APPROACHES IN CURRICULUM DESIGN:

LECTURERS' PERSPECTIVES
Umi Rahmawati
Tidar University
Corresponding email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Curriculum is the subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college. Or to simplify,

curriculum is a guideline of theoretical study which is applied practically. It must be correct if
curriculum is the design of how the teaching-learning will be conducted that is usually made by
lecturers. However, there must be some different opinions from one lecture with another
lecturer dealing with what approach is suitable. This study aims to know which approach is
better in designing curriculum for language learners in Higher Education and the importance of
lecturer’s role in designing it. By using qualitative method, the writer collected the data by
giving questionnaire to some lecturers that were involved as curriculum designers.

Keywords: approaches in curriculumdesign, lecturers' perspective, languagelearners in highereducation,

lecturer’s role.

1. Introduction
“Curriculum is an academic plan that consist of eight elements; they are
purpose, content, sequence, learners, instructional processes, instructional
materials, evaluation that enrich learning. (Stark and Lattuca,2009). From the
statement above, it is quite clear that curriculum has an important point in
teaching and learning process. Here, curriculum stands as the key of teaching
and learning process which means that curriculum and its design will give direct
impact in the content, process, and also output. In designing it, content, process
and also output of every curriculum has to be clear, and suitable with the need of
the learners. Designers need to pay attention to the learners and also society that
keep changing from time to time, and it changes their needs, for learning, for
sure.
There are three approaches that is stated from Richard (2013) in
designing curriculum for language learners; They are forward, process, and
backward. Each of those approaches has its own characteristic, such as starting
point, output or result, and etc. That becomes the reason why we cannot choose
one approach and judge another before we take a look on the learners as the
target.
Lecturer as a facilitator that leads teaching and learning process has a big
role in designing curriculum. It is clearly explained on Undang-UndangNomor
12 Tahun 2012 Pasal 35 Ayat 2on curriculum that
statesKurikulumPendidikanTinggidikembangkanolehsetiapperguruantinggideng
anmengacupadaStandarNasionalPendidikanTinggiuntuksetiap program studi
yang mencakuppengembangankecerdasanintelektual, akhlakmulia,
danketerampilan. It deals with lecturers who have big role in designing
curriculum for their own students in higher education, since they are people who
face them almost everyday and know what exactly becomes their needs, wants,
lacks.
 This study aims to know which approach that fits better in designing
language curriculum in higher education according to lecturers' perspective and
lecturers' role in designing it. The writer conducted the study in Tidar University
(Untidar) in Magelang.

2. Material and Methods

2.1.Review of related Literature
Approach
Anthony (1965) defines approach as correlative assumption when
assumption and beliefs of language and language learning are specified.
Approach actually deals with the beliefs of someone into some theories.

Curriculum
Word "curriculum" comes from latin word "currere" which means run or run
away. It means that curriculum is way that make the course run well to reach
the goal.
Stark and Lattuca (2009) state that curriculum is an academic plan that
consists of eight elements; They are purpose, content, sequence, learners,
instructional processes, instructional materials, evaluation that enrich
learning.

Curriculum development is well-structured and systematic planning

methods, start form designing until evaluating which underlie the making of
syllabus, lesson plan, and another. (Carl, 1995)
Moreover, Tyler’s (2013) defines curriculum development as deductive
rational-linear approach which believes that curriculum needs to focus on
addressing the goal, developing students experience which help students to
achieve the goal, organizing students experience and evaluation of the goal.

Approaches in designing curriculum

Richards (2010)mentions that there are 3 approaches in designing curriculum
in higher education that come from different perspective. They are forward,
center, and backward. In making those three curriculums, there are three
different starting points also, starting with input for backward, process for
center, and output for backward. Every starting point reflects different
assumptions about the meaning and goal of teaching and learning.
a. Forward
Forward deals with input. It means that we need to think about its
linguistic first, which means the content. Content here means that
lecturers need to think logically to assume what content of the language
that will be taught before teaching and learning process. All of the
contents that are selected need to be arranged well,including the
sequence in teaching them into teachable and learnable unit. The result of
this approach is syllabus.

