DACUM: Building Industry-Validated Curriculum and Training

Curriculum and training development challenges

In today's rapidly evolving job market and related educational landscape, developing accurate and relevant curriculum, training programs, job descriptions, and targeted training initiatives is crucial for organizational success. The reality is that developing curriculum and training programs is a complex and challenging task for organizations due to several factors:

• Rapid technological advancements: Educators and employers must continuously update their training programs to keep pace with these advancements, which can be resource-intensive.
• Alignment with business goals: Aligning employer needs, curriculum, and targeted training requires understanding the employment landscape and curriculum development methodologies.
• Resource constraints: Organizations may struggle with limited budgets and competing priorities, making it hard to allocate sufficient resources to curriculum development and training initiatives.
• Engaging employees: Developing engaging and interactive content that resonates with employees and motivates them to participate actively is crucial yet challenging.
• Compliance and standardization: In certain industries, educational organizations and employers must ensure that curriculum and training meet regulatory and compliance standards while still being effective.

An efficient solution

The DACUM (Developing A CurriculUM) process has emerged as a highly effective method for organizations to employ for achieving their education and training goals. DACUM is a systematic approach to job and task analysis that involves engaging experts who currently perform a specific job to collaboratively outline the essential duties, tasks, skills, and knowledge required for a specific role. The DACUM results are used to align curriculum and training to the job. This process ensures that the resulting curriculum, training, or job description is grounded in the realities of the workplace.

Advantages of the DACUM process

• Process draws on the expertise and direct experience of current high performers in a specific field
• Group synergy empowers members to produce a high-quality job profile chart
• Future-orientation of competency identification addresses the trends and developments that inform relevant curriculum and training
• The concentrated process results in time and cost effectiveness when compared to 25 to 30 days for traditional training and curriculum development surveying methods
• Organizations can immediately use the resulting duty/task chart for building educational programs, training courses, and apprenticeship opportunities

 ‍Benefits of using WIDS consultants to manage the DACUM process

While the DACUM process is an efficient method itself, it can be significantly enhanced by engaging a WIDS consultant. WIDS consultants have extensive experience in DACUM Occupational Analysis processes. Consultants provide front-to-back coordination including project planning, DACUM facilitation, task and duty verification, training gap analysis, and curriculum and training development. WIDS consultants also bring an external perspective that can greatly benefit the organization in several ways:

• Expertise and experience: WIDS consultants specializing in DACUM facilitation possess extensive knowledge of the process and have conducted numerous DACUM sessions across various industries.
• Objectivity and fresh perspective: WIDS consultants offer an unbiased viewpoint. This objectivity helps in accurately identifying and prioritizing tasks and skills without the influence of organizational biases.
• Structured and efficient process: WIDS consultants are trained to follow a structured approach. They ensure that all aspects of the job are covered through the DACUM, and that the process stays on track, saving time and resources.
• Enhanced participant engagement: Skilled WIDS consultants know how to engage participants effectively, encouraging contributions from all team members.
• Comprehensive documentation: WIDS consultants ensure that DACUM process outcomes are well-documented in charts and reports to use for developing training programs, job descriptions, and curriculum
• Tailored solutions: WIDS consultants adapt the DACUM process to fit the unique context and goals of an organization. WIDS consultants also provide support for and development of curricula and training deployment for ILT, online, and blended approaches.

The numerous benefits of using the DACUM process—including precise job analysis, enhanced alignment with industry needs, and increased stakeholder engagement—demonstrate its value in today’s dynamic job market and educational landscape. By engaging subject matter experts in a structured and collaborative manner, DACUM ensures that the outputs are firmly grounded in the realities of the workplace.

WIDS (Worldwide Instructional Design System) is a nonprofit organization that provides curriculum design software, consulting, and training services.  Download the free WIDS Sample DACUM Chart.

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