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Curriculum Design Processes

Bucky J. Dodd

Whether you realize it or not, we experience curriculum every single day. Curriculum influences the
most obvious learning situations like classroom lessons and workplace training sessions, but it also
influences a variety of less-obvious situations such as how we learn about products, how we learn
from online tutorials (yes, to an extent this applies to using YouTube to fix a leaky faucet!), and how
organizations plan large-scale change efforts. Curriculum influences how people learn and grow from
very young ages and continues to shape learning experiences throughout our lives.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a survey of curriculum design processes across diverse
educational and professional contexts and to highlight essential curriculum design skills embedded in
these processes. Curriculum design is a core pillar of how we educate, train, and engage in formal
learning experiences. At the core of curriculum design is a mental model for how people learn and a
design representation for how knowledge and skill transfer occurs from theory into practice.

For emerging professionals in the instructional design field, curriculum design is one of a series of
core competencies that are necessary for professional success (Burning Glass, 2019). In the most
basic of terms, curriculum design is the process of planning formal learning experiences. Yet, there
are many tacit criteria that differentiate between effective and ineffective curriculum design
processes. For the purposes of this chapter, we will examine curriculum design as a strategic-level
process for how learning experiences are designed. This differentiates from instructional design
processes, which tend to involve more operational-level processes. For example, you can differentiate
curriculum design from instructional design as curriculum design is more “big picture thinking” while
instructional design is concerned with more tactical decisions within instructional materials and
interactions.

Defining Curriculum Design

Curriculum design is operationally defined for this chapter as the intentional planning, organization,
and design of learning strategies, processes, materials, and experiences towards defined learning
and/or performance outcomes. Curriculum design is concerned with much more than learning
materials. In one sense, curriculum design is creating a holistic plan for the environments where
learning happens. This includes considering the physical, digital, social, and psychological factors
that define the spaces and places where people learn (American Educational Research Association,
n.d.).

Figure 1

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Diagram Illustrating Elements of Curriculum Design vs. Instructional Design

Curriculum design is a team sport. The teams who engage in curriculum design processes are
comprised of people with diverse areas of expertise. Typically, a curriculum design team will include
subject matter experts (e.g. faculty member), curriculum coordinator/director, curriculum oversight
groups, instructional design and development specialists, and teaching/facilitation personnel.
Depending on the nature of the curriculum, this can also include information technology specialists,
organizational development specialists, data and research specialists, and senior leadership.

Figure 2

Diagram Illustrating an Example Curriculum Design Team

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Curriculum design, when done well, is a process that is collaborative, results-oriented and transforms
diverse ideas into a focused vision for learning.

Designing Curriculum with the End in Mind

The primary goal of curriculum design is aligning learning strategies, materials, and experiences to
defined outcomes. From this standpoint, good curriculum should be results-focused and efficient. To
accomplish this, curriculum designers often use tools such as learner personas, needs analysis, and
existing assessment data to determine the scope of a project. From there, it becomes important to
develop learning strategies that connect to the characteristics of the intended learners to help them
reach the desired outcomes.

Designing curriculum with the end in mind involves managing, designing, and organizing learning
objectives, competencies, and standards within a curriculum. The process of designing curriculum
with the end in mind is commonly referred to as “backward design” (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998). The
major concept important to curriculum designers is that instead of starting with content or topics
(common historical practice by many educators), backward design starts with the outcomes and then
works backwards to address the content, topics, strategies, and materials.

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Figure 3

Diagram Comparing Design Approaches

One of the key tools important to backward design is the use of learning objectives taxonomies. One
of the most widely used of these taxonomies is Bloom’s Taxonomy (Bloom, 1956). Bloom’s Taxonomy
organizes learning objectives based on a “level of learning.” The revised version classifies these as:
remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. These levels describe cognitive learning
processes that are demonstrated through various forms of behaviors.

