Overview
USD Professional and Continuing Education offers a customized, online curriculum design and development course during the Spring and part of Summer for 6 or 3-Units.
A component of curriculum design and development is curriculum planning — identifying and selecting teaching strategies and organizational methods based on individual student needs that will result in improved student growth and student learning outcomes. While our curriculum design and development course is adapted for each successive year, the mission remains the same: to provide K–12 educators with the tools and education to successfully refine, design and enhance their course curricula. Enrollment opens on January 13, 2025 and student participation opens on March 3, 2025, completion of course work ends on or before September 8, 2025. This courses is in the Online Self-Paced format with a specific start and end date*.
Who Should Attend?
K–12 educators like you who are looking to create focused and structured curriculum.
Benefits
Not only will you discover various improvement strategies for designing and developing engaging, effective lessons — you’ll also earn credit while planning for your upcoming semester or get way ahead of the game and plan for your next school year. Curriculum design and development courses at USD can be as customized as your planning strategy needs to be, providing you with the accessibility, flexibility and convenience to control your own learning pace.
Learner Outcomes
At the end of your curriculum design and development course, you will be able to:
- Develop focused and structured curriculum to promote student engagement in the classroom
- Plan new or refresh past curriculum
- Create new projects, lessons, resources, and materials while integrating any new standards
- Prepare ahead for the next semester or school year in advance
Testimonials
"Hands down, the best use of time to keep lesson planning fresh and relevant!."
– Erin Arriola, Educator, BAS/Kern District, California
"I appreciate the opportunity to earn credit for my specific student population. It allowed me to create an immediate impact on my practice."
– Al Gonzales, Educator, Sunnyvale School District, California
FAQs
What’s the difference between Curriculum Design and Instructional Design?
According to Indeed, instructional design focuses on “determining which educational methods have the largest effect on learners' cognitive and behavioral development,” while curriculum development is the “process of updating courses and programs to improve teaching strategies and content inclusions.” Therefore, curriculum development often comprises the actions taken following key findings from instructional design research or experience.
*What does “Online Self-Paced format with a specific start and end date” mean?
Online Self-Paced courses are a perfect blend of accessibility, convenience and flexibility that allows you to control your learning pace. Communication with your instructor will take place through your online course portal. Your instructor will provide feedback via written responses on your assignments. Grades are based on completed projects and assignments. Unlike our regular Online Self-Paced course, this one does have a specific "start" and "end" date.
Who do I contact if I need help finding the right Curriculum Design and Development course?
Simply fill out this contact form and a member of the USD Educator Programs team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Accreditation
The Division of Professional and Continuing Education is regionally accredited through the University of San Diego by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).