نشریه مطالعات برنامه درسی آموزش عالی
پیاپی 3 (بهار و تابستان 1390)

Cultural approach to curriculum aims at understanding basic meanings about learning-teaching process, which at virtual environment includes students’ shared meanings about electronic learning and teaching. The point is that utilizing every educational technology creates a new culture. This study critically explores the E-leaning culture in Iran's virtual students. Two research questions were evaluated: How do Iranian virtual students understand E-Learning? What are the consequences of E-Learning for the students? A qualitative approach was employed and seven participants were selected using purposeful sampling. Data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and analyzed using coding method. Results were classified into 9 categories of student, teacher, assistant, classmates, content, context, planning, evaluation and limitations in virtual learning environment. Students enjoyed to take lessons from their professors directly, and shaped learning groups with their classmates. Absence of face to face communication led to alternating texts with teachers, so students did not conceptualize their learning. Also, E-learning had educational, psychological, social, political and economical consequences for the students. Practical implications were suggested for virtual higher education system in Iran.

In the recent decades, scientific experts survey the deference spectrums of issue of improving the “critical thinking” as one of the university’s major goals. Improving the critical thinking’s skill in the educational institutions isn’t a new subject. However, universities have been already distancing from this ancient aspect and they focus only on providing the information for their students. It is necessary to note that this era named as “explosion of information” and in this sphere, only having information is not useful, so analysis of these information is much important. One of the university’s major goals is educating thoughtful and creative students and graduates in their societies, and the academic curriculums absolutely has to help the students to make them able to have dominance on the both areas of their especial academic fields and the ability of argument, critical thinking and analysis of their academic lessons. Critical thinking gives the power to the students to face the modern world’s challenges. This survey showed that curriculum of universities, based on the action and interactive learning approaches such as: constructivism learning and meta-cognitions theory along with educational methods such as seeking, interactive directed questioning and problem solving have an undeniable role in improving of students’ critical thinking skill.

The main purpose of this research is to investigate procedures and methods of e-learning curriculum producing in distance education universities and presenting practical descriptions for Piam e Noor University of Iran. With developing information & communication technologies (ICT), distance education universities gradually in order to improving curriculum quality has changed their correspondence curriculum to e- learning. During the last couple of years Piam e Noor University has started producing e- learning curriculum. For doing this, using experiences of countries that are neighborhood relation with iran, and have culturally, population rate and socially similarities to Iran can help to this university in providing effective e- learning curriculum. Main question of this research is; what operations to do distance education universities for producing e-learning curriculum (such as producing and presenting content, designing learning activities, student’s support system, teaching methods and evaluation methods? In this research three universities (Anadolu open University in Turkish, allama iqbal open university in Pakistan and Malaysia Open University) based on purposeful sampling were selected. Data gathering about e-learning curriculum producing in these universities were done by Google advanced search, Google scholar search, Emerald, Science direct, Pro quest and Sage data bases. Also we used email connection with e- learning developers in these universities. For analyzing gathered data we used qualitative analyzing methods like coding and categorizing. One can draw from the finding of this research for e-learning curriculum design in Piam e noor university.

Four main identified activities in the classroom are: (1) curriculum, (2) teaching, (3) learning, and (4) evaluation. In this paper concept map will be introduced as an effective tool in each of these four areas. Concept map’s applications are discussed after introducing the features and benefits of concept map. First concept map’s capabilities will be expressed as a curriculum tool. Next, the advantages of concept map will be discussed about providing information to integrated and network presentation. In the third step, concept map will be introduced as a learning strategy to explain how it impacts positively on learning outcomes. At the end, facilities and manner of usage concept maps as an evaluation tool will be discussed. The comprehensive assessment of cognitive framework and ability of concept map in information reconstruction evaluation as benefits of this method will be discussed. Also different types of concept map based tests and scoring methods are presented.

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Learning Styles with Approaches and Study Skill in university students. Therefore 420 university students were included in this study. All participants were asked to complete Learning Style Inventory (LSI) and Approaches and Study Skill for Students (ASSIS).Analysis of the data involved inferential statistics including t-tests, Pearson's correlation coefficients and regression analyses. The results showed that 0/57 of total variance in Divergent and Convergent Learning Styles are representation by Deep and Strategic Approaches and Study, and also 0/87 of variance in Assimilator and Accommodator Learning Styles are representation by Deep Approached and Study. And regression coefficient showed that Assimilator and Accommodator Learning Styles can not significantly to explain variance of Strategic and Superficial Approaches and Study on university students (Sig>0/001). In total, can be concluded University Students to have more tends to Convergent, Assimilator Learning Styles and Deep and Strategic Approaches and Study and to have less tends to Divergent, Accommodator Learning Styles and Superficial Approaches and Study.

By reviewing some of the markedly changes which have been taken place in higher education in recent years, this paper offers new insights into undergraduate curriculum. It is emphasized that the significant changes in science and technology disrupted the traditional identities of place, time and the scholarly and student communities in university. The modifications discussed in terms of the deconstruction of the subject, key skills movement and learning through experience. It is also explained that the dramatic changes in employability skills influenced higher education curriculum. And finally, many of the innovations and trends in the field of curriculum as an academic discipline reflect three important shifts in emphasis; from content to competencies, integration across the curriculum and Innovative instructional Methods. To comprise the new situation, it is argued that an alternative process model of curriculum creation should be taken into account for the development of higher education curriculum in the 21st century.

Higher education is an important part of educational system which has a considerable effect on development and independence of social system. Therefore, effort of numerous societies has oriented toward qualitative and quantitative development. While in Iran, in spite of emphasis of local researches and the fourth and fifth development plans on the necessary attention to the qualitative development of higher education, the development of higher education has been quantitatively – oriented. Thus, higher education seems is preceding worrying future. The present study is aimed to emphasize on necessary of qualitative development of higher education and to offer a way to it. This research is a review–analytical study that carried out using review and analysis of important documents and theoretical and research references. This study shows that outcomes of using potentials of ICT have overlap with criteria of qualitative development in higher education. The results showed that input of potentials of ICT will obtain qualitative development of higher education.