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Chapter 15Kathleen GravesA FRAMEWORK OF COURSEDEVELOPMENT PROCESSESU R R I C U L U M DES I G N SPEC I A L I S TS have developed various frameworksC that break down the process of curriculum and course development into componentsand subprocesses (see, for example, Dubin and Olshtain 1986; Hutchinson andwaters 1987;Johnson 1989; Nunan 1985, 1988a, 1988h; liichards 1990; White 1988). A framework ofcomponents is useful for several reasons: It provides an organized way of conceiving of acomplex process; it sets forth domains of inquiry for the teacher, in that each componcntputs forth ideas as well as raises issues for thc teacher to pursue; it provides a set of termscurrently uscd in talking ahout course tlevclopmcnt and thus a common professionalvocabulary and access to the ideas of othei-s.Thc fi-amcwork described hcre, while drawingon the work ofothcrs, is cast in terms ol’my own work with teachers. It is not a frameworkof equal parts: Each individual’s context clctermincs which processes need the most timeand attention. Furthermore, the proc cs are not necessarily secjucntial hut may be carriedon in the planning, tcaching, and rcplanning stages ol‘ course development.InTalile 15. I, each componcnt is identified and rephrased in question form to clarifyits meaning.Needs assessmentWhat are my students’ needs? HOM. can I assess them so that I can address them?What is nccds assessment,’ and whv does a teacher undertake it? At its most basic,nccds assessment involves finding out what the Icarners know and can do and what theyneed to learn or do so that the course can bridge the gap (or some part ofit).Thus nccdsassessment involves seeking and interprcting information about onc’s students’ nceds sothat the course will address them effectively. However, how one defines a student’s needsis a complex issue open to interpretation. One \vay of conceptualizing needs is to distinguishbet\veen “ohjectivc” and “subjective” needs (Richterich 1980). Rrindley (1 989: 70) definesobjective needs as “derivable from different kinds of factual information about learners, theiruse of language in real-life communication situations as well as their current languageproficiency and language difficu1ties”and subjective needs as “the cognitive and affective needsof the learncr in the learning situation, derivable from information about affective andcognitivr factors such as personality, confidence, attitudes, learners’ wants and expectations