1.

1 EDUCATION
Education refers to the entire social process by
which an individual acquire the ways beliefs and
standards of the society.
The Educational Curriculum
A sequence of potential experiences set up in the
school for the purpose of disciplined children and
youth in the group ways of thinking is called
curriculum. Curriculum has been defined as all
the experiences a learner has under the guidance
of the school.
 Teaching
 Learning
 Curriculum
 Instruction
1.The cumulative tradition of organized
knowledge;
2. Modes of thought;
3. Race experience;
4. Guided experience;
5. A planned learning environment;
6. Cognitive/affective content and process;
7. An instructional plan;
8. Instructional ends or outcomes and
9. A technological system of production
 Tanner (1980) defined curriculum as “the
planned and guided learning experiences and
intended outcomes, formulated through the
systematic reconstruction of knowledge and
experiences under the auspices of the school,
for the learners’ continuous and wilful growth
in personal social competence” (p.13).
 Schubert (1987) defines curriculum as the
contents of a subject, concepts and tasks to
be acquired, planned activities, the desired
learning outcomes and experiences, product
of culture and an agenda to reform society.
 Pratt (1980) defines curriculum as a written
document that systematically describes goals
planned, objectives, content, learning
activities, evaluation procedures and so forth.
 Goodlad and Su (1992) define curriculum as a
plan that consists of learning opportunities
for a specific time frame and place, a tool
that aims to bring about behaviour changes
in students as a result of planned activities
and includes all learning experiences received
by students with the guidance of the school.
 Cronbleth (1992) defines curriculum as
answering three questions: what knowledge,
skills and values are most worthwhile? Why
are they most worthwhile? How should the
young acquire them?
 Grundy (1987) defines curriculum as a
programme of activities (by teachers and
pupils) designed so that pupils will attain so
far as possible certain educational and other
schooling ends or objectives.
 Hass (1987) provides a broader definition,
stating that a curriculum includes “all of the
experiences that individual learners have in a
program of education whose purpose is to
achieve broad goals and related specific
objectives, which is planned in terms of a
framework of theory and research or past and
present professional practice” (p.5).
Here are multiple definitions of curriculum, from
Oliva (1997). Curriculum is:
 That which is taught in schools
 A set of subjects.
 Content
 A program of studies.
 A set of materials
 A sequence of courses.
 A set of performance objectives
 A course of study

 Is everything that goes on within the
school, including extra-class activities,
guidance, and interpersonal relationships.
 Everything that is planned by school
personnel.
 A series of experiences undergone by
learners in a school.
 That which an individual learner
experiences as a result of schooling. p 4
 Parts of Curriculum
 Subject:- is interpreted to mean an
organized field of knowledge.
 Course:- is interpreted to mean that body of
organized contents and experiences which
is offered to a given period of time.
 Syllabus:- is the outline of the content to be
studied by a student at a specific level of
Education.
 Selected Curriculum
Related Terminology

Program /Discipline
The program or discipline is the
degree program i.e. MBE, M.A.
Economics, LLB. etc.
 Scheme of Studies

 Courses of Study including

various subjects.
 Subject/Course
 Subject within a discipline/programme. The
subjects may be credit or non-credit. Credit
courses are those counted towards the
award of the degree whereas non credit
courses are not. Non-credit courses can be
audited or graded.
 Subject/ Course Outline
 A course outline gives the basic
components required to be taught. It states
the expectations which serve as the basis of
student grading and, fundamental required
components of the course which a student
is guaranted to receive from the
institution/instructor.
 Content

 Knowledge, and skills to

be included in a subject.
 Regulations

 Regulations relate to the

courses of reading, syllabi
course outlines, admission
criteria and the number of
students to be admitted to the
programme.
 Statutes

 Statutes relate to the duration of

the programme, entry
requirements/ prerequisite, the
number and list of courses and
the examination system.
 Learning outcomes

