Curriculum [kəˈrɪkjʊləm] (noun) – the lessons and academic content taught in a school or in a specific course or programme. The word curriculum has roots in Latin. It originally meant “racing chariot” and came from the verb currere, “to run”.
Curriculum planning typically involves the implementation of different types of instructional strategies and organisational methods that are focused on achieving optimal student development and student learning outcomes.
Instructors might structure their curriculum around daily lesson plans, a specific assignment, a chunk of coursework, certain units within a class, or an entire learning programme.
What is Curriculum Design?
Curriculum design is the deliberate organisation of curriculum within a course or classroom. When instructors design their curriculums, they identity what will be done, who will do it and when, as well as what the objective of each course is.
The curriculum contains the knowledge and skills that a learner needs to master in order to move to the next level. By thinking about how your curriculum is designed, you can ensure you’ve covered all the necessary requirements. From there, you can start exploring various approaches and teaching methods that can help them achieve their goals.
What is Syllabus Design?
Syllabus Design & Curriculum Design/Development are also used interchangeably but are, in fact, not the same thing, as the shown in the image below:
All qualifications need a syllabus document – it’s your starting point and provides all the key information you need to start building your course content. It also acts as a reference document for your students, helping them to stay on track.
Few think of it this way but a syllabus is really the contract document between candidate and exam board or awarding body.
This requires that both the instructor and the student are crystal clear about the requirements of the syllabus (assessment objectives) to firstly, do justice to the examination stage and secondly, acquire the skills offered by its study.
Having sound knowledge of the prescribed text books without correctly interpreting the syllabus is like scoring offside goals; they may be brilliantly executed, but don’t count!
No one-size-fits-all with syllabus design
The structure of a course syllabus will differ depending on instructor, course topic, department guidelines, and institutional guidelines. However, there are ways to structure a syllabus that are more effective than others.
A syllabus is NOT a curriculum
While many people use the words “syllabus” and “curriculum” interchangeably they are two different types of frameworks in educational assessment.
Here are some important differences:
If you need help with syllabus design, curriculum design or development, reach out to us using the form below or message us at team@fematters.co.uk
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