7.1.3 Higher Education Curriculum
The higher education curriculum in Pakistan is the function of the respective departments of the universities or colleges. The title of courses and broader framework are usually discussed in the faculty, and then each teacher plans in his/her own way to impart instructions in the classrooms.
New National Curriculum
The main objectives new national curriculum are to make the curriculum more vibrant and more responsive to the modern, socio-economic, technical, professional, and labor market needs of the country.
The most important feature of this curriculum is the goal of accelerating student progress through a standards based program: These standards necessitate the provision of more continued, more substantive, more nigorous and systematic instruction to students. Benchmarks are provided to farther elaborate the standards and provide indicators of expectations.
In terms of organization and expectations, the standards and benchmark approach in the curriculum of 2006 is a shift away from the objectives based approach in the curriculum 2000. It also emphasizes investigation and cooperative learning strategies for learning. This is a shift from the earlier versions where emphasis was greater on knowledge acquisition, drill and practice.
The key features of the National Curriculum 2006/7 are as follows:
- Standards and competencies driven
- Learning objectives correspond to students' outcomes (SLOs)learning
- Progressive approaches for primary, middle, secondary and tertiary stages of learning
- Life skills are integrated across subjects
- Vertical and horizontal connections are ensured
- Focus on promoting creative writing and analytical thinking for learners rather than rote learning
- Detailed guidelines have been provided in the curriculum for textbook writers and teachers for delivery of the curriculum effectively.
- Guidelines have been provided for assessment and evaluation in addition to the learning outcomes specified in the Curriculum.