DIGITAL LIBRARY
DESIGNING A CURRICULUM OR TRAINING COURSE - MAIN ASPECTS OF A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
University of Ruse (BULGARIA)
About this paper:
Appears in: ICERI2021 Proceedings
Publication year: 2021
Pages: 1870-1875
ISBN: 978-84-09-34549-6
ISSN: 2340-1095
doi: 10.21125/iceri.2021.0500
Conference name: 14th annual International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation
Dates: 8-9 November, 2021
Location: Online Conference
Abstract:
Planning is a process of systematization of each action in creation (design) of electronic educational resources, so that each decision is conditioned by the previous one. Once the educational needs have been identified, the next step is to clarify and articulate the learning objectives. These learning objectives are the unequivocal statement of what the learner will be capable of after completing the learning process.
Learning is often perceived as an event, when in fact it is a system of events. Learning design is a cyclical process that analyzes needs, develops solutions, tests these solutions and revises them. The most important stage in this system is the planning, which puts the training on a solid foundation.

Learning outcomes are a function of the competence of learners in the successful usage of content, information, ideas and tools.
The article presents a model of a systematic approach of designing electronic educational resources (curriculum or training course) and related activities, tailored to the needs, preferences and level of learners, which largely determine the content, structure, methods, language and educational level.

Identifying the educational needs of learners is an important step in designing educational events. It helps the preparation of a specific learning event and is important for the teachers who will conduct and analyze it further.

The planning and design phases in the proposed methodology contain:
• Determining the profile and educational needs of students
• Formulation of learning outcomes
• Bringing the learning outcomes in line with national standards
• Defining teaching strategies
• Making an evaluation decision
• Selection and consistency of content
• Choice of methods and means
• Decision making for program management
• Design a user manual

The systematic approach, in turn, allows the same steps to be repeated in a circle one after the other. Thus the program or training course can be improved at each subsequent iteration.

The design of electronic educational resources is preceded by preparation that needs analysis, which includes:
• Defining a clear goal and a general plan for achieving the goal
• Creating a list of goals or expected learning outcomes
• Creating a list of ideas, methods and techniques, procedures and resources that can be used to accomplish any goal
• Selection of ideas, methods and techniques, procedures and resources that are most likely to meet the objectives of each step
• Testing of each step in the design and verification of the funds allocated for each step
• Planning details of each design step
• List of all necessary materials and resources
• Distribution of staff roles and responsibilities
• Testing of new or unknown procedures, techniques and resources, visual aids, checking the operability of the equipment
• Evaluate the plan and make any changes. Preparation of a list when evaluating the plan
• Performing administrative and any other control
• Preparation of a user manual

In the design process, general information is collected and profiles of learners are developed, including the following stages:
• Choice of general concept (direction, goal)
• Collecting information
• Information analysis
• Interpretation of information

This article presents basic guidelines aimed primarily at assisting professionals in their work in creating electronic educational resources and optimizing the curriculum design process.
Keywords:
Training course, designing curriculum, design process, systematic approach, educational level.