Modular Curriculum Design Using Personal Learning Plans Lightfoot Modular Curriculum Design Using Personal Learning Plans and Reusable Learning Components

University-based education is facing direct competition from for-profit corporations over the lucrative lifetime-learning market. This is occurring primarily because universities have not adapted to advances in technology and changes in the educational needs of students. To correct this problem, a new curriculum solution is proposed. This solution is loosely based upon the model curricula generated by professional organizations. The solution utilizes personal learning plans tied to a global learning schema. The end result is a very flexible curriculum delivery model that effectively utilizes modern technology and is potentially superior to any offered by commercial education providers. The future of traditional university-based edueation is at a crossroads. In one scenario, universities embrace modem technology and customer needs to devise programs that meet the requirements of learners in the new millennium. In another potential scenario, the academy continues to deliver education as it has for the last 800 years and slowly loses relevance until it becomes a quaint institution devoid of any real social impact. This crossroads has materialized at this time due to several factors. These include the development of the Internet, the rapi