Participatory curriculum development study: A training manual

by Alan Rogers
and Peter Taylor
University of Reading
United Kingdom

in collaboration with
William I. Lindley
L. Van Crowder
Monika Soddemann
Extension, Education and Communication Service
FAO Research, Extension and Training Division

This training manual is the result of collaboration between the University of Reading, United Kingdom and the Extension, Education and Communication Service of FAO. Agricultural education and training institutions engage more directly with the outside world than most educational programmers. Students visit research stations and farms, and specialists are brought in to give lectures on their subjects of expertise. Occasionally, external experts are consulted when formulating a new curriculum. In this way, such outsiders become stakeholders in the agricultural education and training programs. Other stakeholders include teachers, students and their parents, funders, government agencies, employers, farmers' unions, industry, professional bodies and users of agricultural services.

This training guide seeks to help those engaged in agricultural education and training to identify the stakeholders for their own programmes. It explores the reasons and methods for involving these stakeholders in the development of curricula at three different levels: determining the aims and goals of the program and courses; setting the learning objectives (in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudes, the so-called "KSA approach" to curriculum development); and designing the learning activities by which these objectives are to be achieved. The guide also outlines the implications of involving outsiders in curriculum development processes. This publication is intended for all those who work in agricultural education and training whether as teachers, administrators or researchers in educational institutions or as planners and administrators in ministry of agriculture training divisions. It is an essential tool for anyone engaged in the development of more effective agricultural education and training programs.

(Only available in French. Will soon be available in English)

Click here to see the full publication in French (pdf format - 415 KB).