Curriculum Development major steps involved

Curriculum development major steps

1. Concept of and the major steps in Curriculum Development

2. Curriculum Development can be defined as the step by step process used to create positive improvement in the courses offered by a school, college or university. Curriculum Development is defined a planned, a purposeful, progressive and systematic process to create positive improvement in the educational system.

3. In the words of H.L. Caswell, “ The curriculum development is all that goes on in the lives of children, their parents and their teachers. The curriculum is made up of everything that surrounds the learner in all his working hours.’ In modern times, the term is interpreted in a more liberal sense because there is no questioning the fact that the child’s education is influenced by not only books but by the play ground, library, laboratory, reading room, extra curricular programs, the educational environment and a host of other factors.

4. Curriculum development on the whole should aim at enabling the learners to acquire knowledge, develop concepts and inculcate skills, attitude, values and correspondence with the social, cultural, economic and environmental realities at national and international levels.

5. Curriculum should help the students to develop in the following areas: Language abilities and communication skills needed for social living and further learning. Competencies that facilitate mathematical operations and their applications in day to day life and learning. Knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary for keeping physically fit and strong in conformity with normal development patterns. A proper understanding about the role and importance of sex in human life and healthy attitude towards sex and members of opposite sex.

6. Qualities that make a man socially effective and happy in various social settings such as friendliness, cooperativeness, compassion, self discipline, self control, humour , courage, love for social justice, etc . Moral and character values such as honesty, truthfulness, dependability, courtesy, fearlessness, compassion etc. Pre- vocational/ vocational skills, willingness to work hard and dignity of manual work necessary for increased productivity and job satisfaction. Ability to appreciate and discover beauty in various life situations and integrate into one’s own personality.

7. Understanding of the environment and its limited resources and the need for conservation of natural resources and energy. Appreciation of various consequences of large families and over population and need for checking population growth. Understanding the diverse cultural and social system of people living in different parts of the country and the country’s composite cultural heritage. Knowledge of national symbols and desire and determination to uphold the ideals of national identity and unity.

8. An awareness of the inherent equality of all and the need of global fraternity with a strong commitment to human values and to social justice Knowledge of scientific methods of enquiry and its use in solving problems.  

9. Curriculum development is a specialized task which requires systematic thinking about the objectives to be achieved, learning experiences to be provided, evaluation of changes brought out by the curricular activities and so on. We need to follow the order in which decisions related to curriculum development are made and we have to make sure that all the relevant considerations are taken into account before taking any decision.

10. Steps in the process of curriculum Development Analysis of the social situation Identification and selection of objectives Selection and managing content Selection of curriculu m experiences Assessment and evaluation of curriculum

11. Step 1: Analysis of social situation Diagnosis of the students weakness Identifying weakness of educational process Review of activities Relevance of content in relation to the objectives Assess the workability of all components of education process

12. Step II: Identity and Formulating Objectives Main sources for identifying the educational objectives are; Analysis of external and internal situation. Educational philosophy, social, economic and political basis of education The stages of growth and development of students National needs and future requirements.

13. The following points should also be considered while formulating the objectives: a) Matching: The objectives should be related to the broad goals of education from which they are derived. b) Worth: Worth relates to whether attaining an objective has value in the life of the student in the present or future. The objectives should be useful, meaningful and relevant to the need of the students. c) Wording: The statements of the objectives should be worded properly, so that students can easily understand the intended outcomes.

14. d ) Appropriateness : All objectives should be derived from and cater to the needs and interests of the students. e ) Logical grouping: The objectives should be grouped according to some common idea or in terms of domains - cognitive, affective and psychomotor. Proper grouping of the objectives will help plan and develop a more meaningful curriculum in terms of its content and evaluation . f ) Revision : The objectives require periodic revision because students' needs, realm of knowledge, instructional strategies, etc.. change at a very fast pace these days. Revision of objectives will have a recurring impact on the curriculum and make it an on-going process.

15. Step III: Selection and organizing Content Generally content refers to subject matter of facts, concepts, generalizations , principles and theories . The curriculum content should enable students to gain and apply knowledge in day-to-clay life . At the macro level the criteria for the selection of content should be based on the socio-political and educational philosophy of the society or the nation . At the micro level the criteria should suit the specific objectives set for meeting the student's needs.