Content Process Outcomes

 Tsui (2005) mentions that there are some issues of forward design:
i. What linguistic forms do we want to teach?
ii. How do we represent these items in the form of tasks or activities?
iii. How do we get learners to use the target items to complete the tasks
or activities, either individually or in pairs/groups?
iv. Are there any gaps between the target language structures/functions
and those produced by the students?

b. Central
Process deals with how the class is conducted or what methodology that
is needed by lecturer to conduct the class. Methodology is defined as
type of learning activities, procedure, and technique which are
implemented by lecturer to teach in class. Throughout the twentieth
century, lecturers need to insert some technology in making teaching
strategies. Lecturer need to pay attention to creative, interactive, and
communicative environment in choosing what methodology that will be
implemented.

Process Content

Outcomes

Some issues related to central design, such as:

i. What opportunities are afforded for learners to participate in meaning
making?
ii. What kind of shared understanding needs to be established among
the learners?
iii. What kind of participation framework is being set up and what are
the role configurations for the group and for the individual learner
over time?
iv. What opportunities have been created by learners in the process of
participation?

c. Backward
Backward approach is started with output. Output refers to learning
outcomes, that is, what learner will get or will be able to do after they
had the class. It can be a target that needs to be achieved by every student
in class without exception. This might be a standardized test such as
TOEFL, or as simple as students are able to do something. For example,
if lecturer conducts a class which has output "students are able to make
speech text and practice it in front of the class", lecturer needs to do
something in conducting the class to make sure that every student is able
to make speech text and practice it in front of audience.
 Process
Outcomes

Content

Backward Design through objectives:

i. Related to word content, process, and outcomes, people who use
backward design believes that outcome become a criteria ofwhat
material that will be selected, content is the outline of it, and process
is strategy and instructional procedures that are developed.
ii. The steps related to backward design objectives are identify desired
result, determine acceptable evidence of learning, and plan learning
experience.

Lecturers' role
Jadhav (2013) explains in her journal that lecturer has important role in
designing curriculum in higher education. Lecturers are people who meet
students everyday in class. Because they meet everyday lecturer can know
how is their condition, their needs, wants, and what exactly they accept as
well as what kindof teaching method and strategy that must be understood
well by them. This strategy and method that they need for designing lesson
plan and syllabus must be considered as one important thing in designing
curriculum, dealing with what curriculum approach that they need to
increase their knowledge and achievement in class, but still make them
comfortablein their study.
Olagteru-Olagbegi (2016) from Simon Fraser University suggests that
lecturers need to constantly search for new method and strategy in teaching
learningin conducting the class. Appropriate curriculum is needed to make
them able to design such enjoyable class condition which gain their interest.
They need to facilitate students well in class and design what curriculum that
really can bring students’ significant learning experience, instead of just
sharing what problem that will be faced by students, but without giving any
solution and preparation for them in facing it. In conclusion, lecturers’ has
important role in designing curriculum for “their own students” in higher
education.

Previous Studies
A study from Van Lier (2000) concluded that a classroom cannot start from
input, which make lecturers are thinking about what to teach first, either
output of the class which only make them focus on what to achieve.
Everything is about process, about how to provide environment that make
students’ feel that they have powerful opportunities to do many powerful
actions to make the material unforgettable. Therefore, something is needed
to make students feel that are in heterogenous group with many differences,
which encourage them to share what they know one to another and to the
lecturer (Van Lier, 2008).
 Based on those two studies, the writer questioned that what approach is
actually needed to be used in making curriculum in higher education, and
how important are lecturers’ role in making that curriculum.

2.1.Methodology
2.2.1. Research Method
The writer used qualitative method in this study. Ndae (2013)
explained that qualitative method deals with the use of word to elaborate
the result of the study. Moreover, it has more benefit for writer in
analyzing the data that wereobtained.
2.2.2. Subject of the Study /Participants
The participants of the study is five English lecturers for
undergraduate program of English Department in UntidarMagelang.
They are chosen because they have experience in designing curriculum
for language learners, especially in Untidar. Furthermore, the writer
wants to know what they exactly think if they are asked about what
approach that is better to design curriculum for their students in Untidar,
since they meet they students almost everyday and the subject who will
implement it.
2.2.3. Instrument of Data Collection
The instrument that is used is open-ended questionnaire with four
statements. Participants are asked to give check on one of their choice of
each statement, among Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, or Strongly
Agree. Then, participants also give explanation about their reason why
they choose that arguments.

