Curriculum Reform

Curriculum reform that changes the shape and nature of postsecondary degrees must reflect generally
acknowledged academic standards of excellence; skills, knowledge, and understanding to help students
prepare for the future; and the goals and mission of the institution. No effort at reform can succeed
without adequate support for the faculty who have primary responsibility for the curriculum, nor can it
succeed unless it addresses the needs of a diverse student population.

The goals of higher education curricula should include mastery of basic skills, active participation in the
learning process, in-depth study, critical thinking, understanding of a discipline's characteristic methods,
and a coherent and relevant course of study. The goals should also be consistent with NEA principles such
as faculty control, equal access to quality education for all students, and multicultural understanding.

Any effort at curriculum revision should be designed to prepare all students for effective citizenship and
participation in an increasingly diverse society. A common body of intellectual reference must be inclusive
of multicultural and multinational perspectives. A diverse student population enriches the knowledge
base of all students.

NEA recommends the following:

o Curricula must express the goals and mission of individual institutions and address the needs of students.
o In designing the college's curriculum and schedule, the faculty should take the responsibility to ensure
that it is suited to the needs of a diverse society, and that it is flexible enough to allow access for different
kinds of students (adult learners, students who work, part-time students, transfers, and nontraditional
students).
o Curricula must be flexible enough to allow for the incorporation of new technologies and modes of
delivery while maintaining a constant focus on quality.
o Faculty should be responsible for periodic review of curricula within their disciplines or related
disciplines.
o Comments generated and materials compiled in the context of a faculty-driven curriculum review should
be used solely for that purpose and should not be used for discontinuance of programs or courses.
o Teaching and curriculum development are major parts of the faculty's role. Those faculty involved should
be adequately compensated for these activities.
o General education courses are an important part of the core curriculum, and as such, institutions should
provide the necessary staff and resources to ensure student success.
o Major curriculum revisions and articulation agreements at colleges and universities should involve
consultation with faculty members at other educational institutions affected by the changes.

Curriculum Design Sources

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The sources of curriculum design are the same as a person’s philosophy. How a person views the world
and the experiences they have had impacts how they design and conceptualize curriculum. There are
many sources of curriculum design and among them includes science, morals, learner, knowledge, and
society.

Some see curriculum design as a scientific process and they focus on quantifying the elements of the
curriculum. This group often focus on thinking strategies and elements of cognitive psychology.

In contrast to this group, other see morals as a source of curriculum. Morals are often derived from what
people consider to be spiritual authorities such as the Bible. For this source, lasting truth and inequality in
regards to the value of different subjects is part of adhering to this source.

The learner is another source. The student is where the curriculum comes from. This source influences
curriculum design by stressing student-centered learning and activities. Students are not passive objects
but active individuals who participate in their learning. The student interacts with the curriculum rather
than is feed the curriculum.

The opposite of the student as a source would be knowledge as the source. This is subject centered view
in which a teacher needs to decide what knowledge is most valuable. Knowledge should be structured as
a discipline with clear boundaries. As such, interdisciplinary approach do not work with this view.

Society as a source believes that curriculum design should include collaboration. Designers should not
ignore the diversity of human life as seen in culture, ethnicity and social class. The curriculum should
imbibe this and meet the needs of each student.

Few people are in one camp. Usually, people draw from several different sources as they design
curriculum.
 5 Major Components of a Curriculum
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A curriculum has five major components:
(1) A framework of assumptions about the learner and the society such as learners’ capacity and ability,
aptitudes and potential for learning, motivation, needs, interests and values as well as society’s
orientation to nurturing or using the individual gainfully.
(2) Aims and objectives (i.e., why education should be provided and towards what direction).
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(3) Content or subject-matter with selection of what is to be taught and learnt, scope of the subject-matter
and its sequence.
(4) Modes of transaction which deals with the process of teaching-learning and includes methodology of
teaching, learning experiences both within the institution and outside, learning environments, teachers’
material as well as students’ material.
(5) Evaluation methods and techniques for students.
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Curricula differ from each other on the basis of the extent of emphasis given to each of these elements,
the extent and manner of linking these elements with each other and the style of decision-making
pertaining to each of these elements.
For example, one institution places more emphasis on the intellectual development of students whereas
another institution emphasizes developing ideal, democratic citizens.
The selection of subject-matter will, therefore, different these two institutions with the first institution
incorporating programmes and activities aimed at developing rationality and thinking.
Thus, both these institution; would believe in different theories of learning and teaching thereby differing
in the nature and sequence of subject-matter and learning experiences.
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