An electronic performance support system to support teachers in (re-)designing curricula

In several countries around the world, the national government stimulates school-based curriculum decision-making. Schools and teachers are offered ample ‘curricular space’. However, research shows that teachers need professional development in curriculum design and evaluation. In this study, the focus is on the usability of a tool to support teachers in carrying out curriculum evaluations. The research question is: To what degree is the available web-based EPSS which was developed initially for professional curriculum developers, also usable for teachers when planning and performing formative curriculum evaluation activities? This question was answered using a prototyping approach. The results are promising in that they show that the tool can be supportive for teachers in planning and conducting formative curriculum evaluation. However, the usability of the tool in its current form needs to be improved by focussing on specific subject matter, by limiting the use of complex (scientific) information and diminishing the number of (sub-)stages.