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Curriculum planning - easy explanation

What is curriculum?

A curriculum is the complete plan of learning in a school or college.

It includes:

What students should learn
Why they should learn it
How teachers will teach it
How learning will be checked or evaluated

It is not only the textbook or syllabus. It also includes classroom activities, clinical postings, assignments, values, skills, and experiences students get inside and outside the institution.

For nursing students, curriculum includes subjects such as anatomy, nursing foundations, clinical practice, communication skills, ethics, and examinations.

UNESCO similarly describes curriculum as planning that includes objectives, content, teaching methods, assessment, and learning materials (UNESCO curriculum overview).

Curriculum design

Curriculum design means making a proper plan for teaching and learning.

It answers four simple questions:

Why teach?
- Learning aims and objectives
- Example: Student will be able to give safe medication.
What to teach?
- Content or subject matter
- Example: Drug calculation, routes of administration, side effects.
How to teach?
- Learning experiences and teaching methods
- Example: Lecture, demonstration, simulation, ward practice.
How to know students learned?
- Evaluation
- Example: Written test, practical exam, OSCE, clinical assessment.

Main components of curriculum

Component	Simple meaning
Aims and objectives	What students should achieve
Content	Topics and knowledge to be taught
Learning experiences	Activities through which students learn
Evaluation	Checking whether objectives were achieved

Types of curriculum

1. Overt, explicit, or written curriculum

This is the official and planned curriculum.

It is written in documents such as:

Syllabus
Course plan
Timetable
Lesson plan
Textbooks
Examination plan

Example: The nursing syllabus states that first-year students must learn vital signs and infection control.

2. Hidden curriculum

This is learning that happens without being written in the syllabus.

Students learn it from teachers' behaviour, hospital environment, rules, peer groups, and daily experiences.

Example:
If a nursing teacher speaks respectfully to patients, students learn respect and empathy.
If staff members are punctual, students learn punctuality.

3. Null curriculum

This refers to things that are not taught, even though they could be important.

Example: If a course never discusses mental-health stigma or patient rights, students may not learn enough about those areas.

4. Phantom curriculum

This is learning that students receive from outside school or college, especially through media.

Sources include:

Television
Social media
Internet
Advertisements
Movies
Newspapers

Example: Students may develop ideas about body image, lifestyle, health products, or nursing roles from social media.

5. Curriculum in use

This is the curriculum that teachers actually teach in class.

Sometimes it is different from the written syllabus because of lack of time, resources, or changes in student needs.

6. Received curriculum

This means what the student understands or receives from teaching.

A teacher may explain a topic well, but different students may understand it differently.

7. Learned curriculum

This is what the student actually learns at the end.

It includes knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviour.

8. Supported curriculum

These are the resources that support teaching and learning.

Examples:

Books
Library
Skills laboratory
Models and charts
Computers
Internet
Clinical area

9. Assessed curriculum

This is the part of learning that is tested or evaluated.

Examples:

Theory examination
Viva
Practical examination
Assignment
Case presentation
Clinical performance assessment

10. Electronic curriculum

Learning provided through electronic sources.

Examples:

Online classes
Educational videos
Learning apps
E-books
Websites

11. Extra curriculum

Activities done in addition to regular classroom teaching.

Examples:

Sports
Cultural activities
Health camps
NSS
Debate
Volunteer work

These help develop personality, teamwork, leadership, and communication.

Approaches to curriculum design

1. Subject-centered curriculum

This approach focuses mainly on subjects.

Example: Anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, and nursing foundation are taught as separate subjects.

Advantages

Easy to organize
Gives systematic subject knowledge
Easy to evaluate

Limitation

Students may find it difficult to connect subjects with real patient problems.

2. Learner-centered curriculum

This approach focuses on the needs, interests, ability, and learning style of students.

Example: Teachers use discussion, group work, self-learning modules, and different activities for students with different abilities.

Main idea: Students are active participants, not only listeners.

