What is Curriculum?
Prior to describing what my values and beliefs are regarding curriculum, it is important to disclose my understanding of the term. What I have learned thus far is that the term curriculum is not easily defined – there are many and varied interpretations of the word. Curriculum is multi-faceted and includes learning outcomes, content, teaching methods, activities and materials as well as assessments. Curriculum, as noted by Egan (1978), is a combination of both what is taught (content) and how something it is taught (methodology). Egan (1978) writes that each domain (the how and the what) is equally important and warns not to emphasize one over the other. Durham College’s curriculum framework illustrates the many components that influence both curriculum content and methodology. What I find most significant about this framework is that learners, our students, are at the heart of the framework which correlates exactly with my teaching philosophy which is based on Durham College’s mission statement – the student experience comes first. As my belief is that what is taught (content) and how something is taught (methodology) are equally important curriculum components, for my curriculum values and beliefs I have chosen to address stakeholder input and learning activities.
Stakeholder Input
Stakeholder input refers to seeking the input of all relevant stakeholders including employers, faculty, alumni and professional associations. This input, particularly from the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA), the professional association that governs HR practitioners in Ontario, is extremely important to me as faculty teaching in the Human Resources Graduate Management Certificate program. In part, the goal of the Human Resource Management Graduate Certificate program is to “prepare graduates to achieve the academic component of the Certified Human Resources Professional designation (CHRP) or the Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation granted by the Human Resources Professionals Association” ("Human Resources Management Graduate Certificate Program Description", 2016-2017, p. 87). In recognition of this goal, my approach to curriculum is to be intimately familiar with the HR competency framework which serves as the foundation for all HRPA credential requirements. I want to ensure that my teaching helps prepare students to achieve their HR designation. To this end, my plan is to weave the competencies which relate to the subjects I teach into my course content and learning activities to prepare students for their certification exams. Please see below for the complete HR Competency Framework.
Prior to describing what my values and beliefs are regarding curriculum, it is important to disclose my understanding of the term. What I have learned thus far is that the term curriculum is not easily defined – there are many and varied interpretations of the word. Curriculum is multi-faceted and includes learning outcomes, content, teaching methods, activities and materials as well as assessments. Curriculum, as noted by Egan (1978), is a combination of both what is taught (content) and how something it is taught (methodology). Egan (1978) writes that each domain (the how and the what) is equally important and warns not to emphasize one over the other. Durham College’s curriculum framework illustrates the many components that influence both curriculum content and methodology. What I find most significant about this framework is that learners, our students, are at the heart of the framework which correlates exactly with my teaching philosophy which is based on Durham College’s mission statement – the student experience comes first. As my belief is that what is taught (content) and how something is taught (methodology) are equally important curriculum components, for my curriculum values and beliefs I have chosen to address stakeholder input and learning activities.
Stakeholder Input
Stakeholder input refers to seeking the input of all relevant stakeholders including employers, faculty, alumni and professional associations. This input, particularly from the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA), the professional association that governs HR practitioners in Ontario, is extremely important to me as faculty teaching in the Human Resources Graduate Management Certificate program. In part, the goal of the Human Resource Management Graduate Certificate program is to “prepare graduates to achieve the academic component of the Certified Human Resources Professional designation (CHRP) or the Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation granted by the Human Resources Professionals Association” ("Human Resources Management Graduate Certificate Program Description", 2016-2017, p. 87). In recognition of this goal, my approach to curriculum is to be intimately familiar with the HR competency framework which serves as the foundation for all HRPA credential requirements. I want to ensure that my teaching helps prepare students to achieve their HR designation. To this end, my plan is to weave the competencies which relate to the subjects I teach into my course content and learning activities to prepare students for their certification exams. Please see below for the complete HR Competency Framework.
Learning Activities
The learning activities component of the curriculum framework refers to a faculty member’s responsibility to design activities that engage and support students in actively developing and receiving feedback on course and program required skills, knowledge, and abilities. This component is important to me because I believe it is an essential part of creating a learning environment that is conducive to student success - both during the program and after program completion. Learning activities afford students’ the opportunity to practice, apply and receive feedback on course skills/knowledge so that they are not only better prepared for program evaluations, but also for workplace success. To this end I follow the JumpStart Model when creating my lesson plans and develop a practice activity for each content piece such as the one included in the above image from an Organizational Behaviour course that I teach.
References
Egan, K. (1978). What is curriculum? Curriculum Inquiry, 8, 65–72.
“Human Resources Professional Competency Framework”. (2014). Human Resources Professional Association. Retrieved from http://hrdesignations.ca/HRPA-Professional-HR-Competency-Framework.pdf
“Human Resource Management Graduate Certificate Program Description”. (2016-2017). Durham College 2016-2017 School of Business, IT & Management (BITM) Program Guide.