Task 1
Lets begin by defining the terms:
1. Curriculum
2. Course
3. Syllabus
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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Types of Curriculum frame-works
Subject-centred
Problem-centred
Learner-centred
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Examples of Subject-centred
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
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Examples of Subject-centred
curriculum
3. Correlation Design
It links separate subject designs to reduce fragmentation
Subjects are related to one another but also retain
individual identities
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Examples of Subject-centred
curriculum
4. Broad field design/ interdisciplinary
Prevents compartmentalization of subjects
Integrates the contents which are related to each other
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Learner-centred Curriculum
Centred on certain aspects of the learners themselves
May explore the learner‟s own life, family history or local
environment
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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
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Examples of learner-centred curriculum
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
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Examples of learner-centred curriculum
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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Curriculum Development
Is a multi-stage process involving dedication, understanding and
knowledge on part of the curriculum designer or developer
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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
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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