An explicit curriculum does not solely depend on the learning environment. Having to do with the textual matter that is being taught more than the way it is taught, the environment hardly makes any difference if it is taught in a regular classroom by conventional teaching methods, or in a student-friendly class by specially trained faculty. The implicit curriculum, however, has an intimate relationship with the environment of the classes. According to educational theorist Elliot Eisner, "...The implicit curriculum of the school is what it teaches because of the kind of place it is. And the school is that kind of place (because of) various approaches to teaching..."
Although the core subjects of a lesson are very important, educationalists often believe that it is the way they are dealt with by a teacher that matters most -- that is, they give implicit curriculum precedence over the explicit one. The sterilized corridors and hospital-like serenity of classes have been likened to the church by Eisner. He believes that there are a lot of rules and customs to be followed, doctrines and lessons to be learned, but the spirit has somewhere leaked out of the stiff routines; the lessons are imparted, but they lose their relevance. However, implicit learning has its root in explicit curriculum, argue some theorists. Implicit curriculum can be effective only when some solid materials are dealt with in the lessons.
To assess the effectiveness of explicit and implicit curriculum separately is a tall order. It is nearly impossible to design tests that involve only implicit or only explicit learning. Besides, the timing of the tests must be accurate. Sometimes, knowledge seems implicit, although the learning was explicit in nature; time had erased the finer points of explicit knowledge from the memory of the subject. Hence, researchers now focus on studying the different effects of implicit and explicit learning rather than proving the efficiency of one particular curriculum.
The difference between implicit and explicit curricula is clearly seen in terms of language proficiency. During grammatical judgment tests that did not have time constraints and interviews, explicit knowledge is noticeable. However, during timed grammatical judgment tests, implicit knowledge comes into play. It is almost like the rules and objectives of a course that you learn through explicit curriculum are put to use when you have time to think. When you need to make fast decisions, academically or otherwise, you rely on the implicit knowledge imparted during the lessons.