Figure 4

Bloom's Taxonomy (Source: https://edtechbooks.org/-dpW)

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Taxonomies like Bloom’s provide a framework for organizing types of learning outcomes and
selecting appropriate curriculum strategies for a specific level of learning. For example, a learning
objective at the understand level will likely be designed far differently than an objective at the
evaluate or create levels. This not only influences the types of strategies used, but also the alignment
of curriculum elements and appropriate level of learner (i.e. novice, intermediate, advanced).

Standards and competency frameworks are common resources curriculum designers use in the
process of conducting their work. These frameworks vary across countries and disciplines; however,
they often serve a common purpose of aligning curriculum to common outcomes and
learning/performance goals (e.g. Common Core Standards, Talent Develop Capability Model).

Representing and Mapping Curriculum

Curriculum design can be a complex process that includes many different forms of data, information,
and goals. On a practical level, curriculum designers often use forms of representations or diagrams
to help manage the complexity and decision-making processes. Curriculum representations provide a
method for communicating and collaborating with others during the curriculum design process. This
often includes representing plans for how curriculum will be organized and made available to the
learner.

When mapping curriculum, there are several major and interdependent variables of curriculum that
can be important to visualize. These variables are referred to as design “layers” (Gibbons, 2014).
While there can be many different aspects important to represent in curriculum design processes, the
following list outlines major considerations, or design variables.

Outcomes—the intended learning or performance result from the curriculum

Content—the topics or information included in the curriculum

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 Instructional Strategies—how the curriculum is organized, structured, and/or presented to
achieve a defined result
Technology—the digital or analog tools used to support the curriculum delivery, development,
or assessment
Data—how metrics and data elements are captured, organized, stored, and represented
Media—the physical or digital assets used to present curriculum to the learner
Policy—the guiding principles, rules, or regulations that frame the design of the curriculum

These “layers” represent the essential variables that effective curriculum designers consider when
working on curriculum projects and initiatives. Each of these layers are interdependent and should be
considered in concert with one another and not independently. For example, both outcomes and
content should align to ensure the content being presented supports learners as they work towards
achieving specified learning outcomes.

In the process of designing curriculum layers, curriculum designers often use representation tools
and methods to organize ideas and communicate this information to stakeholders. While there are
many different approaches to representing curriculum, the following list highlights common
frameworks used in the curriculum design field.

“The Canvas.” Canvas tools are analog or digital documents that organize various elements of
curriculum design decisions in a single visual field. The purpose of curriculum canvas
documents is to provide a structured way of organizing ideas at a conceptual level and
establishing a common vision for the curriculum. Canvas tools are often used to support
collaboration and brainstorming processes; however, they can also be used as a way to
organize individual ideas and communicate those to others in structured ways.

Figure 5

Conceptual illustration of a Canvas Curriculum Planning Tool

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Visit http://www.lxcanvas.com/ for an example of a canvas-based curriculum design tool. The
following video explains the elements of the Learning Experience Canvas.

Elements of the Learning Experience Canvas

Watch on YouTube https://edtechbooks.org/-HxYS

“The Lesson Plan.” Lesson plans are one of the most common forms of curriculum
representations across various education and training contexts. There are many, many
different formats and approaches to creating curriculum lesson plans. These can range from
simple outlines, to structured documents that represent many elements of curriculum
including learning outcomes, instructional sequence, facilitator prompts, time markers, and
teaching notes. How a lesson plan should be created is largely dependent on the intended uses
and audiences for the documents.

Figure 6

Conceptual Illustration of a Lesson Plan

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Visit https://edtechbooks.org/-TTeu for example lesson plan formats.

“The Curriculum Matrix.” Curriculum matrices are documents that represent relationships and
alignment between key variables in the curriculum. This representation is often presented as
crosstabulation tables that have one variable across the top row and another down the left
column. Next, relationship indicators are placed in the interesting cells to show a relationship
between the two variable elements. A curriculum matrix representation is commonly used to
show how learning outcomes are represented across courses or units in the curriculum.

