Way back in Episode 39 of Today In Digital Education, the podcast I record every week with Dai Barnes, we discussed the concept of ‘curriculum as algorithm’. If I remember correctly, it was Dai who introduced the idea.

The first couple of things that pop into my mind when considering curricula through an algorithmic lens are:

• The work of Ira Socol
• Skill trees in video games (example)

But let’s rewind and define our terms, including their etymology. First up, curriculum:

In education, a curriculum… is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student’s experiences in terms of the educator’s or school’s instructional goals.
[…]
The word “curriculum” began as a Latin word which means “a race” or “the course of a race” (which in turn derives from the verb currere meaning “to run/to proceed”). (Wikipedia)

…and algorithm:

In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm… is a self-contained step-by-step set of operations to be performed. Algorithms perform calculation, data processing, and/or automated reasoning tasks.

The English word 'algorithm’ comes from Medieval Latin word algorism and French-Greek word “arithmos”. The word 'algorism’ (and therefore, the derived word 'algorithm’) come from the name al-Khwarizmi. Al-Khwarizmi (Persian:

http://literaci.es/curriculum-as-algorithm