Glossary Term

Curriculum

The selection and organization of learning experiences for students that are deemed important for their personal and community development. It encompasses knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills that should be well-selected and appropriately sequenced in compliance with learning and development needs at different ages and education stages. One should distinguish between the intended (usually written and official curriculum), the applied curriculum in the context of classroom interaction, the realized/effective curriculum as assessed/proven outcomes of learning, and the hidden curriculum, i.e. values, beliefs, attitudes, and skills that people hold based on their personal experiences. Usually, a curriculum is laid down through specific documents, e.g. curriculum frameworks, syllabi, textbooks, and other learning resources, comprising education aims, learning objectives, expected outcomes (student competencies), learning content, and methods, including student activities and strategies for assessment and evaluation.