9.2.6 Curriculum design tools and models

Curriculum design tools and models

The goal of the curriculum development process is to create a coherent and aligned curriculum, which prepares the learner to acquire the defined learning outcomes. This requires in-depth analysis of the current context and desired results. Various instructional design models can be used to support this process. Two examples, the ADDIE model and the curricular ‘spider web’, are briefly described below.

The ADDIE model consists of five stages that can, and perhaps should, be followed during each of the three steps described above. These stages reflect the five core activities described under ‘steps in curriculum design’. The model is particularly useful when developing a module, or a specific class within a module. The stages are:

Analyse the student background and stated entrance level, the learning outcomes and objectives, and the required resources and activities;

Design a learning solution to achieve the learning outcomes and objectives, with clear links between content, learning activities and objectives, including how to provide feedback on learners’ progress;

Develop the learning resources, validate resources with relevant stakeholders and pilot the content to test it;

Implement the curriculum or module in the first instance by selecting and training the teachers who will deliver it, preparing the learning environment(s), and informing students;

Evaluate prior to full implementation, to check whether the quality of learning materials and activities satisfies the standards set in the design phase, and after implementation to assess learners’ satisfaction, learning results, and the transfer of newly acquired knowledge and skills to the workplace.

The curricular spider web model (van den Akker, 2003), is useful for creating aligned curricula and modules. A visual representation showing ten core curriculum components as a spider’s web illustrates their interdependent nature, and underlines the vulnerability of the structure’s consistency. If one of the components is changed, all the threads of the web are affected and should be reviewed to find a new, better balance. The model provides a quick way to check if the core components have been covered, whether they are clear, and how coherent they are.

The rationale, or vision for the curriculum stands in the centre of the web, representing the central mission of learning plan’s pedagogy. It seeks to answer the question, ‘why are the students learning?’ The other nine components are derived from the rationale, and therefore should be consistent with it and with each other. The nine components answer the following questions:

• Towards which goals are the learners learning (aims & objectives),

• What are they learning (content),

• How are they learning (activities),

• How does the teacher facilitate their learning (teacher role),

• With what are they learning (materials and resources),

• With whom are they learning (grouping),

• Where are they learning (location),

• When are they learning (time), and

• How is their learning progress measured (assessment).

 

Further reading:

• Akker, J. van den (2003). Curriculum perspectives: An introduction. In J. van den Akker, W. Kuiper & U. Hameyer (Eds.), Curriculum landscapes and trends (pp. 1-10). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.