Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT 
The value of a targeted occupational analysis cannot be 
overemphasized for developing effective curriculum. It is 
the critical starting point for the curriculum development 
process. The fact that there are a variety of methods (e.g., 
DACUM, JTA, competency model, direct step-by-step job 
observation report) to achieve the goal should not be a 
concern. It is no accident that the outcomes from this 
variety of processes are nearly identical; they all detail job 
competencies, both technical (including job-specific tasks, 
knowledge, and skills) and general (e.g., communication, 
computer, teamwork, interpersonal skills). Bottom line—
whichever process is used, it becomes the starting point for 
your curriculum development effort. 
Design 
During the design stage of curriculum development, use 
your occupational analysis information as a basis to 
determine the specific content needed for training. Create 
your performance goals, competencies, criteria, and 
assessment: 
1.
Analyze each task to determine what specific 
knowledge and skills are necessary for performing the 
task. An example of a task for an environmental 
technician might be, “Sample surface waters.”
2.
Write a performance objective as a measurable, 
specific criterion of acceptable performance. (See 
“R.F. Majer’s “Parts of a Learning Objective”
viii
to 
the left.) Following the previous example, one of the 
performance objectives might be, “Label and 
document the sample container.” 
Parts of a 
Learning/Performance 
Objective 
1. 
Action verb
that 
describes the learning 
required by the student
2. 
Subject content 
reference
that describes 
the content being treated 
3.