Course Prefix / Number: EDF 7573
Course Title: Contemporary Curriculum Issues and Theories
Course Credit Hours: 3
Instructor Name and Contact Information: Dr. Pam Northrup, Associate Provost &
Professor. Innovation Institute. 474-3255; pnorthru@uwf.edu. Available online each
evening 8:00-10:00 and will check email throughout the day.
Each week, new sessions will begin on THURSDAY. I will post an announcement that course
is up and available. Be sure to have all assignments for previous weeks delivered by
midnight on WEDNESDAY each week.
Prerequisites or Co-Requisites: None
Course Description:
This course explores varying conceptions of curriculum, potential contributions to
curriculum decisions, persistent issues and dilemmas in curriculum development,
proposals for the organization of curriculum choices (both past and present), and analysis
of curricular reforms. This course will also examine theoretical foundations underlying
curriculum considerations and implications of these for the work of responsible curriculum
decision-makers at all levels, including administrators, instructional supervisors, and
classroom teachers.
Course Goals:
Upon completion of the course, students will:
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Analyze the ideas of individuals whose writings have influenced the field of
curriculum.
Participate is discussions based on in-depth research on curriculum issues and
theories.
Write a paper based on the research provided in the class and independent research
on curriculum issues and theories.
Program Goals:
The empowered person and professional making a difference is exemplified in EDF 7573 in
the following characteristics: 1) critical thinker, b) lifelong learner, c) counselor/mentor, d)
decision maker, e) problem solver, and f) ethical/moral professional. The mission of the
Ed.D. and Ed. S programs at UWF is to prepare empowered professional who take action in
administrative and leadership positions to conduct and evaluate applied research to solve
local, regional, and state education issues and problems.
About this Course:
This course is a fully online course and will enable you the convenience that you need to
study at a time and place that works best for you. The following are great tips to be
successful online
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On Thursday (first day of each new week)
o Check the course web site on elearning.uwf.edu to determine your readings,
assignments and discussions are for the week then plan your week.
Anticipate spending 8-10 hours per week online – so figure out what works
best for you.
Get into the habit of going to the course website daily to see who has posted in
Discussions and add your feedback, guidance and contributions.
Deliver all discussions, items for the dropbox and anything else due by Wednesday,
midnight each week.
Find someone to reach out to with questions. Although I will be online each day, I
encourage you to find someone that you can contact to bounce ideas off of, get
clarifications on assignments or generally just get to know better.
o Check the “Classlist” link “?” for fellow student biography information and
email addresses.
If you want to generate some responses quickly, check the SOS (Support for Online
Students) discussion to see if others have the same issue or to respond to others
issues!
Still have questions? Contact me online pnorthru@uwf.edu will be the easiest and I
will respond within 24 hours.
Topics:
Power of Curriculum to Influence: Major Forces Impacting Curriculum
What is Curriculum and Instruction?
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Major Theorists
Major Models
Philosophies and Aims of Education
Developing Curriculum
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Writing Goals and Objectives
Strategies
Assessment
Curriculum Maps
Scope and Sequence
Innovative Strategies in Curriculum
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Technology
New Approaches
Organizing the Structure
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Space Design
Grouping
Scheduling
Global Learning & Diversity
Connecting the Dots to College and Career
Student Learning Outcomes: (SLOs):
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Identify historical movements and trends in curriculum and instruction
Recognize contemporary curriculum issues
Make connections between theory and practice
Illustrate historical, theoretical, and practical curriculum applications
Required Textbook:
No textbook required.
Required Materials:
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Internet Access
Activated UWF ArgoNet E-mail Account
Grading / Evaluation:
1. Discussions. (25%) This course will include threaded discussions each week. The
discussions must be a paragraph including 3-5 sentences. Your post must
adequately address the topic using APA. Please edit your post before you submit in
order to avoid spelling errors and grammatical errors. Focus your work on the ideas
at hand and avoid posting your opinion or judgments. Get the discussion going!
Once you have posted your response to the question, begin talking with others
about their responses (NO ‘good idea’ type posts, but instead thoughtful, reasoned
responses. If you don’t agree, state why. If you do agree, state why. What does the
literature say about others responses? Could you ‘name drop’ a major theorist or
theory to support your response. (Think Doctoral Program, these are the kinds of
discussions that may happen in a preliminary examination oral defense). As part of
“DISCUSSIONS” each week will be a question: WHAT IS MY TAKE-AWAY? Each
week, I am asking you to post your most thoughtful response to what struck you
as most relevant for the week.
