Understanding Curriculum: Definition, Aspects, and Designs

This study delves into the concept of curriculum, exploring its definition, aspects, and designs. It discusses the importance of curriculum in education and the different types of curriculum design. The study also highlights the role of curriculum in facilitating effective learning and improving the learning experience for students.

Surname 1
CURRICULUM
Name of the student
Subject Name:
Date:

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Introduction
In the present learning community, curriculum is known to be more than the list of
various topics needed to be secured by the instructive plan. The phrase ‘curriculum’ in most
cases is understood by several education instructors to refer to different programs or courses of
investigation offered by education or learning institutions around the global society. Educational
program is an issue of initial advantage known to refer to strategy articulation concerning the bit
of training1. However, curriculum as educational program stands out to be the sign with regards
to different procedures in which the approach is concentrated to be acknowledged through the
plan of different activities. In instructive practices, educational plans, designs, or programs that
form curriculum stand out to be more than even plan of such operation. It is important to
consider curriculum in most learning institutions to be much wider in the education sector than in
other sectors. Therefore, in most instances, curriculum refers to the appropriate design or plan of
what is tended to be taught in various learning centers. It also consists of a range of topics that
are to be taught in several courses or topics being offered in primary, tertiary, high school,
middle-level colleges, and universities among other learning institutions2. Therefore, primary
target of this research paperwork is to explore different issues revolving within the description of
‘curriculum’ around learning institution around the entire global community. Such issues
comprise of definition of curriculum, its aspects, design of curriculum, and types of its designs,
its evaluation, and reform of curriculum.
Aspects of curriculum
1 M. Young, "What is a curriculum and what can it do?", The Curriculum Journal, vol. 25, no. 1,
pp. 7-13, 2014. Available: 10.1080/09585176.2014.902526.
2 G. Ditchburn, "TheAustralian Curriculum: History– the challenges of a thin curriculum?",
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 27-41, 2013.
Available: 10.1080/01596306.2013.829657.

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Designs of curriculum, its evaluation, together with its process of implementation in
different learning institutions remain to be the central to the process of education and teaching an
entire global community. The consideration of effective implementation and evaluation of
curriculum helps in improving effective and efficient functioning of system of education in
different learning centers3. Different targets of various educational centers are always reflected in
curriculum that they use. Hence, application of curriculum is also adapted to different needs as
well as requirements of different students, societies, places of work, and workers in general. In
all set of learning, curriculum always comprises of the statement of targets and specific
objectives within a given learning process. Furthermore, it indicates some sections and organized
content that specific course as to follow before its completion. Content within the curriculum for
a given course or subject can either be implying or manifested to particular techniques or style of
processes of teaching and learning, as educational content of every organization needs such
designs4. Consequently, curriculum always comprises of programs utilized to evaluate results of
learning alongside processes of teaching.
Definition of curriculum
The term curriculum for extended duration has been in application in different institutions
for learning and education. It always refers to different contents of lessons alongside academic
work, programs, or courses being taught within different learning sectors like schools. Oxford
dictionary defined curriculum to be any course offered by any learning instructor within learning
center. Depending on the use of curriculum, it stands out as an understanding and aptitude that
3 A. Allen, A. Poch and E. Lembke, "An Exploration of Alternative Scoring Methods Using
Curriculum-Based Measurement in Early Writing", Learning Disability Quarterly, vol. 41, no. 2,
pp. 85-99, 2017. Available: 10.1177/0731948717725490 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
4 M. Hill and J. Robertson, "Great expectations: Working in partnership to enhance learning and
strengthen teaching in diverse primary schools", Teachers and Curriculum, vol. 7, no. 1, 2017.
Available: 10.15663/tandc.v7i1.179.

