COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course Code: LM702
Semester: X
Credits: 3
Total Weekly Hours: 9
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Instructor-led Hours: 4
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Independent Study Hours: 5
Course Intensity: 4
Component: Pedagogy and Educational Sciences
Prerequisite: None
This course provides future language educators with the theoretical and practical foundations for designing, implementing, and evaluating English language curricula in diverse educational settings. Emphasizing both national and international perspectives, students will explore curriculum theories, the components and stages of curriculum development, and how these relate to teaching English as a foreign language.
Drawing on the Colombian Ministry of Education’s Suggested English Curriculum and global standards, students will critically engage with the questions: What to teach? When? How? and How to evaluate learning outcomes? Through reflection, analysis, and hands-on curriculum design tasks, the course fosters autonomy, professional decision-making, and context-sensitive planning.
Students will learn to conduct needs and situation analyses, design learning objectives, align content with communicative goals, and integrate transversal projects. The course culminates in the development and defense of a context-specific curriculum design proposal, informed by pedagogical practice and guided by critical inquiry.
Learning Objectives
General Objective:
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Enable students to actively participate in the planning and implementation of English language curricula in alignment with institutional goals and contextual needs.
Specific Objectives:
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Analyze key curriculum design theories and their impact on language teaching.
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Identify and apply the stages of curriculum development: needs analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation.
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Understand and contextualize the Colombian Suggested Curriculum for English.
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Design a curriculum proposal based on pedagogical observation and reflection.
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Integrate transversal educational projects in curriculum planning.
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Develop communicative competencies through reading, writing, and oral argumentation in academic contexts.
Key Topics
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What is Curriculum? Definitions and Scope
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Curriculum Theories and Approaches (linguistic-based, content-based, learner-centered, learning-centered)
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Elements of the Curriculum (objectives, content, methods, evaluation)
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Stages of Curriculum Planning
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Needs and Situation Analysis (Richards, Nation & Macalister)
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Curriculum Implementation & Teacher Development
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Curriculum Evaluation (formative and summative)
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Curriculum Design in the Colombian Context (MEN Suggested Curriculum)
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Transversal Projects and Institutional Integration
Methodology
The course follows a theory-to-practice model combining lectures, guided readings, reflective discussions, peer evaluation, and practical workshops. Students will build a curriculum proposal informed by their pedagogical practice and readings from national and international sources (Kostka & Bunning, Richards, Zabalza, Casarini, MEN, etc.).
Assessment Criteria
Evaluation is continuous and formative. It includes:
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Oral presentations and debates
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Annotated reading reports
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Peer and self-assessment
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Final curriculum design project and defense
Curriculum
- 10 Sections
- 58 Lessons
- 16 Weeks
- Lesson 1. A Systems Approach to Course DesignThis introductory lesson explores course design as a dynamic, recursive system rather than a fixed, linear process. Through reflective tasks, teacher narratives, and conceptual mapping, students will examine the interconnected processes of course development—such as setting goals, assessing needs, and developing materials—while situating their own teaching context and beliefs at the core of decision-making. By the end of the session, students will define a course to redesign or plan, identify a collaboration partner, and begin developing a personalized framework for course design.11
- 1.1Task 1.1. Activity: Diagnostic Survey40 Minutes
- 1.2Conceptual Input30 Minutes
- 1.3Reflective Comparison30 Minutes
- 1.4Teacher’s Voices20 Minutes
- 1.5Task 1.2. Framework Task30 Minutes
- 1.6Task 1.3. Conceptual vs. Practical30 Minutes
- 1.7Collaborative Mapping30 Minutes
- 1.8Task 1.4. Investigation20 Minutes
- 1.9Homework Assignment10 Minutes
- 1.10Summary of a Systems Approach to Course Design
- 1.11Quiz 1- Course Design as a System1 Hour
- Lesson 2. Defining the ContextIn this lesson, students explore the importance of context in course design and teaching. Through real-life examples of teachers working in different educational settings, they learn how factors such as students’ goals, institutional requirements, cultural expectations, and available resources shape teaching decisions. The lesson introduces the idea that designing a course is similar to designing a house: it requires clear specifications, attention to constraints, and adaptation to real conditions. Students will also engage in investigations that guide them to define their own teaching contexts, analyze key factors (people, time, physical setting, teaching resources, and institutional requirements), and reflect on challenges they might face. Finally, they are introduced to the concept of problematizing—identifying challenges as opportunities for action—which helps teachers design courses that are realistic, meaningful, and responsive to the needs of learners.9
- 2.1The Role of Context in Course Design30 Minutes
- 2.2What Is Meant by Context?40 Minutes
- 2.3Task 2.1a – Course Design Investigation
