5 STEPS TO CREATING A CURRICULUM
- Nov 23, 2015
- 4 min read
5 Steps to creating a curriculum – Dr. R.J. Chandler Sr., Lecturer
Post-Secondary Higher Education, Wilmington University
“Curriculum development includes a variety of activities around the creation of planned curriculum, pedagogy, instruction, and delivery methods for guiding student learning (Faculty Focus, n.d.).” Though this statement directly relates to a K-12 learning environment, the methodology can be utilized for andragogic applications.
Introduction:
What’s the point? - Student learning. Instructional delivery facilitators should foster environments where students are taught how to be life learners. Learning does not start or stop in the classroom, but it transcends the institution.
Creating a curriculum is not a walk around the block, it’s a journey down the country side. Be prepared to take advantage of the rest stops. There will also be a need for refueling from time to time. It is wishful thinking if the curriculum developer thinks that he or she can create the curriculum in one setting. Contrarily, the creation of the curriculum takes time, patience and endurance. Hence, it is imperative that the developer plans for rest stops along the way.
You need to know where you want to go, know what to use to get there, choose the best route and enjoy the journey. In order for this to occur, the curriculum developer must research.
Begin with the end in mind. Visualize the completion of the curriculum.
Why is this journey important? Who will it benefit? – Why is the new curriculum important? Who will it benefit?
What resources will be needed? (i.e. time, finances, etc.)
Who has been where we are going? Identify persons who have travelled similar roads. They will be able to share their experiences, what to look out for and necessary detours. I encourage my students to revisit the past. Why reinvent the wheel when there is a wheel that already works. Use the wheel, but improve upon it and make it applicable to today’s generation.
5 Steps to Creating a Curriculum
Create your curriculum team: Reach out to industry leaders, advisory boards, high schools, universities and publishers. These entities will help the curriculum developer to focus their efforts. There will always be a lot of content and areas of interest, but the curriculum developer must ascertain what’s most important and appropriate (Monahan, N., 2015).
Maintain communication and contact with the curriculum team as they will need to work with the curriculum developer throughout the curriculum process.
Yield to the curriculum guidelines of the institution. Make sure you are in compliance with the standards of the college or university. The language, format, etc. are very important. While every post-secondary institution is different, each has requirements and mandates engineered by the regional accrediting organization that must be achieved.
Create the syllabus. The syllabus drives the “blackboard” course content, publication selection, resources, etc. The syllabus should include measurable performance objectives and mastery learning indicators. The syllabus does not indicate how students learn, rather it should describe what they will learn. Make sure that the syllabus is the industry standard and that it has been reviewed by the team.
In some cases, choosing the right textbook will curtail the amount of time dedicated to curriculum development in half. Many publishers provide instructional resources such as PowerPoints, assignments, tests, etc. Not only that, but some provide online resources and answer keys.
Be honest and exchange seats with the students. Is there too much information in the syllabus? Does it make sense?
Is the syllabus fair? Take the time to review a similar course and perform a comparative analysis.
Has the syllabus passed the smell test? If it doesn’t smell right, it won’t work. Is it relevant or outdated?
Give some wiggle room. Make an effort to not be stoic, rigid or stuck in your ways. Be flexible. In other words, embrace the diversity and ever-changing society that we live in and include current trends and domestic affairs into the instruction. Does the content being taught relate to the current events?
Create weekly assignments utilizing the chunking method. Know the difference between formative and summative assessments. The formative assessments are comprised of, but not limited to: quizzes, homework assignments, reports, class participation, small projects, etc. The summative assessments are usually unit for final exams or capstone projects. Understand your 16 or 8 or 4 week course blocks and design the course accordingly.
Finally, make the course attractive and engaging. Incorporate gamification and ice breakers. I define gamification as the ability to utilize games such as Bingo, Jeopardy, Family Feud, Kahoot It, etc. during the instructional delivery. I find games to be a great way to recap the lesson and provide review of the content. There are games for all ages! The curriculum developer should research and identify games that are relevant, easy and engaging. Use technology!
References
Curriculum Development in High Education. (n.d.). Retreived November 17, 2015, from http://www.facultyfocus.com/topic/articles/curriculum-development/
Monahan, N. (2015, October 12). More Content Doesn’t Equal More Learning. Retrieved November 17, 2015, from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/curriculum-development/more-content-doesnt-equal-more-learning/
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