you have been asked by the ministry of education or government agency related to education to be a member of a curriculum committee in your subject area. They have asked you to put together a document highlighting the key areas of reform. where do you begin? will you conduct research? what is the first thing you are going to do? what are the starting points of such a project? will you be involving other parties in the development of the curriculum and if so, who and why?

Answer:

• Where do you begin?

Since this task involves redesigning and reforming a course curriculum, it is crucial to first set the instructional objectives which includes the subject matter and the expected behavioral change for the learners. This is important because it formulates a cohesive standard for what specific topics will be included and the measurable outcome that the reform proposes. For example, if this is a change in Elementary Math, using previous data about students who took the subject and identifying the gaps will help the committee point out the changes necessary. An explicit example of this objective is "after the course, the students should be able to define and write binomial expressions." Upon setting these objectives, the committee can then proceed with the rest of the project which follows the rationale and specific details of the methodology.

• Will you conduct research? What is the first thing you are going to do?

Yes. For the research aspect of the project, I will first write down the problems that necessitate reform and perform a mixed-method methodology to identify patterns that will help me understand the causes of the problem, and in turn, the possible solutions that may help. After that, I would formulate tangible recommendations for the curriculum that will be approved by the rest of the committee. I would also include FGDs or focused-group-discussions and interviews involving teaching staff and students to get more data.

• What are the starting points of such a project?

The project first and foremost starts with planning. Instead of immediately jumping to solutions, it's important to plan the objectives of the project, the significance of it, and the scope of the reform that will be integrated.

• Will you be involving other parties in the development of the curriculum and if so, who and why?

Yes. Since a change in educational curriculum mostly affects the students and the teaching staff, they will be the utmost priority when testing the effectiveness of the proposed changes. Then, the educational committee and other institutions partnered with our department especially those that help with operation and research costs may also be involved so they can input their insights about the project.