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different students relied on so as to discover goals of learning that they are to meet at any given
time of their learning. Besides, curriculum refers to the units and lessons that each education
instructor intends to instructor present to learners5. Therefore, curriculum in general society stays
to be assets together with other techniques applicable for evaluation of how student is learning.
Curriculum for operation of individual tutor can always be specific standards, assignments,
lessons use for learning with major target of organizing and teaching particular program or
course.
Curriculum in most cases is broadly described to be the totality of experience of different
learners that occurs in process of acquisition of knowledge through education. Besides, the
phrase ‘curriculum’ always refers to majorly planned together with arranged sequence of
instruction or view of learner’s experience concerning instructional objectives of school or
educator. Other researchers like in the study conducted by Shawer, curriculum is defined to be
different sets of goals of learning that are always articulated across diverse grades that outline the
intended contents of arithmetic together with process goals at particular points in given duration
through the school course or program of Kindergarten6. In some instances, curriculum is
commonly separated into different categories that comprise of implicit, hidden, explicit, and
excluded, alongside extra-curricular. All these subdivisions make curriculum to receive tight
standardized or might comprise of high level of autonomy or instructor of learners. Different
countries within the global society have different curriculum in their primary and secondary
schools. Curriculum in such institutions remains to guide for learning planned and designed with
5 C. Winch, "Curriculum Design and Epistemic Ascent", Journal of Philosophy of Education,
vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 128-146, 2012. Available: 10.1111/1467-9752.12006 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
6 S. Shawer, "Teacher-driven curriculum development at the classroom level: Implications for
curriculum, pedagogy and teacher training", Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 63, pp. 296-
313, 2017. Available: 10.1016/j.tate.2016.12.017.

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the objective of facilitating learning of students. Moreover, advancement of curriculum refers to
process of conducting an event thereby constituting advance level to change perception of an
individual. Some scholars gave a clear definition of curriculum to be process of learning guided
as well as planned by different groups of individuals within or away from learning institutions7.
The application of curriculum in learning comprise of what an educator tend to do on the spur of
the moment. Hence, all subjects or courses offered by different learning or education institutions
are terms to be curriculum.
Design of curriculum
Appropriate design of curriculum refers to the term used to describe deliberate,
purposeful, together with systematic organization of instructional blocks of curriculum with class
setting or course. In another end, design of curriculum always refers to approach that tutors
utilize to plan diverse instructions of learning. For instance, when education tutor design
curriculum, they normally focus on idea of identifying what can be attained, achieved, or done
within the set duration8. Education instructors always aim at determining what can be
accomplished as well as some individuals required to perform such operations. Furthermore,
curriculum designs have various functions that aid in the process of improving the much-needed
experience together with results of process of learning. Most instructors within learning
institutions target at process of designing the curriculum with particular targets in mind9.
7 A. Fejes, M. Nylund and J. Wallin, "How do teachers interpret and transform entrepreneurship
education?", Journal of Curriculum Studies, pp. 1-13, 2018. Available:
10.1080/00220272.2018.1488998.
8 P. Rossi, "The curriculum, the macro design and the micro design, and the curriculum
transposition", EDUCATION SCIENCES AND SOCIETY, no. 2, 2017. Available: 10.3280/ess2-
2017oa5630 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
9 E. Ka, J. Lee, K. Lee and B. Lee, "Implications from the Analysis of National Curriculum
Implementation Supporting Cases in Australia and England", Korean Comparative Education
Society, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 75-100, 2017. Available: 10.20306/kces.2017.27.3.75 [Accessed 2
June 2019].

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However, ultimate application of design of curriculum is always to enhance the learning process
of different learner. Nevertheless, there exist other functions of employing curriculum design in
such operations of learning as well as complement every individual from single stage to the
subsequent. For instance, if course for the middle learning center is planned without considering
needed understanding from basic institution of education or secondary school learning into
consideration, then it can develop real concerns from learners that depend on such plans.
Types of curriculum design
Curriculum design comprises of different designs that help in improving development of
learners. Some of these kinds of curriculum design consist of leaner-centered plan, subject-
centered plan, teacher-centered experience curriculum, problem-centered plan, together with
integrated curriculum10.
Subject-centered curriculum design
It is a type of syllabus plan that rotates around specific matter or discipline. For instance,
it always concentrates on diverse subjects that include Biology or Mathematics. This kind of
design of curriculum aims to concentrate on the issue instead of individual11. Besides, this kind
of design remains to be most used as well as accepted design of curriculum in different learning
institutions. It is also the oldest design of curriculum in different institutions. Some of the
characters of subject curriculum stay to be the idea that it contains the data for the prospect
utilization. The significance of this design is offered to attain understanding together with data
10 L. Yates and V. Millar, "‘Powerful knowledge’ curriculum theories and the case of physics",
The Curriculum Journal, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 298-312, 2016. Available:
10.1080/09585176.2016.1174141 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
11 T. Huizinga, A. Handelzalts, N. Nieveen and J. Voogt, "Fostering teachers' design expertise in
teacher design teams: conducive design and support activities", The Curriculum Journal, vol. 26,
no. 1, pp. 137-163, 2014. Available: 10.1080/09585176.2014.990395.

