Curriculum Development and Course Design
Domain focus
Curriculum development and course design tests the Instructor III's ability to turn a performance gap into a defensible course. Items address task analysis, learning objectives, instructional methods, lesson-plan components, validation, pilot testing, and revision under NFPA 1041 JPRs and AHJ policy.
Core rules
- Use an instructional design model such as ADDIE: analysis, design, development, implementation, evaluation.
- Write objectives in ABCD form: audience, behavior, condition, degree. Make the behavior observable and measurable.
- Match methods and assessment to the objective and to Bloom's level; a recall objective does not require a complex simulation.
- Build content from task analysis and validated references, not from slide decks or tradition.
- Validate with subject-matter experts and a pilot; revise before full deployment.
Worked example
A department needs an 8-hour mayday operations course. The designer interviews crews, reviews after-action reports, and breaks the task into recognition, radio report, air management, and rescue-bench entry. Objectives specify that firefighters will transmit a mayday within 30 seconds in a simulated low-air event. The design uses demonstration, guided practice, and a scored scenario; the lesson plan lists equipment, safety, timing, and remediation. A pilot with one shift reveals unclear radio prompts; the prompts and rubric are revised. Reasoning: the assessment must mirror the objective and the operational environment.
Traps
Starting with slides or a favorite activity; vague objectives such as understand mayday; ignoring reading level, class size, or equipment limits; no pilot; and failing to update references and tests when procedures change. Also avoid assessing teamwork if the objective only measures individual radio performance.