Journal Review 1

on UNIT 4 “Curriculum Designs”

Title of Journal Article: Curriculum Design for Flexible Delivery Massaging

the Model
Author: Maureen Bell and Geraldine Lefoe
Source: ASCILITE 1998. Retrieved: March 11, 2010 from
http://www.ascilite.org.au/conference/wollongong98/asc98.pdf/bell-lefoe0031.pdf

This research was designed to promote Flexible Delivery curriculum in

University of Wollongong, Australia. Flexible delivery is an approach to teaching
and learning which increases access to education for a wide range of students by
offering greater student control over time, place, and pace of study. Technology
is utilized to support communication and access to information to move towards a
more students centered approach to teaching and learning.
This research provides answer to the gradual changes in tertiary teaching
which traditional curriculum models could not anymore meet. The author asserts
that the use of flexible modes of delivery which incorporate information and
communication technologies is a better means of managing the challenge. The
challenge of finding or building an appropriate design model became the focus
since traditional models were found less effective than flexible delivery. Case
study was used to outline (1) the early decisions about curriculum models that
were inadequate, (2) the interactions between Teaching Development Lecturer
(TDL) and Instructional Designer (ID) that proved significant to the final course
design and the development of new curriculum design and (3) a curriculum
model for Flexible Delivery that is grounded in design practice. TDL centers on
‘outcomes-based integrative model. Designers begin by defining desired learning
outcomes in answer to the question “what will the learners know, be able to do
and or value when they have completed the course?” It is followed by the
integration of four major elements of curriculum design: content, teaching and
learning method, resources and assessment. This model is developed such that
each element influences the other rather than being developed in any particular
order. Tyler’s Curriculum model and Interaction model follow a certain structure
and objectives are specified with elements of order. According to the authors
traditional models are problematic and do not meet the challenges of the present
tertiary educational demands. These include the use of test data based on
absolute standards of performance. They asserted that a great deal of learning is
not amenable to observation or measurement and teaching only that which can
be measured confines and trivializes knowledge. Traditional models focus on
cognitive and social learning rather than behaviorist and constructivist theories.
Traditional models seemed to not considerably regard media as support for
students in achieving their learning outcomes. Given this information the authors
developed a Flexible Delivery model which emerges from the deliberation of the
previous curriculum adopted by the University and its new vision to take the
challenge of new millennium. However, they believe still that there is no one
curriculum model that should be prescribed for flexible delivery designs. Flexible
delivery still is an advantage in that creativity is more likely to flourish when
designers are not locked into a rigid method.