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for prospect operations. However, progress of this kind of design is always measured to the
extent of how student is able to understand and learn a specific subject. Subject matter
curriculum is predetermined of uniform standard of understanding and knowledge. Every subject
through this kind of design is separate unit or entity with the logical organization of its kind. In
this kind design, importance is offered to the acquisition of useful facts, data, alongside skills for
vocational function in varied logically organized matters. Moreover, design of subject-centered
is always chosen by varied adult persons or experts for situation of teaching and learning12. This
design is less concerned with needs of different learns along with styles of learning in
comparison to different forms of design of curriculum that comprise of learner-centered plan.
Learner-centered design of curriculum
It is a kind of design of curriculum that revolves around the learner in a given learning
institution. It takes interests, needs, together with different desires of every person into
consideration. Moreover, this kind of design tries to acknowledge that different learners are not
uniform in nature13. Hence, in most times learners need to be linked to standardized syllabus.
This kind of plan in curriculum is destined to authorize different students by enabling them to
outline their learning process through different options that they make while learning.
Institutional plans within learner-centered curriculum are not strong as they are found within
design that deals with subject-centered. This kind of design provides important aspects to
progress of an individual. Therefore, learning instructors have the mandate of organizing
12 A. Begg, "Getting behind the curriculum: Teachers as curriculum developers", Teachers and
Curriculum, vol. 2, no. 1, 2017. Available: 10.15663/tandc.v2i1.265.
13 J. Hess, J. Siegelman, R. Lamm and J. Moll, "An Innovative Adult-Learning Curriculum
Merging Evidence-Based Medicine, Knowledge Translation, and Research Design", Annals of
Emergency Medicine, vol. 62, no. 4, p. S159, 2013. Available:
10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.07.267.

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learning curriculum to be in respect with different needs and interests of learners. The major
characters of this kind of design are that it is concentrated on appropriate understanding of
interests alongside needs of student in general14. It is also based on the diagnosis of specific
requirement as well as interests of population that this design is serving15. Nevertheless, this kind
of design of curriculum is flexible as it accepts advance modification to conform to different
needs alongside benefit of a particular student.
Problem-centered curriculum design
This design of problem-centered is also a form of a learner-centered type of curriculum
just like the curriculum plan of learner-centered. The design generally concentrates on teaching
different students approaches on how to concentrate at problem and solution of given issue. This
plan is also termed to be genuine form of learning since learners are always depicted to apparent
issues that influence their lives and wellbeing. Moreover, this kind of syllabus plan is useful as it
aid students to create ideal capabilities that are always convenient to their operations in real
global society. the design aid in improving significance of curriculum by enabling learners to
attain inventive together with innovate while studying in new institutions of learning.
Conversely, drawback of this kind of design of curriculum remains to be that it does not always
take diverse approaches of learning into consideration.
Activity-based curriculum design
14 Hur Eun Jung, "An Analysis on the Types of the Enrichment Course in the Differentiated
Curriculum:Focused on the Elementary School Social Studies Curriculum", The Journal of
Curriculum Studies, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 161-187, 2007. Available:
10.15708/kscs.25.1.200703.007 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
15 C. Beyer and E. Davis, "Developing Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Pedagogical Design
Capacity for Reform‐Based Curriculum Design", Curriculum Inquiry, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 386-
413, 2012. Available: 10.1111/j.1467-873x.2012.00599.x [Accessed 2 June 2019].

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This type of design refers to experience curriculum or project curriculum, although the
title activity is significance conception. This type of design has extended history within learning
sector. The application of this design stays to be most vital motivation for different students as
they enjoy freedom of expressing their potentialities during their operations16. These operations
of design should not just be termed as physical activities, but they need to be regarded as the
intellectual operation. Different traits of this design within learning sector comprise of idea that it
enables the interests of kids to determine appropriate educational program. The significance
principle of activity design stays to be felt needs of children and not of different grownups. The
other characteristic of this design is that plan of different activities are not planned in advance,
operations are designed cooperatively by students together with tutors. Besides, this design
remains to be ideal for problem-solving as it remains to be dominant approach of curriculum
operation. Besides, by using this curriculum design, teachers are able to provide effective
assistance to group as resource individual17. In this kind of design, teachers operate by acting as
guide and individual resources in learning process. Furthermore, this design gives room for
practice together with individual help to be offered as needed.
Evaluation of curriculum
Instances of curriculum evaluation are all concern with need of finding out is advanced
course in different learning sectors are working efficiently. In many instances, curriculum
evaluation always consists of ideas of generating different facts through the process of research.
16 K. Lee and Y. Jeung, "A Reflective Review on Constitution of Content System in 2015
Revised Subject Curriculum: Focused on Key Concept, Generalized Knowledge, and Skill",
Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, vol. 17, no. 16, pp. 597-
622, 2017. Available: 10.22251/jlcci.2017.17.16.597 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
17 D. Bang, "The development and implementation of integrated teaching strategy by backward
design", Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, vol. 16, no. 11,
pp. 291-308, 2016. Available: 10.22251/jlcci.2016.16.11.291 [Accessed 2 June 2019].

