Abstract :
The modular approach requires decomposing the curriculum into concepts, or tasks, to be presented in a certain time frame. This time frame is determined from a definition of the prerequisite concepts necessary for understanding the next concept and the time required to present, or master, each concept. Any concept can be started as soon as all prerequisite concepts have been mastered. This approach results in a task oriented PERT solution as defined by the mastery of those concepts required for the desired level of education in a given area. It leads to a required route for core material and to a definition of elective areas, or those of interest to the specialty areas. A preliminary investigation of this approach has been accomplished and the programming necessary to automatically derive the PERT solutions for a large number of tasks has been completed. It is felt that this approach offers significant advantages over the conventional semester-trimester-quarter system in that it will: 1. simplify the process of adding new material to the curriculum, whether it is in the "core" or "optional" curriculum, 2. aid in the process of moving desired material to different "courses" when new material is added in the required "core," 3. aid in the organization of modules in courses and hence in text selection, and 4. lead to greater student and instructor motivation through more cogent organization in presentation of material. Some examples are included along with a more complete discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of this approach.