2.2.4. Technique of Collecting the Data

The writer collected the data by the questionnaire that was given
to the participants (lecturers) directly by meeting, not via online.
The questionnaire was given to some lecturers that had
experience in making curriculum in Untidar, then researcher explained
the questionnaire slowly to them while they are filling the questionnaire.
By giving this questionnaire, the writer also got some suggestions from
the participants.

2.2.5. Technique of Analyzing the Data

In analyzing data, the writer used the theory of Miles and
Huberman (1994), because she used qualitative method. It means that the
analysis must answer the questions directly. Based on Miles and
Huberman (1994), data analysis is follow up point after data collection,
that means in collecting the data in doing research, researcher obviously
analyzed the data. It will be impossible if the writer just collected the
data without analyzingthem. There are three steps of analyzing data:
a. Data Reducing
After the data were collected, they need to be reduced. Reducing the
data collection means summarizing, choosing and focusing on
important points, and relate them to the theme and pattern of the
 study. By reducing the data, it will make the data clearer and more
understandable, that can help either researcher to do the next step of
analyzing data or reader to understand it.
In this case, the writer sorted the questionnaire based on
participants’ answers, dealing with their argument agree, disagree,
strongly agree, or strongly disagree.
b. Data Display
The purpose of displaying data is to help us understanding what is
happening, then do something further analysis as follow up to the
previous one. For the researcher, it would be easier to understand
what is happening on data after they were reduced and displayed or
presented, the researcher could do the next plan of research based on
researcher experience.
In this study, the writer displayedthe data in form of table. The
questionnaire table was displayed after filling in the data from
participants, related to their arguments. Later, they will be discussed
well with their explanation also.
c. Drawing Conclusion
The last step of analyzing data is drawing conclusion. The researcher
needed to draw conclusion as the answer of the research. Usually in
concluding it, researcher needsto take some consultations to other
people that master it more, lecturer for example.
In this study, the writer concluded the result after analyzing the
data, comparing to theory and previous study, then consulting some
people that master it more.

3. Result and Discussion

Table 1
Research data
No Statement SD D A SA Explanation
1 Make (Input, Process, 0 0 2 3
Output)* as the starting point 0% 0% 40% 60%
is a better way in designing
curriculum for language
learner in higher education.

2 Designing curriculum based 1 0 1 3

on (Input, Process, Output)* 20% 0% 20% 60%
brings some problems for
lecturers and students.

3 Curriculum design for 0 0 2 3

language learner in Higher 0% 0% 40% 60%
Education has its
characteristic.

4 Lecturers have important role 0 0 0 5

in designing curriculum for 0% 0% 0% 100%
students in higher education
 a. Approaches in Curriculum Design
Based on questionnaire statement in Table 1, no 1 and 2 refer to
approaches in curriculumdesign for language learners and problem that perhaps
are faced in designing it based on lecturers’ perspectives.
The result is noparticipants are on agree side, 40% agree and 60%
strongly agree. In addition, the point of this statement is on the choice input,
process, and output. Based on the result, 60% chose strongly agree and 20%
agreed to concern on output. They chose output as the“starting pont” in
designing curriculum, but they agreed that all those three things are important.
Output or outcome is the one that will give direct impact to students. People will
know how the students are developed in school, how the students get in class if
the output is quite clear. For example, the output of a language curriculum is
students become creative, innovative, and productive, so that they can survive in
ASEAN Economic Community. After getting the output, designer will think of
the content dealing with what to be taught to students, and the process that deals
with how to teach that contentto them.
Then the point is, how to choose an output to our learners? One of the
participants explained:
“We need to do need analysis in order our curriculum and our graduates can be
used by stakeholder.” (L1)
“Curriculum is a fundamental based development.” (L2)
According to her explanation above, we need to do need analysis to students to
know their needs, wants, and also lacks before stating what that will become the
output of the curriculum. By doing so, the output of the curriculum will be fit
with their needs and what society needs nowadays.
Still in number one, 20% of the participants is on agree side, but chose
input as starting point. The reason why L4 chose it is the content is more
important. L4 thinks that neither output can be attainednor process can run well
if the content it not suitable with students needs.
In statement number 2, “Designing curriculum is based on (Input, Process,
Output)* brings some problems” deals with the problem that is faced by lecturer in
designing curriculum. The responses of the participants are 20% strongly disagreed
that output as starting point usually brings problems, and 80% are on agree side that
making process as the starting point can bring some problems. All in all, theywere
on thesame side that did not think if making curriculum starting from output will
bring many problems.
“The curriculum will not be balanced if we start to design it from process.” (L4)
L4 thinks that if designing curriculum starts from process we perhaps ignore the
goal of the curriculum. Process is a development of how to deliver content and
achieve goal, so process is actually not really suitable for curriculum language
learner and will give some problems such as unbalance.

