MINIMUM
STANDARDS FOR
POPULATION EDUCATION CURRICULUM PRODUCTS
PRODUCT STANDARDS:
√ Does the curriculum product fill a genuine need where no suitable products exist?
√ Does the curriculum explicitly deal with important knowledge, attitudes, skills, aspirations, or behaviours for the target group? Are important current population education issues included?
√ Does the curriculum take an integrated systems approach to population education? Are environmental, income generation, health, nutrition, and community factors included?
√ Are opportunities provided for self- directed goal setting, value examination, problem-solving, decision-making, and to experience challenge and success?
√ Is the subject matter content practical and likely to be useful throughout life? Does it relate meaningfully to current youth concerns about their immediate and future life?
√ Are intended outcomes well stated? Is it readily apparent how learners will be different as a result of their participation in this program? What they will know, value, or be able to do? Are intended outcomes matched with activities?
√ Does the curriculum product clearly incorporate and support all phases of the experiential learning cycle (experience, share, process, generalize, and apply)?
√ Is the curriculum product economical in terms of the time and effort required to achieve learner outcomes?
√ If this is a written product, is the readability, layout, typeface and size, illustrations, concepts, and sequencing appropriate to the intended age group?
√ Is there a variety of learning experiences and modes suggested for different individual learning styles?
√ Does the curriculum provide opportunities for sequential learning? Is there a progression from simpler ideas to more complex?
√ Is the product well integrated? Are new ideas related to previous learning?
√ Does the curriculum product provide for meaningful involvement of significant others in the learning process? Of families? Of the community? Have youth had opportunities to interview young families? Care for young children?
√ Is the product youth-centered, focused on learning by discovery rather than on the adult providing information?
Adapted from: Curriculum Development for Issues Programming: A
National Handbook for Extension Youth Development Professionals.
USDA/ES, 1992.