Figure 7

Conceptual Illustration of a Curriculum Matrix

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Visit https://edtechbooks.org/-Jewdb for an example curriculum matrix.

“The Blueprint.” Blueprint-style curriculum representations integrate a number of design

variables in a single diagram, or “blueprint.” The primary purpose of this type of
representation is to create documentation that can be used to develop and implement
curriculum. Blueprint representations often contain instructional elements organized in
segments and sequences as well as production notes to guide how the curriculum should be
developed and/or implemented. They often also represent relationships between the various
curriculum elements. For example, a blueprint may note that a learner must complete a certain
set of exercises successfully at a given mastery level before progressing to the next set of
exercises. The blueprint represents the curriculum design strategy in an actionable format.

Figure 8

Conceptual Illustration of a Blueprint Curriculum Diagram

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Visit https://edtechbooks.org/-LyV for an example curriculum blueprint.

Comparing and Selecting Curriculum Mapping Tools

Selecting the most appropriate curriculum mapping method is often determined based on the current
phase and goals of the curriculum design process. The following table compares the curriculum
mapping tools discussed in this chapter and presents selection considerations.

Table 1

Comparison of Curriculum Mapping Tools

Canvas Lesson Plan Matrix Blueprint

Use early in the design Use to plan and Use to align Use to plan the
process for facilitate specific curriculum to sequence and
Uses brainstorming and lessons outcomes arrangement of
ideation Use for assessment of curriculum
learning outcomes
Encourage group Common format for Clearly shows Visually shows
collaboration and many professionals in alignment between curriculum elements,
Pros
interaction education and training curriculum and flows, and sequence.
outcomes
Can lack specifics Some may see lesson Some matrix Blueprints can be
needed to implement plan as limiting documents can be visually complex and
curriculum creativity or very complex which unfamiliar for some
Cons
adaptability of may limit their audiences.
curriculum application in
practice

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Learning Environment Modeling™—A Method for Creating Curriculum
Blueprints

A particularly critical challenge faced by many curriculum designers is the lack of a generally
accepted design language and system in the field (Gibbons, 2014). For example, many design
professions have a language to represent their work so that the audience versed in the language can
easily understand and build from their work. Architects, engineers, and software programmers are all
examples of professionals that use design languages to communicate ideas.

Learning Environment Modeling™ was created to advance a solution to the absence of a shared
design language for curriculum and instructional design. At the core of Learning Environment
Modeling™ is a language that represents five “building blocks” of curriculum, four learning contexts,
three transitional actions, and two standard notations. These language elements are combined
together in a blueprint that shows how the curriculum is to be organized and implemented.

Visit https://edtechbooks.org/-rqn to learn more about Learning Environment Modeling™ and how it
can be used to design curriculum.

Over the previous several years, a number of digital platforms have become available on the market
to manage curriculum design processes. While these platforms vary in strategy, most seek to increase
efficiency and provide a common digital hub for managing information and communication about
curriculum processes. These platforms are currently distinct from content authoring tools used for
creating materials, in that they focus solely on the curriculum organization and design, rather than
content development and delivery. In addition to standalone curriculum design platforms, many
learning management systems are incorporating similar features as part of their capabilities.

Examples of Curriculum Design Platforms

Coursetune
eLumens
Synapes

Examples of Learning Management Systems with Integrated Curriculum Design Capabilities

Moodle
Canvas
Brightspace by D2L
Blackboard

Innovation Considerations for Curriculum Design Processes

As innovations in learning design and technology are created and scaled, curriculum design
processes must adapt to ensure these methods remain grounded in effective learning practices. This
section discusses several innovation trends and their possible implications on curriculum design
processes.

One of the foundational innovations influencing curriculum design processes is a shift from
individual-focused design to team-based curriculum design. Curriculum design is becoming more and

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more a “team sport” where people from diverse backgrounds, professions, and areas of expertise
work together to create curriculum. The increasing influence of technology continues to not only
incorporate new backgrounds (e.g. technologists), but also allows people from all around the world to
collaborate on curriculum more efficiently. Successful curriculum design professionals are master
facilitators across different types of contexts and through the effective use of collaborative
technologies.