2. Major Theorist Contributions Report (25%). Select a major theorist and write a
report on his or her contributions to the field of curriculum. (3 pages double-spaced,
APA style with citations included). Select from the following potential theorists for
your paper. The paper will be placed in the DROP BOX in elearning.
a. John Franklin Bobbit
b. John Dewey
c. Ralph Tyler
d. Hilda Taba
e. B.F. Skinner
f. Jean Piaget
g. R. M. Gagne
h. Robert Hutchins
THIS PROJECT IS DUE JUNE 4 by MIDNIGHT
3. Major Project (40%). One of the greatest threats to innovation in the U.S. is the
myriad of issues surrounding education. Despite high spending and multiple high
stakes assessments aligned to standards-based curriculum, the U.S. is scoring low in
math and science ranking and student drop out. How can curriculum, technology
and innovative ideas like the Khan Academy help catalyze education reform? For
this project:
a. Develop a PowerPoint (PPT) that incorporates media such as YouTube,
graphs, charts, timelines, etc. that reflect a response to the following
questions
i. Conduct a basic SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats) and identify your responses in the ppt. (we can work on
SWOT analysis together in an open DISCUSSION) – but needs to be
specifically identified in the PPT.
ii. What does the current educational landscape look like? What are the
issues?
iii. What are the key strategies that will drive change?
iv. What are the ‘vectors’ or things along the way that will help change?
v. What are the tactical first steps?
vi. What are the desired outcomes?
b. Attach project in the DISCUSSION area for others to review and comment on
(you be sure to comment on others also). Once in final form, place in DROP
BOX for grading.
THIS PROJECT IS DUE JUNE 24 by Midnight
4. Overall Participation (10%). A critical piece of success online is to ENGAGE with
other students, engage with the instructor and engage in the content. As you are
completing your Ed.D., each course will have vital content that serves as the
framework for your program that may be visible on preliminary examinations and
could impact your choice of dissertation. Participate fully in the course for the best
overall experience!
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
95% or better
90% to 94%
87% to 89%
84% to 86%
A
AB+
B
80% to 83%
B-
75% to 79%
74% to 77%
70% to 73%
60% to 69%
50% or less
C+
C
CD
F
Attendance Policy:
Please post your assignment and response to classmates weekly.
Minimum Technical Skills and Special Technology Utilized by Students:
This course is totally online. All instructional content and interaction takes place over the
WWW. In addition to baseline word processing skills and sending/receiving email with
attachments, students will be expected to search the Internet and upload / download files.
In addition, students may need one or more of the following plug-ins:
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Adobe Acrobat Reader: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
PowerPoint Viewer:http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=
048DC840-14E1-467D-8DCA-19D2A8FD7485&displaylang=en
Windows Media Player:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/
QuickTime Player:http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/
Real Player:http://forms.real.com/netzip/getrde601.html?h=softwaredl.real.com&dc=828827826&f=windows/installer/player/R51R01F/RealPlayerSPG
old.exe%20&p=RealOne+Player&&oem=dl&dist=&tagtype=ie&type=dl
Adobe Flash Player: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
For students' using Screen Readers: Download Elluminate's Java Bridge:
https://www.elluminate.com/Support/Other_Resources/Java_Accessibility_Bridge/
?id=368
eLearning's Accessibilty Resource Guides for users:
http://www.desire2learn.com/access/resources/
Expectations for Academic Conduct / Plagiarism Policy:
Academic Conduct Policy: (Web Site) | (PDF Format) |
Plagiarism Policy: (WORD Format) | UWF Library Online Tutorial: Plagiarism |
Student Handbook: (PDF Format)
Assistance for Students with Disabilities:
The Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC)at the University of West Florida supports
an inclusive learning environment for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or
design of this course that hinder your full participation, such as time-limited exams,
inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and podcasts, please notify
the instructor or the SDRC as soon as possible. You may contact the SDRC office by e-mail at
sdrc@uwf.edu or by phone at (850) 474-2387. Appropriate academic accommodations will
be determined based on the documented needs of the individual.
Weather Emergency Information:
In the case of severe weather or other emergency, the campus might be closed and classes
cancelled. Official closures and delays are announced on the UWF website and broadcast on
WUWF-FM.
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WUWF-FM (88.1MHz) is the official information source for the university. Any
pertinent information regarding closings, cancellations, and the re-opening of
campus will be broadcast.
In the event that hurricane preparation procedures are initiated, the UWF Home
Web Page and Argus will both provide current information regarding hurricane
preparation procedures, the status of classes and the closing of the university.
Emergency plans for the University of West Florida related to weather or other
emergencies are available on the following UWF web pages:
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Information about hurricane preparedness plans is available on the UWF web site:
http://uwfemergency.org/hurricaneprep.cfm
Information about other emergency procedures is available on the UWF web site:
http://uwfemergency.org/