Just as progress and change require flow, curricular design (and redesign) is also cyclical and recursive by nature. It takes shape and evolves according to students’ educational needs, faculty decisions, and, ideally, workforce demands....
moreJust as progress and change require flow, curricular design (and redesign) is also cyclical and recursive by nature. It takes shape and evolves according to students’ educational needs, faculty decisions, and, ideally, workforce demands. In the same way that water currents are shaped by natural forces unseen, curriculum creation too is influenced by the context from which subject matter is drawn. In 2008, Miami Dade College (MDC) received a $1.9 million Title V grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop an Accelerated, Content-based English for Academic Purposes (EAP) track called Project ACE for ESL students. The ACE curriculum is anchored by the principles of flexibility, contextualization, and faculty buy-in, critical matters given the current climate of budget cuts and attrition. This article chronicles Project ACE’s curriculum development process in creating a program for intermediateand advanced-level EAP students. The process has included (1) investigating the exp...
