Author:
Judy McKimm MBA, MA (Ed), BA (Hons), Cert Ed, ILTM
Head of Curriculum Development, School of Medicine
Imperial College Centre for Educational Development
This paper was first written in 2003 as part of a project led by the London Deanery to provide a web-based learning resource to support the educational development for clinical teachers. It was revised by Judy McKimm in 2007 with the introduction of the Deanery’s new web-based learning package for clinical teachers. Each of the papers provides a summary and background reading on a core topic in clinical education.
Aims
This paper:
• Provides an overview of the main concepts involved in course design and planning
• Raises awareness of factors which contribute to effective learning
• Enables you to incorporate educational theory into everyday practice
Learning outcomes
After studying this paper, you will be able to:
• Describe approaches to curriculum development and design
• Plan a course or session using an outcome based approach
• Write learning objectives/outcomes which communicate the intended learning to students and others
• Recognize factors which contribute to effective teaching and learning in your own practice
• Outline implications of curriculum change
• Select appropriate strategies in changing a curriculum for your profession
• Make a more effective contribution towards curriculum design
Content
• Introduction
• Curriculum development – an introduction
• Course design and planning – the broad context
• Curriculum development – strategies and models
- strategies of curriculum development
- objectives model
- process model
- models of curriculum development
• The elements of the curriculum:
- aims and learning outcomes
- content
- teaching and learning methods
- assessment
- learning resources
• Implementing the curriculum
• Monitoring and evaluating the curriculum
• References
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