16. Some of the criteria for content selection are discussed as follows: i ) Self-sufficiency: This criteria helps the students to attain maximum self-sufficiency and that too in the most economical manner. ii) Significance: The content to be learned should be significant in terms of its contributions to the basic ideas, concepts, etc., in particular learning abilities.

17. iii ) Validity: Validity relates to the authenticity of the content selected. The content selected should be valid to the extent that it flows from and supports the goals and objectives of the curriculum. iv ) Interest: C ontent should suit the personality and intellectual capabilities of the students. It is likely that the students, interest are transitory. The criterion should be weighed and adjusted to provide for student's maturity, prior knowledge, experience, etc. v) Utility: The utility criterion is concerned with the usefulness of the content. For example, the content learned by the student should be useful in his/her job situations.

18. vi) Learnability : This criterion relates the optimal placement and appropriate organisation and sequencing of content. The selected content should not be out of the range of student's experiences, intellectual abilities, etc. vii ) Feasibility: Feasibility as a criterion of content selection compels curriculum planners to analyze and examine the content in the light of the time and resources available to the student, costs involved, contemporary socio-political climate, etc.

19. In selecting and organizing of curriculum content, the following precautions should be taken and observed: Students needs and interest should be taken into account. The contents should be based on earlier achievements of students. The contents should be according to the abilities and capacities of learning of the students. The individual difference of the students should be kept in mind.

20. The contents should be accurate and clear. The contents should be useful for the students, society as well as the nation. The content should be helpful in developing mental abilities, skills, interests and values among the students.

21. Step IV: Selecting the learning experiences Learning experiences means the learning activities which shape the learner's orientation to the content and ultimately their understanding of it. Various teaching methods are used by teachers such as, lecture, discussion. project, demonstration, etc. Similarly there are various learning activities, such as viewing films, conducting experiments, undertaking fieldtrips, taking notes, working on assignments, participating in discussions, etc.

22. There are a few questions which should be considered before we select learning experiences. They are listed below: Do the learning experiences function the way we wish them to in the light of the overall aims and the specific objectives of the curriculum? Will the student be able to apply the knowledge gained to practical situations? Is it feasible in terms of time, staff expertise, resources, etc., to learn the content of the curriculum in the specified time. Do the learning experiences enable students to develop thinking skills and rational powers?

23. Do the learning experiences stimulate in students a greater understanding of their own existence as individuals and as members of a group/society? Do the learning experiences foster in students an openness to new experiences and a tolerance for diversity? Do the learning experiences allow students to address their needs and interests? Do the learning experiences cater to total development of students in cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains?

24. Wiles and Bondi have given some useful criteria for selection of curriculum experiences, in the light of the overall goals and objectives of the curriculum. They are: Valid in light of the ways in which knowledge and skills will be applied in and out of school situations. Feasible in terms of time, staff expertise, facilities in the school etc. Optimal in terms of students learning the content Capable of allowing students to develop their thinking skills and rational powers

25. 5. Capable of stimulating in students greater understanding of their existence as individual and as members of groups. 6. Foster in the students openness to new experiences and tolerance for diversity. 7. Facilitate learning and motivate students to continue learning. 8. Capable of allowing students to broaden their interests and address their needs. 9. Facilitate total development of students in cognitive, affective, psychomotor, social and spiritual domain.

26. Evaluating the Curriculum The effectiveness of any educational programme is judged by its potential to realised its goals and objectives. There are two types of evaluation; viz 1. Students evaluation and 2. curriculum evaluation.

27. 1. Students Evaluation : Student evaluation aims at assessing the changes in student's behaviour . These changes in behaviour can be assessed through: O ral , written or practical tests . Responses during interactive teaching-learning sessions, discussions in different kinds of situations, etc . Written products of different kinds, e.g. assignment responses term papers, project report , etc .

28. 2. Curriculum evaluation Curriculum evaluation refers to the evaluation of different components of curriculum: objectives , content, methods and evaluation procedures for student assessment to determine whether the curriculum caters to the needs and the educational purposes of the target group. Curriculum components can not be evaluated in isolation, since each component affects and influences the rest. Since these components are interdependent, each has to be evaluated in relation with the others.