DACUM

DACUM is an acronym that stands for Developing A CurriculUM

At SCC:

• DACUM is used to ensure curriculum is up-to-date.
• Nearly all programs of study participate; 5-year cycle.
• DACUM workshops typically take one full day (8 a.m.-4 p.m.).

The DACUM Philosophy:

• Expert workers can describe and define their job more accurately than anyone else.
• An effective way to define a job is to precisely describe the duties/tasks that expert workers perform.
• All tasks, in order to be performed correctly, demand certain knowledge, skills, tools, and worker behaviors. (These are called “Enabler Lists.”)
• SCC’S Goal: Teach what should be taught; don’t teach what should not be taught (for example, do we really need to teach VCR repair anymore?)

How does it work?

• A DACUM workshop involves a “panel of experts” (6-12 people) in the field.
• Panels include workers in the first 3-5 years of employment.
• Workshops are held at SCC. They are facilitated by SCC faculty and staff.
• After the DACUM workshop, the program compares its core classes to the duties and tasks from the DACUM chart, completing a curriculum map to identify any gaps in what is being taught.

Resources/Links:

• DACUM overview
• DACUM handbook
• DACUM facilitators
• DACUM calendar of workshops
• Sample DACUM chart
• Sample program curriculum map