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In such foundation, evaluation process aid in development of appropriate judgments concerning
the weaknesses together with weaknesses and overall efficiency of the procedure in education
sector18. The process of evaluating curriculum has a major purpose of aiding education
implementers to understand how to enhance the utilization of curriculum alongside its
implementation among tutors in various sectors that deal with learning and teaching. Processes
of assessment assist in finding out the effectiveness of curriculum within operations of different
stakeholders in various centers of learning. Technique of curriculum evaluation can be attained
through the process of using many techniques and tools. Such tools comprise of attaining
feedback from diverse groups of individuals such as observers, learners, workers, mentors, and
instructors. Evaluation input can also be achieved at the end of given interview, test outcome,
course questionnaire filing, and students’ assessments. The outcome generated through process
of evaluation needs to be reliable as well as valid as it requires offering appropriate guidelines
and directions for improving systems of learning19. Moreover, curriculum evaluation process is
always achieved through utilization of feedback from different students. Such accomplishments
in most instances are still conducted by staff members of different directors from a range of
learning centers.
Reform of curriculum
As the program, if education around global community remains to be the foundation of
successful education and schooling. It is always an entity being utilized for enhancement that is
18 E. Lim, I. Park, H. Jung, M. Seo, W. Kim and J. Han, "The Factors Affecting High School
Students’ Achievement and Achievement Gap Based on 2016 NAEA Results", Korean Society
for Educational Evaluation, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 125-153, 2018. Available:
10.31158/jeev.2018.31.1.125 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
19 A. Meaux and J. Norris, "Curriculum-Based Language Interventions: What, Who, Why,
Where, and How?", Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 165-
175, 2018. Available: 10.1044/2017_lshss-17-0057.

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always planned to support or permission greater stability together with standardization of
curriculum across various learning states, centers, grade levels, subject areas, and courses20.
There are diverse ways by which programs if education concentrate on ideal advancement or
utilized to vary change of school while enhancing adequacy of educator. Such necessities in
enlighten benchmarks prerequisites, programs of educational arrangements, evaluation
necessities, module hypothesis of education, education module bundles, alongside educational
modules21. All these modules in consideration comprise of curriculum scripting together with
standardization of curriculum.
Conclusion
From the above discussion on curriculum, it is apparent that curriculum should be
inclusive of the promotion n of equity alongside diversity in the current community which is
diversified. During the process of curriculum, teachers or tutors perform an essential function in
its designing, evaluation, and implementation. The process of its implementation stands out to
state that teachers need to create the process meaningful alongside enjoyable to every
stakeholder involved. Such idea can aid in influencing operations of different students through
ideal preparation so that they can become more creative as well as self-reliant in their operations.
Appropriate formation of the curriculum needs to enable students to apply their learning in real
day-to-day experience. It is also apparent from the above discussion that in current international
community, curriculum remains to be consistently varying and evolving process of entity in the
sector of education. Curriculum in different learning sector is mostly affected by different
20 Sarasvathie Reddy, "Diversifying the Higher-Education Curriculum: Queering the Design and
Pedagogy", Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, vol. 34, no. 1, p. 161, 2018. Available:
10.2979/jfemistudreli.34.1.25 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
21 M. Young, "What is a curriculum and what can it do?", The Curriculum Journal, vol. 25, no. 1,
pp. 7-13, 2014. Available: 10.1080/09585176.2014.902526.

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elements that comprise of social, economical, together with regulations of different authorities in
different states around the global community among other aspects.
Bibliographies
[1]A. Allen, A. Poch and E. Lembke, "An Exploration of Alternative Scoring Methods Using
Curriculum-Based Measurement in Early Writing", Learning Disability Quarterly, vol. 41, no. 2,
pp. 85-99, 2017. Available: 10.1177/0731948717725490 [Accessed 2 June 2019].

