Designing and Feasibility Assessment of a Postmodern Curriculum Model for Iran’s Higher Education System

• Published in: Majallah-i Īrānī āmūzish dar ʻulūm-i pizishkī = Iranian journal of medical education Vol. 17; pp. 311 - 322
• Main Authors: mina karimi, Ezatolah Nadery, Maryam Seif naraghy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Persian
• Published: Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Medical Education Development Center 01.04.2017
• Subjects: curriculum model; feasibility assessment; higher education; postmodernism
• ISSN: 1608-9359; 1735-8892

Introduction: One of the approaches that could transform higher education and improve its quality is postmodern curriculum model which should be inevitably employed by all educational systems. Given the importance of this approach, the purpose of this study was to design and provide a feasibility assessment of postmodern curriculum for Iran’s higher education. Methods: This descriptive study was carried out by first proposing the postmodern curriculum model with an emphasis on Iran’s higher education system through reviewing the literature and 161 Persian and English sources on the subject. To perform a feasibility assessment of the proposed model for Iran’s higher education system, a researcher-made questionnaire was distributed among 214 curriculum experts who were selected randomly. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square and Fisher tests. Results: The postmodern curriculum model for higher education was designed in the form of curriculum elements (goal, content, teaching and learning methods, learning environment, learner and assessment). Findings showed that more than 82 percent of the curriculum experts believed elements of the proposed model were desirable for Iran’s higher education system. However, only 34 percent believed that characteristics of the goals were desirable. There was no statistically significant difference between experts’ views about the desirability of the proposed elements of the model (p>0.05). However, in terms of the place of employment, a significant difference was found between their views about the applicability of the goals of postmodern curriculum for higher education (p<0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that the model which was based on the views of postmodern curriculum experts was considered desirable for its application in Iran's Higher Education System.