the knowledge of graduates is to be up-to-date.

Student characteristics. Course designers are able tobetter accommodate the needs of the "clients" if they havean understanding of the prior education, experience, learninghabits, motivation and numbers of the students entering theprogram.


Stage 2 Structuring the Curriculum Elements

Accrediting body. The criteria and accreditingprocedures of the relevant authority must be met in thefinal curriculum design. Criteria often include topics to covered,time to spend on each section of the curriculum, minimum lengthof course and staff qualifications, for example see the ABET 2000criteria.

Resources. The resources available to the Department tobe used in delivering the curriculum include: library facilities,laboratories, computer systems, staff qualifications, experienceand interests, funding, classrooms, access to resources outside thedepartment and so on. It may be necessary to plan the upgradingof some of these resources as part of the continuous improvementin the quality of the program. The effectiveness of the use as wellas the actual quantity of the resources needs to be considered.


Teaching and Learning Methods. An awareness of

the theories of learning can provide some insight into

understanding how university students learn. This in turn

will reflect on the design of the curricula, the teaching

methods, the assessment procedure to adopt and educational

technology to be used. These considerations become more

important when one is involved in the fine details of

curriculum design, that is in the design of the syllabus to

achieve the learning outcomes of each subject.


Stage 2

Stage 2 consists of two steps:

1. Organizing the main structural elements of the curriculum.

The objective of this step is to make decisions about the

broad structure of the course: the length of study, the

percentage of the course devoted to each study the major

subjects and their sequence, mandatory courses and elective

courses.

Sequencing of material is important. Students must learn to

apply the fundamentals to increasingly difficult problems over

the duration of the program. Topics may be treated at a

fundamental level initially and at advanced levels in later years.


Stage 2

Integration of material is also important. For example, in

the study of mathematics it is good practice if students learn

to apply to their chemical engineering science subjects what

is being taught in mathematics as it is being taught or soon

after. That is, knowledge should not be developed in isolation

in individual courses.

2. Detailed structuring of the course. This is the development

of the content and learning activities within each subject

area. Subject specialists provide the main input at this stage.


Stage 2

Guiding principles for organizing the content are:

Exposition of content should proceed from the simple to the

complex

Material for presentation should be ordered according to

prerequisite knowledge

Material should be presented from the practical to the

abstract.

Material should be presented from the part to the whole, that

is individual elements should be mastered before complex

systems or mechanisms are studied.


Task

Evaluate the objectives of any particular course in your

curriculum and see whether it contributes towards the aim

or not.

Does your curriculum have proper sequencing and

integration? Give us an example if, yes. If no, why and how

can it be corrected?


Stage 3 Implementation and

Evaluation

The curriculum developed and approved at stage 2 must now beimplemented and evaluated.

ABET 2000, for example, requires that Departments have adocumented assessment process which demonstrates that theobjectives of the program are being measured and achieved, andthat the results of this outcomes assessment are being applied tothe continuous improvement of the study program.

Evidence that could be gathered as part of this assessmentprocess would include: students„ results, students' project anddesign outputs, nationally (or internationally) referenced subjectcontent examinations, alumni surveys, career developments offormer students, graduate employment, employer satisfactionsurveys and program accreditation results.


Stage 3

Individual subjects can be evaluated by getting feedback from

students, by observing the quality of students' output in

designs, tests or examinations, by observing student

performance in subsequent courses and by comparing class

performance with that in previous years or for similar

courses.


Documents

Curriculum Development - UET Lahoreuet.edu.pk/.../qec/qec_intro/downloads/Curriculum_Development.pdfPrevents compartmentalization of subjects ... Examples of learner-centred curriculum