The Tyler Curriculum Evaluation Model TWU Nurs 5253 Elouise Ford, RN, BSN, MHEd Curriculum Design The curriculum represents the expression of educational ideas Must be in a form that communicates to those association with the learning institution Must be open to critique Should be easily transformed into practice

Curriculum Design cont’d Exist on three levels What is planned for the student What is delivered to the student What the student experiences Based on values and beliefs that students should know May be contested and/or problematic

Curriculum Design cont’d Curriculum, health services and the community should share mutually beneficial relationship Curriculum values should enhance health service provision Must be responsive to changing values and expectations in education

Curriculum Design cont’d Two main types of curriculum models 1. Prescriptive Models- tell what curriculum writer should do(intent) and how to create a curriculum 2. Descriptive Models- provides information of what curriculum writer actually do and (content)what the curriculum covers The Tyler Model first developed in 1949 is Prescriptive (Prideaux, 2003)

Ralph Tyler Ralph Tyler (1902-1994) published more than 700 articles and sixteen books Best known for The Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction (Ornstein and Hunkins, 1998) which is based on an eight year study Tyler posits the problem with education is that educational programs lack unmistakably defined purposes (“Ralph Tyler’s Little Book, ”n d)

A Classic Model: The Tyler Model Often referred to as “objective model” Emphasis on consistency among objectives, learning experiences, and outcomes Curriculum objectives indicate both behavior to be developed and area of content to be applied (Keating, 2006)

Tyler’s Four Principles of Teaching Principle 1: Defining Appropriate Learning Objectives

Tyler’s Teaching Principles cont’d Principle 2: Establishing Useful Learning Experiences

Tyler’s Teaching Principles cont’d Principle 3: Organizing Learning Experiences to Have a Maximum Cumulative Effect

Tyler’s Teaching Principles cont’d Principle 4: Evaluating the Curriculum and Revising Those Aspects That Did Not Prove to be Effective (Keating, 2006) The four step can be defined as 1) stating the objectives, 2) selecting learning experiences, 3) organizing learning experiences and 4) evaluating the curriculum.

Criticism of the Tyler Model Narrowly interpreted objectives (acceptable verbs) Difficult and time consuming construction of behavioral objectives Curriculum restricted to a constricted range of student skills and knowledge critical thinking, problem solving and value acquiring processes cannot be plainly declared in behavioral objectives (Prideaux, 2003)

Primary Strengths of Tyler’s Model Clearly stated objectives a good place to begin Involves the active participation of the learner (Prideaux, 2003) Simple linear approach to development of behavior al objectives (Billings & Halstead, 2009)

Implications for Nursing Curriculum Another Prescriptive Model has emerged –Outcomes based education since Focus on student behavior instead of staff , defines outcomes obtained by student Program designers will include statements of intent as broad curriculum aims and specific objectives (Prideaux, 2003) NLN & CCNE include outcome assessment in their initial accreditation No one model can sufficiently guide the evaluation of nursing curriculum ( Billings & Halstead, 2009)

Implications of Nursing Curriculum cont’d