Curriculum

Synonyms

Aims; Assessment; Attained; Intended; Policy; Practical; Subjects; Taught; Teaching; Theoretic

The word “curriculum” referred originally to the track around which Greek and Roman chariots raced, but its first educational use was at the University of Glasgow in 1824 to refer to the course of study followed by undergraduates. While the word has been defined in a variety of ways, it is almost always associated with formal education (i.e., schools, colleges, and universities) and refers to the content of a student’s educational program. The term is used throughout the English-speaking world, but, despite its Latin origin, it is not commonly found as a cognate in other European languages.

The curriculum, both the overall curriculum and the curriculum of any specific subject, such as the science curriculum, expresses the purposes, goals, or aimsfor education. While informal learning (such as that taking place in play) can be random and aimless, formal education in schools always...