3. Problem-centered curriculum

This approach focuses on real-life problems.

Students learn by identifying a problem, discussing it, finding information, and suggesting solutions.

Example:
A patient has fever, cough, and breathing difficulty. Students discuss:

Possible causes
Assessment
Investigations
Nursing care
Prevention

This is useful in nursing because nursing practice deals with real patient problems.

Steps of curriculum development in nursing

Identify needs
Find out what students, patients, hospitals, and society need.
Set objectives
Decide what the student should know and be able to do.
Select content
Choose relevant topics, skills, and clinical experiences.
Organize content
Arrange topics from simple to complex and theory to practice.
Choose teaching methods
Use lectures, demonstrations, simulation, group discussion, bedside teaching, etc.
Provide resources
Arrange teachers, classrooms, library, labs, equipment, and clinical areas.
Evaluate
Assess student learning and check whether the curriculum is effective.
Revise the curriculum
Update it when health needs, technology, policies, or professional standards change.

In one line

Curriculum is a complete learning plan that tells us what to teach, why to teach, how to teach, and how to evaluate learning.

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Easy Notes: Curriculum Planning

1. Factors influencing curriculum development

A curriculum is affected by many things.

Academic factors

These are the views of teachers and subject experts.

Example: Nursing teachers decide which important nursing topics and skills students must learn.

Social factors

Curriculum should meet the needs of society and the local community.

Example: If diabetes is common in an area, nursing students should learn more about diabetes prevention and care.

Economic factors

Making and running a curriculum needs money.

Money is needed for:

Books
Skills lab equipment
Computers
Hospital/clinical training
Teachers and training programmes

Political factors

Government policies and professional bodies can affect the curriculum.

In nursing: Indian Nursing Council and State Nursing Councils guide nursing education, standards, and recognition of institutions.

2. Barriers to curriculum development

These are problems that make curriculum planning difficult.

Barrier	Easy meaning
Lack of resources	Not enough money, books, equipment, technology, or trained staff
Time constraints	Teachers and planners may not have enough time to plan and update the curriculum
Resistance to change	Some people prefer the old system and do not accept new ideas
Lack of expertise	People may not have enough knowledge of curriculum design, teaching methods, or assessment
Assessment challenges	It may be hard to make good examinations that truly measure student learning
Diverse student needs	Students have different abilities, backgrounds, languages, and learning styles
Policies and regulations	Rules may sometimes limit flexibility in planning
Stakeholder involvement	Teachers, students, parents, and community members may have different opinions
Technology problems	Lack of computers, internet, or training in technology
Budget constraints	Limited funds prevent new activities and improvements
Testing pressure	Too much focus on exams may reduce attention to practical skills and overall development
Need for teacher training	Teachers need regular training to teach new content properly

Simple conclusion: A good curriculum needs money, time, skilled teachers, resources, support, and willingness to change.

3. Learning objectives or behavioural objectives

A learning objective is a clear statement of what a student should be able to do after learning.

Example

After the class, the student will be able to:

Measure blood pressure correctly.
List signs of dehydration.
Demonstrate hand washing.
Explain the causes of fever.

A good objective should be:

Clear
Specific
Observable
Measurable
Related to the lesson

Instead of writing:
❌ “Student will understand injection.”

Write:
✅ “Student will demonstrate intramuscular injection using correct technique.”

Domains of objectives

1. Cognitive domain - knowledge and thinking

This includes remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, and evaluating.

Examples:

Define hypertension.
Explain causes of anaemia.
Calculate drug dosage.
Compare types of shock.

2. Psychomotor domain - practical skills

This includes physical and nursing skills.

Examples:

Demonstrate wound dressing.
Insert a urinary catheter.
Measure temperature and pulse.
Perform hand washing.

3. Affective domain - attitude and feelings

This includes values, interest, empathy, responsibility, and communication.

Examples:

Show respect to patients.
Cooperate with the health team.
Maintain confidentiality.
Accept responsibility for patient care.

