A systematic and relational approach to obtaining curriculum consistency in corporate education

We report the results of an empirical study on the use of standards in designing educational programmes in corporate education that relates the programmes' constituent factors to their effects. Such standards may improve training products, affect goal-setting, remove constraints, and reinforce supportive activities. A conceptual framework on curriculum consistency provides the analytical basis for an exploratory first research phase. After the design strategies of 17 training programmes were analysed, a draft of design standards was prepared. In a second confirmatory phase, 28 instructional developers received training in applying the standards. Their products were evaluated as well as the effects of the resulting programmes in the various workplaces. This phase led to a revised version of the design standards. The implications of the research hypotheses are discussed as well as the extension of the findings to other educational contexts.