Constructing Educational Programs: Conceptual Foundations, Theoretical Underpinnings, and Procedural Models

Abstract

This paper investigates the notion of the educational program, its theoretical bases, and the approach used in building it, relying on a systematic survey of pedagogical writings together with a comparative and critical reading of scholarly views. It argues that an educational program forms a unified system combining objectives, subject matter, teaching tools, and assessment procedures, one that rests on a set of interlocking philosophical, epistemological, psychological, social, political, and technological bases. It further shows that building such a program moves through three core stages — identifying needs and setting objectives, designing content, activities, and teaching aids, and finally assessing and revising the program — provided that these various bases remain integrated with one another and that programs stay anchored in national identity, the requirements of the labor market, and the demands of contemporary technology.