In addition to curriculum design becoming more collaborative, it is also becoming a more strategic
and holistic activity. Traditionally curriculum was viewed like a product that was self-contained and
independent. As such, curriculum design processes mirrored product development cycles and
approaches. As organizations, learning needs, and technologies change, curriculum design is moving
more towards a holistic perspective of learning environment design. This mindset goes beyond
curriculum as a product, and more about designing the collective spaces and places where people
learn at a strategic level. While this may seem like semantics at first, the implications for how
curriculum is designed and connected with other elements in a learning environment is profound.

Moving from curriculum design to learning environment design requires a systems thinking
perspective that involves not only designing elements in the learning environment, but also designing
how those elements interact together. A good example of this is the emergence of blended learning as
a common instructional practice. Blended learning is the combination of classroom and digital
learning experience in a unified strategy. Curriculum designers must not only be considered with the
design of classroom curriculum and digital curriculum, but also how they interact together in a
unified learning environment.

The broad adoption of mobile devices have also caused innovations in curriculum design. For
example, designing curriculum that is responsive across different types of devices with different
screen sizes is a basic innovation influencing the field. In addition, designing curriculum for other
mobile device features such as geo-positioning, imaging, and content creation capabilities offer
exciting and often challenging situations. Many modern mobile devices now have immersive virtual
space capabilities such as virtual reality and augmented reality. These capabilities highlight the need
for new curriculum design approaches that have not traditionally been required. Mobile and extended
reality learning capabilities will continue to be a major consideration for tomorrow’s curriculum
designers.

In addition to collaborative design processes, mobile learning, and extended reality innovations, one
of the more profound innovations influencing curriculum design processes is adaptive learning.
Adaptive learning is a general concept that describes the process of providing learners with dynamic
learning experiences based on their prior performance (Educause, 2017). This is commonly used for
recommending remediated learning experiences and encouraging peak learning performance. The
reason adaptive learning is such a profound innovation for curriculum design processes is because it
introduces the dynamic layers that have not traditionally been used. For example, a curriculum
designer would create a defined path for learners to follow based on assumptions and requirements
set forth in the design process. Adaptive learning shifts this decision making to programmatic
algorithms or a more complex map of learning experience options. This requires curriculum
designers to think and make design decisions about much more complex and dynamic learning
environments.

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Conclusion
Curriculum design processes are essential to effective learning experiences across education and
professional contexts. Without effective curriculum design processes, learners often lack the
structure and guidance necessary for optimal learning and organizations lack the ability to effectively
measure results and optimize their return on investments. While we have all experienced curriculum,
the process of designing curriculum is changing, becoming more complex, and incorporating new
technologies and strategies. One of the most profound shifts is expanding the scope of curriculum
design to consider how curriculum connects to broader and more networked learning environments.
Curriculum design is an essential skill for emerging education and learning professionals and will
continue to be a dynamic, innovative, and exciting field of practice for years to come.

References
American Educational Research Association (n.d.). Learning Environments SIG 120. Retrieved from
https://edtechbooks.org/-CKj

Bloom, B.S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. New
York, NY: Longmans, Green.

Burning Glass (2019). Program Insights [Electronic Database]. Retrieved from

https://www.burning-glass.com/

Educause (2017). Seven Things You Should Know About Adaptive Learning. Retrieved from
https://edtechbooks.org/-gvaK

Gibbons, A. S. (2014). An architectural approach to instructional design. New York, NY: Routledge.

Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design.

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 Dodd, B. J. (2021). Curriculum Design Processes. In J. K. McDonald & R. E. West (Eds.),
Design for Learning: Principles, Processes, and Praxis. EdTech Books.
https://edtechbooks.org/id/curriculum_design_process

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