 The anticipated/desired
knowledge, skills and attitudes
developed by the learner by the
completion of the
course/subject/programme.
 Elements of Curriculum
Background or Rationale
 The rationale should state a general conceptual
background about how the change or
innovation came about. It may include some
history of the programme proposal, its
importance and specific present and
anticipated needs of the community/country.
The rationale will help in developing the
mission and goal statement i.e. the rationale
for revising the curriculum of business and
commerce education might be the rapidly
growing Information Technology which has
necessitated the replacement of the previously
core courses on shorthand and typing, by
courses related to Information Technology and
computer use.
 Mission/Goal of the Programme
 The philosophy or mission statements are
beliefs, assumptions and values related to
the program. The mission statement of the
programme should be in harmony and
within the context of the university mission.
It should clearly state its long term
anticipated outcomes in the field of
knowledge and profession. It is stated in
general broad terms, i.e. the goal of the
Department of Secondary Education is to
prepare quality teachers for secondary and
higher secondary schools who can use
innovative teaching learning strategies for
enhanced student learning.
 Entry Requirements/Pre-Requisites
 The students graduating from Higher Secondary
Schools (HSS) and colleges qualify to enter
university education. The university must clearly
define the required entry qualification for each of
its programmes specifying the knowledge, skills
and abilities the students are expected to have.
These requirements should be decided in
consultation with and accepted by those providing
the earlier cycle of education i.e. colleges and
higher secondary education institutions. The entry
requirements are then translated into the
degree/certificate required along with specific
subjects. It may also include the minimum mastery
level demonstrated in the form of marks/grades
secured in the examination/subject. The university
may also require some qualifying or graded entry
test and/or interview.
Goals, Aims and Objectives/Graduate Qualifications

 The curriculum should provide a list of the aims,

goals and objectives. Aims are general
statements of educational intent, which give the
program or course a destination, while objectives
and learning outcomes are more specific. The
goals or graduate qualifications should be
described as a set of abilities required to exercise
the profession rather than just listing the
knowledge acquired in the education process.
The objectives are stated more specifically for
each subject included in a programme. They
provide guidelines for teaching learning and for
subject evaluation. Each of the goals, aims, and
objectives can be classified into knowledge, skills
and attitudes.
 Structure and Sequence of Courses
(Scheme of Studies)
 The structure provides the list of courses in
accordance with the stated mission and goals. The
structure also includes the organization of courses
at a time and the sequence in which the students
are required to take the course. A flow chart or
diagram can be plotted to show the horizontal and
vertical/hierarchical relationship among courses
and programmes.
 Chart

COURSES REQUIRED FOR A DEGREE

Core
Deficiency/ Courses Specialization General Auxiliaries
Pre- Courses Elective
requisite

Spec. 1 Credit

Spec. 2

1 2 Non-Credit
Spec. 3 3

Graded Audit
It may also show course categories i.e.
prerequisite, core, specialization elective.
For each course the course number,
course name and credit hours value
should be indicated. The scheme of studies
also states the total of minimum credit hours
required for a degree, the major
requirements, specializations, open electives
and any other requirements.
 Course Content/Subject Matter

 The content shows a complete listing of

the topics and sub-topics to be taught in
a course. The content may include the
perspective from which a topic is taught
i.e. Conventions on Women Rights:
Impact of Conventions on Women Rights
or the Status of Pakistan Women.
 Curriculum Implementation
Strategies in the Classroom

Implementation of the curriculum takes place in

the classroom through an array of activities
including instructional activities, assignments,
readings and assessment and evaluation.
 Instructional Strategies
 The instructional strategies should be
specifically related to the core objectives of
the course. They should provide real
guidance to instructors in designing the
class sessions i.e. rather than stating
‘lecture’. The description might be lecture
with in-class practice including feedback
and education by the instructor. The
instructional strategies will change
according to the nature of content but the
trend is more the emphasize process skills
for which strategies like teamwork,
presentations, peer group teaching.
Computer Assisted Learning etc. should be
adopted.
 Assignments

 The assignments should be directly related to

the objectives of the course. They should
provide real guidance to the faculty, state
clear expectations from students, and
description of the type or examples of
assignments required.
 Evaluation and Examinations

 The types and examples of evaluation and

examinations should be listed. Statements
should clearly show the basis for grading to
help in directing students towards goal
oriented learning and transparent
assessment.
 Textbooks
A full reference of the
textbook/s, further
readings and relevant
software should be given.