Typologies by systemic function,structure and aim.

Curricular Rationales: Celebratory & Critical

Dimensions

Admissions PlacementApplied MathCareer CounselingClass RankConvocationsCredits &DiplomasEngineering coursesJob PlacementMixers

Gain in StatusGRE’sInternshipsKnowledge gainedLiberal ArtsMandatory PENon-Appl. MathSeminarsSpecial Scholarships

These are part of the typical college experience.

This is “curriculum” in broadest terms.

Items for Consideration

We can consider an educational institutionto be a system and look at curriculum

in any of three functions:

• Input

• Output

the necessary resources foroptimizing output

procedures operating on inputs

results of procedures

Note: Outputs may not be the same as goals.

Focussing on the System

Process

Items commonly rationalized as partof the institutional input are:

• they have no important effect on outcomes, or• they are unduly costly options.

ConvocationsSpecial ScholarshipsCareer Counseling

Class RankAdmissions PlacementMixers

Items rationalized in this way aretypically vulnerable to the challenge that:

Input Focus

Items rationalized in this way aretypically vulnerable to the challenge that:

• they have no important effect on outcomes, or• they are unduly costly options.

SeminarsApplied Math SequenceLiberal Arts Courses

Mandatory PENon-applied Math SequenceInternships

Items commonly rationalized as part of theinstitutional process are:

Process Focus

Items commonly rationalized as (pursuing)sought after outcomes are:

Items rationalized in this way aretypically vulnerable to the challenge that

• they are generally not attained• they are unduly costly.

Credits & DiplomasKnowledge gainedEngineering Courses

GRE’sGain in StatusJob Placement

Output Focus

We can rationalize some items in terms ofcertain possibilities of internal structure:

• Logical• Pedagogical• Disciplinary• Institutional

Note: these structures may conflict with one another.

Curricular Structure

A curriculum can be rationalizedas having a logical structure to

the extent that it is:

• Built up from simple elements to complex items by• Some rules of combination.

A: Logical Structuring

Items commonly rationalized as logicalcurriculum sequencing are:

• the “logical rules” are inappropriate, or• pedagogical concerns are violated, or• moral concerns are violated.

Admissions PlacementMath Course SequencingGains in Status

These items are typically vulnerableto the challenge that:

Examples of and Challenges to A

A curriculum can be rationalizedas having a pedagogical structure to

the extent that it is:

•Organized so as to make teaching and learning efficient.

B: Pedagogical Structuring

• they are costly options, or• organizational needs are overlooked, or• moral concerns are violated.

SeminarsInternshipsMandatory PE (mens sana in …)

Items commonly rationalized in terms of pedagogical organization are:

These are typically vulnerableto the challenge that:

Examples of and Challenges to B

A curriculum can be rationalizedas having a disciplinary structure to

the extent that it is:

•Organized according to the claims of different interest groups (i.e., academic disciplines) having expertise about it.

C: Disciplinary Structuring

Items typically rationalized as disciplinarilyorganized in the curriculum are:

These are typically vulnerableto the challenge that:

• they are costly options, or• institutional needs are overlooked, or• pedagogical concerns are violated.

Special ScholarshipsLiberal Arts StudiesEngineering

Credits & DiplomasGRE’s

Examples of and Challenges to C

A curriculum can be rationalizedas having an institutional structure to

the extent that it is:

•Organized so as to expedite the functioning of an institution.

D: Institutional Structuring

Items commonly rationalized as serving institutional functioning are:

Such items are typically vulnerableto the challenge that:

• they are costly options, or• individual needs are overlooked, or• moral concerns are violated.

Credits & DiplomasMandatory PE

Career CounselingConvocationsGRE’s

Examples of and Challenges to D

Logical

Pedagogical

Disciplinary

Institutional

StructureFOCUS

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Admissions Placement

Math Sequencing

Gain in Status

Convocations Seminars Knowledgegained

Special Scholarships

Liberal Arts “skills”

Engineering “skills”

Admissions Placement

Mandatory PE

GRE’s

GRE’s

Diplomas

Mandatory PE

Diplomas

Diplomas

Mixers

We can see two dimensions of rationale and vulnerability!

Comparing Focus and Structure

Randall Collins (1978) proposes that allcurriculum can be understood as aimingat three general outcomes:

• Status

• Vocation

• Social Control

an increase in positionally, often intrinsically, valued benefits.

an increase in extrinsically valued benefits: e.g. job skills.

an increase in conformity to social expectations.

Note: these categories are primarily critical, hardly celebratory.

Curricular Aims

Understandable as status items are:

• they are unjustly exclusionary• they are costly options

ConvocationsSpecial ScholarshipsLiberal Arts

SeminarsAdmissions PlacementMixers

These are typically vulnerable to the challenge that:

Status Aims

• socially (or ethnically ) biased, or• occupationally inappropriate.

InternshipsEngineeringApplied Math

Career CounselingGRE’sKnowledge gained

Understandable as vocational items are:

These are typically vulnerable to the challenge that they are:

Vocational Aims

Items that can be understood as havingsocial control aims are:

• they are undemocratic, or• they support status quo inequities

Admissions PlacementConvocationsSpecial ScholarshipsCareer Counseling

Class RankMandatory PEJob PlacementGain in Status

Such items are typically vulnerable to the challenge that:

Social Control Aims

STATUS

VOCATION

SOCIAL CONTROL

FOCUSINPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Convocations

Seminars

Liberal Arts

Engineering

GRE’sInternships

AIMS

CareerCounseling

Diplomas

GRE’s

Admissions Placement

Mandatory PE Diplomas

Comparing Focus and Aims

Logical

Pedagogical

Disciplinary

Institutional

StructureAIM

STATUS VOCATIONSOCIAL

CONTROL

Status Rankings

Convocations

Seminars

Special Scholarships

Liberal ArtsEngineering

Mandatory PE

GRE’s

Mandatory PE

DiplomasMixers

Non-AppliedMath Sequence

Applied MathSequence

Internships

Status Rankings

AdmissionsPlacement

Comparing Aims and Structure

logical

pedagogical

disciplinary

institutional

INPUT PROCSS OUTPT

statusvocational

social control

Structure

Focus

Aim

Every potential item has 3 dimensions of rationale and 3 dimensions of vulnerability!

The Three Dimensions Combined

1. A real example for every conceivable classification (36) of focus, structure and aim may not, in fact, exist.

2. The more classifications an item fits into, the greater its potential vulnerability to criticism.

3. The more classifications an item fits into, the broader the rationale that can be constructed for it.

Programming Consequences