The documentary analysis in the curriculum development: A challenge for the teachers.

Abstract

Introduction: This study, realized during the year 2006 -2007, intends to analyze the coherence and relevancy of the univer-sity policies on the curriculum design, through the review of some documents that define the curriculum guidelines at university level, Faculty and every academic program levels in the Faculty of Health of the Universidad del Valle, related to the foundation phases and curriculum structure of the eight pregrade programs.
Objectives: To analyze the coherence and documentary relevancy of the curricular policies in the University, the Faculty and the Academic Programs of the Faculty of Health of the Universidad del Valle.
Material and methods: A documentary analysis was realized by applying coherence and relevancy criteria to the university selected institutional documents, the faculty’s and the programs’, produced in relation with the design task and curricular adjustment.
Results: The coherence and relevancy of the documents in three levels has different developments: for some academic programs the relation is incipient, others do not show relations between coherence and relevancy and they seem to be two conceptual independent elements.
Discussion and conclusions: The documents constitute an important data source for an investigator, articulating macro to micro, the institutional level with the level of the program and a conceptual support for the curricular design/adjustment. Nevertheless, the integral characterization of the design and the curricular adjustment comes out the documentary study and involves multiple processes and actors that imply other methods of investigation.