Curriculum_21st

Effective Curriculum for 21^st Century Learners

by Diane Howard, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2003

The World Wide Web has profoundly affected education in the twenty-first century (Wiles & Bondi, 2002). Due to its availability, there has been a major shift from teacher-centered learning to student-centered learning. The teacher is no longer the primary source of information for the student who now has access to indefinite sources of information. The role of the teacher has moved from that of sage on the stage to that of guide on the side. The student no longer depends primarily on the perceptions of the teacher but develops his/her perceptions and constructs his/her learning from multiple sources. More than ever before students are being encouraged by effective instruction that integrates the WWW to be independent, life-long learners who are skillful in communication and collaboration.

Although strategies for teaching have changed in the Internet Age, the process of developing curriculum for onsite and online learning is fundamentally the same. Curriculum is a plan for learning that includes targeting a student population, conducting a needs assessment, and writing a mission statement. It includes developing goals, objectives, content, teaching strategies, and assessment tools. Alignment is critical in curriculum development from purpose and philosophy, to goals and objectives, to content and activities, and to assessment and evaluation. Working through a process of asking and answering who, what, where, why, when, how questions is important in designing and developing curriculum.

Some of the essential questions to be asked and answered include the following: Who are the students or the audience in online learning? What are their needs? What can we as teachers learn from a review of relevant educational about meeting the education needs of our specific students? How can we develop rubrics that outline how individual and group assignments are to be evaluated?A review of current onsite and online educational courses reveals student inquiry should be at the center of learning, not the teacher. The instructor facilitates and moderates the coursework. The learning community is especially significant. Students need to participate in interactive, collaborative, participatory activities either onsite and/or online. Participants need to be involved in authentic learning, problem solving, critical thinking, decision making, and online projects. Small classes are broken down into smaller working groups. Students are required to be familiar with minimal technologies (Howard, 2002).

A review of onsite and online educational course models reveals that goals for learning should be demonstrable and objectives need to be measurable. Instructional units include two major components: basic information with links to resources and activities, assignments, and discussion questions. Rubrics that specifically outline how individual and group assignments are to be assessed should be available.

In onsite and online teaching there is a tendency to develop learning activities prematurely. There is a tendency to avoid mission statements and planning assessments until the end of the process. However, the order of the process of curriculum development is significant. The students must be identified, their needs should be assessed, and measurement evaluation ought to be considered early in the process. Goals, objectives, content, and teaching strategies should be carefully developed and aligned. Alignment is critical in curriculum development from purpose and philosophy, to goals and objectives, to content and activities, and to assessment and evaluation. Curriculum design involves working through a process of asking and answering who, what, where, why, when, how questions.

Effective onsite and online courses are designed for small classes that are divided into smaller working groups. The instructor functions as a facilitator or moderator with a constructivist or inductive approach. In this process the student constructs his/her meaning as the instructor guides, facilitates, or moderates the learning. Student inquiry is at the center of the educational process. Students are often involved in interactive, collaborative, participatory project or problem-based learning. More than ever before students are being encouraged by effective curriculum design to be independent, life-long learners who are skillful in communication and collaboration.

References

Collison, G. , Elbaum, B., Haavind, S ., Tinker, R. (2000) Facilitating online learning:
Effective strategies for moderators. Madison: Atwood Publishing.

Howard, D. (2002) Enhanced by Technology, Not Diminished. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Palloff, R, Pratt, K. (1999) Building learning communities in Cyberspace. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass.

Wiles, J, Bondi, J. (2002) Curriculum Development, A Guide to Practice. Columbus: Merrill Prentice-Hall.