The curriculum is the constitution of education that directs an education system and defines

the individuals to be raised in the society. Curricular decisions offer important clues that will

affect the entire teaching-learning process. During the curriculum-designing and planning

process, what knowledge is of most worth, what should we teach? Why should we prefer to

teach one thing over another? Who can reach what knowledge? are put into consideration.

Once more in order to obtain a whole from the different parts of the curriculum, how should

these parts be interrelated? All these are important questions to answer? during curriculum

designing and planning. Considering the questions posed above this essay seeks to compare

and contrast curriculum design and curriculum planning. Curriculum design and curriculum

planning will be defined.

Curriculum design is a term used to describe the purposeful, deliberate, and systematic

organization of curriculum (instructional blocks) within a class or course as propounded by

Davidson (2015) Curriculum design is a proposed organization of particular instructional

blocks over time, with instructions for how to navigate among them according to Lawy

(2017). Therefore curriculum design is the planning period when instructors organize the

instructional units for their course. Curriculum design involves planning activities, readings,

lessons, and assessments that achieve educational goals. Additionally curriculum design can

be segmented into three forms. These include subject-centered design, learner-centered

design and problem-centered design.

Curriculum planning is the process concerned with making decisions about what to learn,

why, and how to organize the teaching and learning process taking into account existing

curriculum requirements and the resources available (Wheeler 2017). According to Emeruwa

(2014) in Davidson (2015) curriculum planning is the process of building a programme of

learning experiences calculated to result in the attainment of set goals for a particular people.

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Therefore curriculum planning is the making of choices of learning experiences for a group

of people which is appropriate and desirable for them.

As a starting point curriculum design is referred to the blueprint of the particular course. This

means that curriculum designing reflects views, perception, values, and knowledge of the

intended curriculum. In curriculum experts should consider a holistic perspective to consider

a curriculum approach to education, including the curriculum foundations: an individual's

perspective of philosophy, history, psychology, and social concerns according to Tyler

(1949). Fundamentally in curriculum designing there is describing of course of studies that

students will pursue in an educational institution .These include set of courses, coursework,

and content offered at the educational institution.

With systematic curriculum designing basing upon an in-depth analysis, measurable

objectives are developed for the development approach. These objectives are the reference

criteria used in the designing curriculum or planning by objectives. Tyler (1949) himself

regarded the ultimate objective of schooling as learning, and thus, curriculum designing

should be performed so that effective learning is achieved. Thus, curriculum designing can be

designed basing on the ultimate end requirements or goals before focusing on the means to

which education specialists would achieve this objective.

In comparison curriculum planning is referred to as a progressive and purposeful predefined

process. Fundamentally the process is concerned with making decisions about what to learn,

why, and how to organize the teaching and learning process taking into account existing

curriculum requirements and the resources available according to Kelly (2019). At the

general level, it often results in the definition of a broad curriculum framework, as well as a

syllabus for each subject to be used as reference by individual schools. Schiro (2012) says at

the school level, curriculum planning it involves developing course and assessment plans for

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different subjects. Thus at the classroom level, it involves developing more detailed plans for

learning units, individual lessons and lesson sequences.

Additionally curriculum designing is the objective course of action. These objectives set

measurable expectations for what learners should know and be able to do, described either in

terms of learning outcomes (what the learners are expected to learn), products or performance

(what learners will produce as a result of a learning activity) or processes (describing the

focus of learning activities) as observed by Smith (2013) . They can be seen as refinements of

curriculum aims/goals that, for example, specify: performance standards or those skills and

knowledge the learners are expected to be able to demonstrate; inferred or precise degree of

mastery; and the conditions under which the performance will take place. In terms of

effectiveness, Stenhouse (1975) says curriculum objectives should: be concise and

understandable to teachers, learners and parents; be feasible for the teachers and learners to

accomplish; etc. With these issues thus marking the objective course of action.

Furthermore curriculum planning is the subjective course of action. Thus curriculum planning

also has several bases. When planning for curriculum, two categories of basis are that is

instructional in nature and those that affect people directly (Tummons 2012). The

instructional bases of curriculum planning include planning domains, the context or

characteristics of the school situation, the impact of current trends and issues, and the use of

strategic planning.

On another curriculum designing is a definable process. Curriculum design is a core pillar of

how we educate, train, and engage in formal learning experiences. At the core of curriculum

design is a mental model for how people learn and a design representation for how

knowledge and skill transfer occurs from theory into practice (Stenhouse 1975). Thus for

emerging professionals in the instructional design field, curriculum design is one of a series

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of core competencies that are necessary for professional success (Smith 2013). In the most

basic of terms, curriculum design is the process of planning formal learning experiences. Yet,

there are many tacit criteria that differentiate between effective and ineffective curriculum

design processes (Schiro 2012). Once more curriculum design gives less flexibility to adopt

the changes while curriculum planning gives more flexibility to adapt the changes. Basically

this aspect measures the level of differences from two aspects under discussion.

However curriculum designing and planning is concerned both of them seek to formulate

ways to bring about preferable futures, they are cognitively different (Kelly 2019).

Curriculum planning applies established procedures to solve a largely understood problem

within an accepted framework. Curriculum design inquiries into the nature of a problem to

conceive a framework for solving that problem as pointed out by Tyler (1949). On another

note curriculum designing focuses on learning about the nature of an unfamiliar problem.

Basing on above sentiments the two aspects are either different or similar since they differ in

some circumstances and similar in other circumstances.

In peroration, curriculum planning and curriculum designing is a sine-quanon in any

educational settings this is because without planning the teachers and the students will be

groping blindly into the dark future. Curriculum planning and curriculum designing assists

faculty in presenting their courses in a format which accurately reflects the quality instruction

they are providing. It states the content and level of rigor for which students across all

sections of the course will held accountable.

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REFERENCES

Davidson (2005) The Principles of Curriculum Development in Nigeria. Snap Press ltd.

Kelly, A.V. (2019) The curriculum: theory and practice. 6th edn. London: SAGE

Publications.

Lawy A. (1977) Handbook of Curriculum Evaluation UNESCO Paris. Chimex Publishers

Schiro, M. (2012) Curriculum theory: conflicting visions and enduring concerns. 2nd edn.

London: SAGE Publications.

Smith, M. (2013) Curriculum theory and practice. Available at:

http://infed.org/mobi/curriculum-theory-and-practice/#process

Stenhouse, L. (1975) An introduction to curriculum research and development. London:

Heinemann Educational.

Tummons, J. (2012) Curriculum studies in the lifelong learning sector. 2nd edn. Exeter:

Learning Matters.

Tyler, R.W (1949) Basic Principles of curriculum and Instruction. University of Chicago

Press. 

Wheeler, A.K (2017) Curriculum Process. London University of London Press.