Student CENTREDNESS
2. Traditional Curriculum Development versus
Student-Centred Curriculum
A student-centred curriculum within an adult learning context contains many elements that are similar to those in traditional curriculum development, i.e. planning, implementing, and evaluating. The key difference between the two models is that, in the former, the curriculum is a collaborative effort of teachers and learners, since learners are closely involved in the decision-making process regarding the content of the curriculum and the way it is taught.
As far as the curriculum process is concerned, a student-centred approach can be characterised and distinguished from traditional approaches by its initial planning procedures.
These procedures include the collection of information about learners in order to diagnose their objective needs that are needs which are external to the learner.
This initial data collection, which is usually superficial, has to be supplemented by more subjective information on the preferred length and intensity of the course, the preferred learning arrangement and goals, as well as by information relating to the preferred methodology, the students’ learning-style preferences, and so on. However, this sort of information, relating to the student’s subjective needs as an individual in a learning situation can often only be obtained once a course has begun. Instruments have to be developed and used that help teachers and students to become aware of the individual objective and subjective needs.
