Essentials of Curriculum in the Perspective of Emerging Trends and Needs of Distant Learners

Abstract

The curriculum resembles a complex framework whose constant development supports teaching, learning, and achievement. Nations regularly modify their curricula to meet the needs of children, an ever-changing global environment, and the standards for what students must know and be able to achieve good results. This study analyzed and highlighted critical curriculum components from the perspective of emerging trends in distance education and their needs. The researchers used content analysis to examine empirical documentation. Research articles from seven distance education journals were reviewed for this study. A framework for content analysis was developed through an extensive literature review to analyze the essentials of curriculum from the perspective of emerging trends and the needs of distant learners. Data was collected using the criteria determined and the content analysis framework. Themes helped researchers analyze the data. The frequency of the evidence found was determined. The researchers found that distance education should be outcome-based, competency based, skill-based, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and technology-based, with a focus on the capacity building of learners. Essentials of curriculum and trends may vary with context. However, a curriculum should satisfy all the learning needs of the learners.