Article Critique of CURRICULUM DESIGN FOR FLEXIBLE DELIVERY (1998)

Flexible delivery is an approach to teaching and learning which increases access

to education for a wide range of students by offering greater student control over time,

place, and pace of study. Technology is utilized to support communication and access to

information to move towards a more student centered approach to teaching and learning.

This research was designed to promote Flexible Delivery curriculum at the University of

Wollongong, Australia.

The author of the journal provides answers to the gradual changes in teaching and

learning which traditional curriculum models could not meet. The author asserts that the

use of flexible modes of delivery which uses information and communication

technologies is a better means of managing the challenge. The challenge of finding or

building an appropriate design model became the focus since traditional models were

found less effective than flexible delivery. Case study was used to outline (1) the early

decisions about curriculum models that were inadequate, (2) the interactions between

Teaching Development Lecturer (TDL) and Instructional Designer (ID) that proved

significant to the final course design and the development of new curriculum design and

(3) a curriculum model for Flexible Delivery that is grounded in design practice. TDL

centers on ‘outcomes-based integrative model. Designers begin by defining desired

learning outcomes in answer to the question “what will the learners know, be able to do

and or value when they have completed the course?” It is followed by the integration of
four major elements of curriculum design: content, teaching and learning method,

resources and assessment.

This model is developed such that each element influences the other rather than

being developed in any particular order. Tyler’s Curriculum model and Interaction model

follow a certain structure and objectives are specified with elements of order. According

to the authors traditional models are problematic and do not meet the challenges of the

present tertiary educational demands. These include the use of test data based on absolute

standards of performance. They asserted that a great deal of learning is not amenable to

observation or measurement and teaching only that which can be measured confines and

trivializes knowledge. Traditional models focus on cognitive and social learning rather

than behaviorist and constructivist theories. Traditional models seemed to not

considerably regard media as support for students in achieving their learning outcomes.

Given this information the authors developed a Flexible Delivery model which emerges

from the deliberation of the previous curriculum adopted by the University and its new

vision to take the challenge of new millennium. However, they believe still that there is

no one curriculum model that should be prescribed for flexible delivery designs. Flexible

delivery still is an advantage in that creativity is more likely to flourish when designers

are not locked into a rigid method of teaching curriculums.

Ref:

Maureen Bell and Geraldine Lefoe (1998)

CURRICULUM DESIGN FOR FLEXIBLE DELIVERY