Purpose of the Curriculum

The ICBC resource, Mapping a Safe Course is intended to help members of the professional driver training industry of British Columbia develop driver education courses that will improve the safety of drivers, passengers and the public in British Columbia.  Courses developed from this curriculum are intended to:

	help new drivers develop respectful and responsible attitudes toward driving which contribute to community safety
	improve the driving competence of new drivers
	help new drivers understand that today's driving is a complex activity that requires training, education and experience

Philosophy of the Curriculum

The driver training industry of British Columbia identified responsible driving attitudes as the most important quality of a good driver.  To accomplish the goal of helping new drivers develop responsible attitudes, Mapping a Safe Course uses a philosophical approach based on learning outcomes and learner-centred strategies (many traditional forms of teaching uses a lecture based format).  These two components are the cornerstones of this curriculum.  They contribute to helping new drivers develop responsible driving attitudes.

Learning-Outcomes Approach

A learning-outcomes approach means that the curriculum is organized around what the student will actually need to learn and achieve in order to become a responsible driver.  A traditional curriculum is more concerned with what course content is to be covered.  In Mapping a Safe Course, what the student needs to learn is always the main focus, and the course content is used to support the learning.

The learning outcomes of this curriculum are descriptions of a what an instructor can expect a student to be able to do after completing a driving course.  Instructors can measure student performance of the learning outcomes by using assessment tools or techniques.  All of the learning outcomes in this curriculum have been identified by driver training industry representatives as thoses things new drivers need to know in order to be safe and responsible.

Learner-Centred Approach

Mapping A Safe Course is a learner-centred curriculum.  An instructor-centred curriculum gives control to the instructor, and he or she makes all of the decision about the learning experience.  With a learner-centred approach, responsibility for the educational experience is shared by the instructor and the student. 

A learner-centred approach recognizes that:

	students need to be active in their own learning
	People have unique rates of learning
	learning happens in group settings and in individual situations
	learning is most effective when it happens through personal experiences

A learner-centred curriculum creates broader roles for the instructor.  Instructors become facilitator-teachers.  This means that the instructor will take on the role of "helper" or "mentor" to the student as well as the "telling" or "imparting" role of the teacher.  The primary role of the facilitator-teacher is to design lessons and use teaching strategies that will help new drivers achieve the learning outcomes.

Other Key Features of the Approved Course include:

	Integrating Theory and Practical Components
	A minimum of 60 hours supervised driving experience
	Formal evaluations of the student's progress

Instructional Hours

The minimum instructional time required for an ICBC Approved Driver Education Course is 32 hours.  The number of hours that must be spent in each component is outlined in the chart below.