CFD Curriculum Design & Development 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which curriculum development model is most commonly associated with systematic instructional design in higher education and consists of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation phases?
- Kemp Model
- ADDIE Model (Correct answer)
- Gagne's Nine Events
- Morrison, Ross, and Kemp Model
Correct answer: ADDIE Model
The ADDIE model is a widely used instructional design framework whose five phases provide a systematic process for developing curriculum.
Question 2: A faculty developer is helping a department integrate sustainability content across all courses in the major. This represents which type of curriculum integration?
- Correlated curriculum
- Infused or embedded integration (Correct answer)
- Fused curriculum
- Parallel design
Correct answer: Infused or embedded integration
Infusion embeds a theme or concept (such as sustainability) throughout existing courses rather than creating separate courses for it.
Question 3: When using the Delphi method in curriculum development, what is the primary purpose?
- To randomly sample student opinions about course difficulty
- To achieve expert consensus on curriculum priorities through structured iterative feedback (Correct answer)
- To evaluate whether textbooks align with learning outcomes
- To rank faculty teaching effectiveness
Correct answer: To achieve expert consensus on curriculum priorities through structured iterative feedback
The Delphi method gathers and iterates expert opinion anonymously until consensus is reached, commonly used to validate curriculum content priorities.
Question 4: A new faculty member asks why the program uses a prerequisite structure. Which curriculum design rationale BEST justifies prerequisite sequencing?
- Prerequisites ensure uniform class sizes across the program
- They reflect administrative convenience rather than pedagogical need
- They ensure students have foundational knowledge before encountering more complex material (Correct answer)
- They are required by all regional accreditors
Correct answer: They ensure students have foundational knowledge before encountering more complex material
Prerequisites are designed to ensure students possess the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in subsequent, more advanced coursework.
Question 5: Which of the following BEST describes formative curriculum evaluation?
- A final judgment about whether a curriculum should be continued or discontinued
- Ongoing assessment of curriculum effectiveness during development or implementation to guide improvements (Correct answer)
- A one-time external review by an accreditation body
- Student rating of instruction at the end of a semester
Correct answer: Ongoing assessment of curriculum effectiveness during development or implementation to guide improvements
Formative curriculum evaluation occurs during development or implementation and is intended to provide data that improves the curriculum.
Question 6: A faculty developer supports a team in conducting a SWOT analysis of their curriculum. Which category would include 'growing employer demand for data literacy skills'?
- Strengths
- Weaknesses
- Opportunities (Correct answer)
- Threats
Correct answer: Opportunities
External factors that the program can capitalize on, such as growing demand for certain skills, are classified as Opportunities in SWOT analysis.
Question 7: Which of the following statements BEST reflects the principle of 'coverage' as a pitfall in curriculum design?
- Including too few topics prevents students from developing breadth
- Attempting to cover too much content often results in surface-level learning with little depth (Correct answer)
- Covering content multiple times ensures retention
- Coverage refers only to ensuring all accreditation standards are met
Correct answer: Attempting to cover too much content often results in surface-level learning with little depth
The 'coverage trap' occurs when faculty prioritize breadth over depth, leaving students with shallow understanding of many topics rather than deep mastery of essential ones.
CFD Curriculum Design & Development 5
Which curriculum development model is most commonly associated with systematic instructional design in higher education and consists of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation phases?