b. Characteristic of Language Curriculum

In accordance with the statement number 3, all of the participants were on agree
side and they think there are some characteristic that curriculum designers need to
concern.
 “Each curriculum has their own specialties that make it different one to another.
Different learner, different characteristic.” (L3)
“Each institution has their own characteristic that makes the curriculum special.”
(L5)
“Curriculum in EFL has some differences from other subjects.” (L1)
Above is some explanations that were given from some participants of the study. In
fact, curriculum for EFL learners has some differences one another, such as teaching
methods, the way they develop the skills, language diagnostic assessment, etc.

c. Lecturers’ Role
Statement number 4 deals with the role of lecturer in designing curriculum, all
of the participants (100%) agreed that lecturers have important role in designing
curriculum.
“Lecturers are important since they will implement the curriculum.” (L1)
“Lecturers’ role is important, since theywill apply the curriculum so they need to
know how to apply it in correct way.” (L4)
“Lecturers’ role is important since they will apply the curriculum by themselves.”
(L5)
From explanation for L1, 4 and 5, they stated that lecturers have important point
since they will apply that curriculum itself to their learners, so that they need to
understand the curriculum well. The content, activity, and output must be
understood by them.
“Lecturers know what learners needs.” (L2)
“Lecturer is key point in designing curriculum for learners, many things depend on
them.” (L3)
In L2 and L3 explanation, lecturers’ role becomes important because they know
students’ need. How lecturers can know students need analysis can be done by
observation. They are people who meet students almost everyday in class, they must
understandthe condition of the class, the teaching strategy that is suitable for them,
etc. What they do everyday can represent an observation of students. By Doing so,
slowly they will understand their lacks, wants, and needs. Furthermore, from that
need analysis lecturers will deliver the observation to curriculum designers, so that
they can design suitable curriculum based on that analysis. The role of lecturers does
not stop here. As the facilitators who teach students directly in class, lecturers need
to know how to implement the curriculum in correct way for their students. How to
do it is by making suitable lesson plan with activities that can be done by them and
increase their skills. Thatis the lecturer’s role in designing curriculum.

4. Conclusion
Curriculum is fundamental basis that needs to be developed, so that in
designing it, people need to concern about many aspects related to them. The
aspects are analysis, society or environment, etc. In making curriculum they
need to think on such aspects. Moreover, according to the curriculum standard of
Kemenristekdikti, curriculum is a prgram that is arranged to achieve a goal, so
that goal becomes important point in curriculum.
For curriculum designers especially language curriculum, there are three
approaches. They are forward, center, and backward. Forward approach is an
approach that concernS to content at first, center concern to process, and
 backward concern to output at first. No matter what approach is used, it must
have advantages and disadvantages.
In this point, the role of lecturer is needed. The reason why they are
needed is to choose which one of those approaches that is suitable in making
curriculum for their learners. Then, how to choose it? Lecturers who have
already done some “natural” observations of their learners through their
meetings almost everyday can analyze their observation, then deliver students
need, lacks and wants to curriculum designer, who are also lecturers. Thus,
designers need to relate the curriculum to society and some conditions.
This study proved that according to lecturers’ perspectives in Tidar
University, backwars approach stands as the suitable approach that has less
problem in the process of making and also implementing. It also proved that
lecturers have important role as well,since they are the ones who make, and
apply the curriculum.

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