- 2.4Task 2.1b – Fill in the table according to the information in the interview40 Minutes
- 2.5Why Is It Important to Define One’s Context?10 Minutes
- 2.6Task 2.2 Your Own Design-Defining your Context1 Hour
- 2.7Problematizing your Context10 Minutes
- 2.8Comparative of course design proposals15 Minutes
- 2.9Summary of Defining the Context7 Minutes
- Lesson 3. Articulating BeliefsThis lesson describes how beliefs—formed from past learning experiences, theoretical knowledge, and institutional culture—both guide and sometimes conflict with teaching practices. It also shows that effective teaching requires reflecting on one’s beliefs, listening to students, and making justified choices within a given context.3
- Lesson 4. Conceptualizing ContentDesigning a course means making informed choices about what to teach and why, then iterating as you go. The process is recursive—like drafting—because any pre-planned syllabus will change once you meet students and respond to their needs. Teachers are urged to map the “territory” of language learning using guiding questions (e.g., desired learning, options, constraints, organizing principle) and to organize content around an explicit driver. A useful framework groups options into three lenses: language (e.g., linguistic skills, situations, functions, tasks, content, four skills, genre), the learner (affective goals, interpersonal skills, learning strategies), and social context (sociolinguistic, sociocultural, sociopolitical skills). Iris Broudy’s example shows moving from functions to topic-based “modules,” then toward flexible themes co-created with learners. Overall, conceptualizing content is about aligning aims, context, and student voice to build a coherent, adaptable syllabus.9
- 4.1What does it mean to conceptualize content?30 Minutes
- 4.2What makes up the content of language learning?30 Minutes
- 4.3Focus on language30 Minutes
- 4.4Focus on learning and the learner10 Minutes
- 4.5Focus on social context15 Minutes
- 4.6Task 4.1. Textbook Analysis: How Two ESL/EFL Authors Conceptualize Course Content40 Minutes
- 4.7Your Conceptualizing of the Content40 Minutes
- 4.8Summary of Conceptualizing the Content7 Minutes
- 4.9Quiz 2-Articulating Beliefs40 Minutes
- Lesson 5. Formulating Goals and ObjectivesThis chapter highlights the importance of setting clear goals and objectives in course design. Goals provide the overall direction and purpose of a course, while objectives break them down into specific, teachable steps. Although teaching is often unpredictable, well-formulated goals and objectives help teachers stay focused, make informed choices, and design courses that are purposeful yet flexible.10
- 5.15.1. Difference between goals and objectives30 Minutes
- 5.2Setting Goals and Objectives – Broken Car Scenario30 Minutes
- 5.3Video: The Secret to Success is Setting the Right Goals12 Minutes
- 5.4Goals and Objectives Paradox10 Minutes
- 5.5What Are Goals and Objectives and What Is Their Relationship?30 Minutes
- 5.6Example: A Four-Part Scheme of Goals and Objectives15 Minutes
- 5.7Ways to Formulate and Articulate Goals and Objectives30 Minutes
- 5.8Formulating Objectives10 Minutes
- 5.9Summary of Guidelines to Consider when Formulating Goals and Objectives
- 5.10Summary of Defining Goals and Objectives6 Minutes
- Progress ReportsStudents will begin drafting their progress reports, focusing on documenting their initial advances and challenges. During the first two hours, they will work on outlining and writing their reports while simultaneously reflecting on their curriculum design progress. This activity helps students track their development and practice academic reporting skills.2
- Lesson 6. Assessing NeedsThis lesson highlights the value of needs assessment as a continuous process that helps teachers understand students’ backgrounds, goals, interests, and learning styles. Drawing on Jeri Manning’s experience, it shows both the benefits and challenges of using tools like questionnaires, interviews, and observations. The main idea is that needs assessment should not only happen at the beginning but throughout the course, fostering dialogue between teachers and students. This makes learning more relevant, responsive, and engaging while giving students a sense of ownership in their learning.11
- 7.1The Role of Needs Assessment in the Development of a Course10 Minutes
- 7.2The Process of Needs Assessment15 Minutes
- 7.3Your questionnaire for your course design30 Minutes
- 7.4Areas of Learning that Needs Assessment Address15 Minutes
- 7.5Types of Information that Can Be Gathered when Assessing Needs20 Minutes
- 7.6Information for Needs Assessment15 Minutes
- 7.7Find the Words
- 7.8Some Factors That Can Guide Your Choices10 Minutes
- 7.9When Should One Do Needs Assessment?15 Minutes
- 7.10Ways of Doing Needs Assessment15 Minutes
- 7.11Summary of Assessing Needs7 Minutes
- Lesson 7. Applying Needs AssessmentThe student will use an interview example to later transcribe the audio and use a free qualitative data analysis tool to support the analysis and the subsequent generation of a discussion or a consolidation of needs based on the information collected.5
- Lesson 8. Organizing the CourseThis lesson explains how to organize and sequence a language course to make it coherent and goal-oriented. It shows that teachers must decide on clear goals, choose an organizing principle (like topics, skills, or themes), and plan how units connect and build on each other. The lesson highlights that there is no single correct way to design a course—organization depends on context, student needs, and teacher beliefs. Good course design moves from simple to complex, recycles content, and keeps lessons connected and meaningful.7
- Lesson 9. Developing MaterialsThis lesson discusses the process of developing educational materials, outlining it as a continuum ranging from strict adherence to textbooks to complete teacher freedom and creativity. The text explores the scope of materials development, differentiating between material types, techniques, and activities, and emphasizing that decisions are rooted in the teacher's beliefs, understanding of the students, and course objectives. Examples from three different courses—one using telephone technology, one focusing on social invitations, and another on family life—illustrate various approaches to materials organization, sequencing, and the integration of authentic texts and student-centered activities. Ultimately, the sources suggest that materials development is a multifaceted process requiring teachers to balance their creative input with the practical needs and learning goals of their students.3
Instructor