4. Course plan

A course plan is the overall plan for one complete subject or course.

It explains:

Course title
Class/year of students
Duration
Objectives
Content
Teaching methods
Clinical experience
Evaluation method
Resources and references

Example

For a course called Medical-Surgical Nursing, the course plan tells:

What units will be taught
How much time each unit needs
What skills students must learn
How students will be evaluated

Levels of course planning

Course planning can be done at:

National level
University level
College level
School level

5. Unit plan

A unit plan is a detailed plan for one part of a course.

A unit contains related topics.

Example

Course: Medical-Surgical Nursing
Unit: Care of patients with diabetes

Topics in this unit may include:

Meaning of diabetes
Causes and risk factors
Signs and symptoms
Investigations
Treatment
Insulin administration
Diet
Nursing care
Complications
Patient education

Main points in a unit plan

Unit title
Objectives
Content
Time allotted
Teaching methods
Learning activities
Teaching aids
Evaluation
References

Importance of a unit plan

It helps the teacher to:

Teach topics in correct order
Avoid missing important content
Save time
Select suitable teaching methods
Plan clinical and practical experiences
Evaluate students properly
Coordinate teaching with other teachers

6. Lesson plan

A lesson plan is the detailed plan for teaching one lesson on one day.

It tells the teacher:

What to teach
Why to teach
How to teach
Which teaching aids to use
What questions to ask
How to check whether students learned

Example

Topic: Hand washing
Class: First-year B.Sc. Nursing
Duration: 30 minutes

Objective: At the end of the class, students will be able to demonstrate correct hand washing.

Method: Demonstration and return demonstration.

Teaching aids: Soap, water, sink, chart, gloves.

Evaluation: Ask the student to perform hand washing steps.

Need for lesson planning

Lesson planning:

Makes teaching organized
Gives confidence to teachers
Helps manage time
Helps select correct teaching aids
Makes objectives clear
Prevents forgetting important points
Helps meet the needs of students
Makes evaluation easier

Characteristics of a good lesson plan

A good lesson plan should be:

Simple and flexible
Based on clear objectives
Suitable for students' level
Related to previous knowledge
Interesting and student-centered
Include teaching aids
Include questions and evaluation
Include real-life examples
Properly timed

7. Herbartian lesson plan model

The Herbartian model is a traditional method of lesson planning. It follows five steps.

1. Preparation or introduction

The teacher prepares students for the new topic by asking questions about what they already know.

Example: Before teaching diabetes, ask:
“What have you heard about diabetes?”
“Which people may need insulin?”

2. Presentation

The teacher presents the new topic using explanation, demonstration, charts, models, or examples.

Example: Explain signs, treatment, diet, and nursing care of diabetes.

3. Comparison and association

The teacher connects new knowledge with old knowledge or compares it with similar topics.

Example: Compare type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

4. Generalization

Students derive the main rule, principle, or conclusion.

Example: “Regular monitoring of blood sugar, diet control, exercise, and medication help control diabetes.”

5. Application

Students use the new knowledge in a practical situation.

Example: Ask students to prepare a health teaching plan for a patient with diabetes.

Advantages of Herbartian lesson plan

Teaching is systematic and organized.
Helps teachers plan in advance.
Connects old knowledge with new knowledge.
Useful for beginners.
Helps students understand step by step.
Encourages revision and application.

Limitations of Herbartian lesson plan

It can become rigid.
It may focus too much on the teacher.
It is not equally suitable for every subject.
It may not meet every student's individual needs.
It is less suitable for highly practical, creative, or problem-solving learning.

Short revision

Curriculum development: Preparing and improving the whole educational programme.
Objectives: What students should be able to do after learning.
Course plan: Plan for a complete subject/course.
Unit plan: Plan for one related group of topics.
Lesson plan: Plan for one class or one lesson.
Herbartian model: Preparation, Presentation, Association, Generalization, Application.

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