Surname 13
[2]A. Begg, "Getting behind the curriculum: Teachers as curriculum developers", Teachers and
Curriculum, vol. 2, no. 1, 2017. Available: 10.15663/tandc.v2i1.265.
[3]K. Lee and Y. Jeung, "A Reflective Review on Constitution of Content System in 2015
Revised Subject Curriculum: Focused on Key Concept, Generalized Knowledge, and Skill",
Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, vol. 17, no. 16, pp. 597-
622, 2017. Available: 10.22251/jlcci.2017.17.16.597 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
[4]E. Lim, I. Park, H. Jung, M. Seo, W. Kim and J. Han, "The Factors Affecting High School
Students’ Achievement and Achievement Gap Based on 2016 NAEA Results", Korean Society
for Educational Evaluation, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 125-153, 2018. Available:
10.31158/jeev.2018.31.1.125 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
[5]Sarasvathie Reddy, "Diversifying the Higher-Education Curriculum: Queering the Design and
Pedagogy", Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, vol. 34, no. 1, p. 161, 2018. Available:
10.2979/jfemistudreli.34.1.25 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
[6]S. Shawer, "Teacher-driven curriculum development at the classroom level: Implications for
curriculum, pedagogy and teacher training", Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 63, pp. 296-
313, 2017. Available: 10.1016/j.tate.2016.12.017.
[7]P. Rossi, "The curriculum, the macro design and the micro design, and the curriculum
transposition", EDUCATION SCIENCES AND SOCIETY, no. 2, 2017. Available: 10.3280/ess2-
2017oa5630 [Accessed 2 June 2019].

Surname 14
[8]J. Hess, J. Siegelman, R. Lamm and J. Moll, "An Innovative Adult-Learning Curriculum
Merging Evidence-Based Medicine, Knowledge Translation, and Research Design", Annals of
Emergency Medicine, vol. 62, no. 4, p. S159, 2013. Available:
10.1016/j.annemergmed.2013.07.267.
[9]A. Fejes, M. Nylund and J. Wallin, "How do teachers interpret and transform
entrepreneurship education?", Journal of Curriculum Studies, pp. 1-13, 2018. Available:
10.1080/00220272.2018.1488998.
[10]D. Bang, "The development and implementation of integrated teaching strategy by backward
design", Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, vol. 16, no. 11,
pp. 291-308, 2016. Available: 10.22251/jlcci.2016.16.11.291 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
[11]C. Beyer and E. Davis, "Developing Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Pedagogical Design
Capacity for Reform‐Based Curriculum Design", Curriculum Inquiry, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 386-
413, 2012. Available: 10.1111/j.1467-873x.2012.00599.x [Accessed 2 June 2019].
[12]C. Winch, "Curriculum Design and Epistemic Ascent", Journal of Philosophy of Education,
vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 128-146, 2012. Available: 10.1111/1467-9752.12006 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
[13]A. Meaux and J. Norris, "Curriculum-Based Language Interventions: What, Who, Why,
Where, and How?", Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 165-
175, 2018. Available: 10.1044/2017_lshss-17-0057.

Surname 15
[14]L. Yates and V. Millar, "‘Powerful knowledge’ curriculum theories and the case of physics",
The Curriculum Journal, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 298-312, 2016. Available:
10.1080/09585176.2016.1174141 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
[15]G. Ditchburn, "TheAustralian Curriculum: History– the challenges of a thin curriculum?",
Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 27-41, 2013.
Available: 10.1080/01596306.2013.829657.
[16]M. Young, "What is a curriculum and what can it do?", The Curriculum Journal, vol. 25, no.
1, pp. 7-13, 2014. Available: 10.1080/09585176.2014.902526.
[17]T. Huizinga, A. Handelzalts, N. Nieveen and J. Voogt, "Fostering teachers' design expertise
in teacher design teams: conducive design and support activities", The Curriculum Journal, vol.
26, no. 1, pp. 137-163, 2014. Available: 10.1080/09585176.2014.990395.
[18]Hur Eun Jung, "An Analysis on the Types of the Enrichment Course in the Differentiated
Curriculum:Focused on the Elementary School Social Studies Curriculum", The Journal of
Curriculum Studies, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 161-187, 2007. Available:
10.15708/kscs.25.1.200703.007 [Accessed 2 June 2019].
[19]M. Hill and J. Robertson, "Great expectations: Working in partnership to enhance learning
and strengthen teaching in diverse primary schools", Teachers and Curriculum, vol. 7, no. 1,
2017. Available: 10.15663/tandc.v7i1.179.
[20]E. Ka, J. Lee, K. Lee and B. Lee, "Implications from the Analysis of National Curriculum
Implementation Supporting Cases in Australia and England", Korean Comparative Education

Surname 16
Society, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 75-100, 2017. Available: 10.20306/kces.2017.27.3.75 [Accessed 2
June 2019].