There are five key elements of curriculum development , according to Tyler “it is essential as a part of comprehensive theory of organization to show just what are the elements will serve satisfactory as organizing elements.” According to Herrick and Tyler, following are the components and elements of curriculum development
- Situational analysis
- Formulation of objectives
- Selection of content, scope and sequence
- Activities, strategies and method of teaching
- Evaluation
Situational Analysis
Situational analysis means the analysis of different conditions such as emotional, political, cultural, religious and geographical condition of a country. This will help the curriculum planners in the selection of objectives, selection of organization of learning materials and in suggesting appropriate evaluation procedure.
Formulation of Objectives
There are four main factors for formulating the objectives of education. These are
- The society
- The knowledge
- The learner
- The learning process
All of these factors are to be considered while selecting and formulating the educational objectives.
Selection of Content
One of the important elements is the selection of content for a subject. At the time of subject matter selection, the following factors are to be kept in mind:
- Available sources and resource
- Demand of the society
- International needs
- Level and age of the learner or student
- Methods of content organization
- Number of courses offered
- Quantity and qualification of teaching staff
- Scope of subject matter
- System of examination
- Type of society and culture
Strategies and Method of Teaching
These are strategies and methods of teaching adopted by the teachers during instruction and learning experiences. This will certainly not fair to ask a teacher for achieving certain objectives without giving any guidelines. In most of the countries curriculum development is a centralized process. Teachers are not directly involved in this phase. Most of the teachers do not know the process of achieving desired goals. After determining the goals and objectives the next problem is the selection of strategies and methods of teachers. What we should give to our students. Should a curriculum be fixed or flexible, constant, common or differentiated?
Evaluation
Evaluation is one of the dynamic process, which needs a continuous research and evaluation for its betterment in order to cope with the variable demands of the society and bring about desirable changes. Curriculum evaluation is not a student evaluation. It is a broader term being used to make judgment about the worth and effectiveness of it. With the help of evaluation phase experts can modify the curriculum by bringing about desirable changes.
