Definition of Curriculum Development

Curriculum development is defined as planned, a purposeful, progressive, and

systematic process to create positive improvements in the educational system.
Every time there are changes or developments happening around the world, the
school curricula are affected. There is a need to update them to address the
society’s needs. To illustrate this contention, let’s trace back history. During the
ancient times, people taught their children knowledge and skills to survive by
catching fish or hunting animals for food. They had no formal education during
that time, but their children learned and acquired the knowledge and skills for
survival. So, during that time, they already had a curriculum that other educators
call as, the saber-tooth curriculum. This type of curriculum refers to a kind of
curriculum that existed during the ancient times in which the purpose of teaching
was for survival.

However, when the effects of discoveries and inventions became inevitable,

ancient people’s way of life had changed for the better. As a result, education
became formal, and curriculum development evolved as systematic, planned,
purposeful and progressive, even today.

Importance of Curriculum Development

Curriculum development has a broad scope because it is not only about the school,
the learners, and the teachers. It is also about the development of society in
general.

In today’s knowledge economy, curriculum development plays a vital role in

improving the economy of a country. It also provides answers or solutions to the
world’s pressing conditions and problems, such as environment, politics, socio-

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economics, and other issues of poverty, climate change, and sustainable
development.

There must be a chain of developmental process to develop a society. First, the

school curriculum, particularly in higher education, must be developed to preserve
the country’s national identity and to ensure its economy’s growth and stability.
Thus, the president of a country must have a clear vision for his people and the
country as well.

For instance, in the Philippines, if President Aquino would like the country to
become the Asia-Pacific’s tourism hub, then the school curriculum must be
developed along that line. Curricular programs for higher education can be crafted
in such a way that it will boost the tourism industry. For example, different models
may arise such as edu-tourism, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, medo-tourism, biz-
tourism, techno-tourism, agri-tourism, archi-tourism, among others.

If universities have curricular programs that are innovative and in demand in the
local or global markets, many students even from foreign countries will enroll. A
higher number of enrollees would mean income on the part of the universities. As a
result, if the income is big, it can be used for teachers’ promotion, scholarship, and
remuneration. It can also be used in funding research and development endeavors,
and in putting up school facilities, libraries, and laboratories.I believe that the
country’s economy can improve the people’s way of life through curriculum
development. And to develop it, curriculum experts or specialists should work
hand in hand with lawmakers such as senators and congressmen, the local
government officials, governors, mayors, among others. Likewise, business
communities and industries, and other economically oriented players in society
may be engaged in setting and implementing rules and policies for educational

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reforms. Hence, curriculum development matters a lot in setting the direction of
change in an organization, not only at the micro but also at macro levels. As long
as the goals and objectives of curriculum development are clear in the planner’s
mind, cutting-edge achievements in various concerns can be realized.

Definition of Curriculum Implementation

Curriculum implementation entails putting into practice the officially prescribed

courses of study, syllabuses and subjects. The process involves helping the learner
acquire knowledge or experience. It is important to note that curriculum
implementation cannot take place without the learner. The learner is therefore the
central figure in the curriculum implementation process. Implementation takes
place as the learner acquires the planned or intended experiences, knowledge,
skills, ideas and attitudes that are aimed at enabling the same learner to function
effectively in a society(University of Zimbabwe, 1995: 8).Viewed from this
perspective, curriculum implementation also refers to the stage when the
curriculum itself, as an educational programme, is put into effect. Putting the
curriculum into operation requires an implementing agent. Stenhouse (1979: 4)
identifies the tea personality, the teaching materials and the teaching environment
interact with the learner (University of Zimbabwe,1995: 9). Curriculum
implementation therefore refers to how the planned or officially designed course of
study is translated by the teacher into syllabuses, schemes of work and lessons to
be delivered to student .cherish the agent in the curriculum implementation
process. She argues that implementation is the manner in which the teacher selects
and mixes the various aspects of knowledge contained in a curriculum document or
syllabus. Implementation takes place when the teacher-constructed syllabus, the
teacher’s

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Factors That Influence Curriculum Implementation

List what you consider to be the factors that influence curriculum implementation
and see whether they are similar to the ones discussed below:

The Teacher

As Whitaker (1979) asserts in the University of Zimbabwe (1995: 26) module, the
teachers view their role in curriculum implementation as an autonomous one. They
select and decide what to teach from the prescribed syllabus or curriculum. Since
implementation takes place through the interaction of the learner and the planned
learning opportunities, the role and influence of the teacher in the process is
indisputable (University of Zimbabwe, 1995: 28).

You could be thinking, “I understand that teachers are pivotal in the curriculum
implementation process, but what is their role in the curriculum planning process?”
If the teacher is to be able to translate curriculum intentions into reality, it is
imperative that the teacher understand the curriculum document or syllabus well in
order to implement it effectively.

What Is Curriculum Evaluation?

The purpose of curriculum evaluation is to determine whether or not the newly

adopted curriculum is producing the intended results and meeting the objectives
that it has set forth, and it is an essential component in the process of adopting and
implementing any new curriculum in any educational setting. Another purpose of

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curriculum evaluation is to gather data that will help in identifying areas in need of
improvement or change.

Why Is It Necessary?

There are several parties, or stakeholders, interested in the process and results of
curriculum evaluation.

Parents are interested because they want to be assured that their children are being
provided with a sound, effective education.

Teachers are interested because they want to know that what they are teaching in
the classroom will effectively help them cover the standards and achieve the results
they know parents and administration are expecting.

The general public is interested because they need to be sure that their local
schools are doing their best to provide solid and effective educational programs for
the children in the area.

Administrators are interested because they need feedback on the effectiveness of

their curricular decisions.

Curriculum publishers are interested because they can use the data and feedback
from a curriculum evaluation to drive changes and upgrades in the materials they
provide.

In the end, the goal is always to make sure that students are being provided with
the best education possible. Because the curriculum is a huge part of this,
curriculum evaluation is a means of deciding whether or not the chosen curriculum
is going to bring the school closer to that goal.

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Models for Curriculum Evaluation

Let's take a closer look at several of the models available for curriculum
evaluation:

The Tyler Model

The Tyler model, a curriculum evaluation model that takes into account
information from the active learner and pays close attention to how well the goals
and objectives of the curriculum are supported by the experiences and activities
provided, was named after its creator, Ralph Tyler, and focuses on four main areas
Tithe purpose of the curriculum being evaluated (the objectives)The experiences
that are provided to support that purpose (the strategies and content)How these
experiences are organized (organization of the content)

How the outcomes are evaluated (assessment)

It has been criticized, however, for its simplicity and because assessment is a final
step rather than an ongoing part of the process.

The Taba Model

The Taba model, a curriculum evaluation model emphasizing inductive reasoning,

was created by Hilda Taba who believed that true curriculum should be developed
by the teacher, rather than decided upon by administration or another authority.
The Taba model, also called the ''Inductive Approach,'' uses a series of stages or
steps, which can be applied in both the development and evaluation of curriculum.

These stages are:

Deciding on objectives

Selecting content
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Organizing content

Selecting learning experiences and activities

Organizing learning experiences and activities

Deciding what and how to evaluate

Stake's Model (Countenance Model)

In the 1950s, Robert Stake formulated the Countenance model, also known as
Stake's model, which looks at curriculum from a more scientific point of view by
examining three distinct areas of the curriculum.