Curriculum Evaluation by Involving Stakeholders: The Key to Relevant Education
Curriculum must be evaluated and redesigned regularly. The first step of renewing and redesigning the curriculum is evaluating the curriculum that has been implemented for 4 -5 years. Curriculum evaluation involves gathering data to assess the value and effectiveness of a specific program, and in turn, to entails forming judgments that inform decisions regarding the program’s future—whether to keep it as it is, make modifications, or eliminate it entirely (Hussain, et.al., 2011). In gathering the data to assess the curriculum, stakeholders are invited to be engaged in the process of curriculum evaluation.
There are many potential stakeholders to consider. Internal stakeholders consist of students, lecturers, staff, and administrators, On the external side, those with a vested interest in curriculum changes may include alumni, experts, associations, and governments.
It is important to involve stakeholders in curriculum evaluation process. Gathering feedback from stakeholders helps improve the curriculum by providing crucial information as their perspectives and knowledge can contribute to a more robust result, often in unexpectedly positive ways (Porter, et al., 2021). This information supports changes to courses and programs based on evidence. Another reason for including stakeholders in curriculum evaluation process is that curriculum must always remain relevant. Curriculum is supposed to prepare graduates to participate in and contribute to society development. Graduates will not be able to achieve this if the curriculum is not relevant with society needs and the development of science and technology.
To accommodate the involvement of stakeholders in curriculum development, UPH implements Focus Group Discussion (FGD). In FGD, stakeholders are asked several questions that they could explain the competence and skills that graduates need to enable them to participate in and contribute to society development in the future. Stakeholders are also asked about the effective practice of teaching and learning to lead students to achieve those competencies and skills. To support study programs to hold this kind of FGD, CTL has accommodated FGD with stakeholders from several study programs.
It is essential to gather feedback from students regarding their learning experiences. Moreover, and more importantly, feedback and demands from industry practitioners, as the direct users of graduates, should also be collected. All the feedback gathered serves as a basis for curriculum development, ensuring it is well-designed to equip students effectively. Therefore, educational institutions must continuously evaluate the curriculum to maintain its relevance.
Afzaal Hussain, et al. (2011). Evaluation of Curriculum Development Process. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science. 1(14). 263 – 271.
Andrea L. Porter, et al. (2020). Let External Stakeholders Be Your Guide to Curricular Revision: Let the eternal stakeholders be your guide to curricular revision. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 84 (8), 1057 – 1060.