What was Francis Wayland’s “practical” approach to curriculum revision at Brown University, and what philosophical system most influenced his thinking about these curricular changes?

Francis Wayland's "practical" approach to curriculum revision consisted of flexible degree programs tailored to the specific needs of each student. The curricular changes Brown proposed was inspired by his progressive beliefs. It was Wayland who pioneered what we recognize as the "open curriculum" today.
Instead of a program of study defined by a set curriculum, Wayland allowed students to choose their own electives. The curricular changes enabled every student to "study what he chose, all that he chose, and nothing but what he chose."
In 1850, Wayland criticized the mode of learning most universities subscribed to. He argued that the classical curriculum failed to keep pace with modern developments in American society and that the aristocratic nature of collegiate studies disenfranchised the lower classes.
It was Wayland who proposed new programs in applied science, law, and agriculture at Brown University. His elective system of education (where the student charted the course of his studies) rested upon the principles of self-determination and self-expression championed by Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. Essentially, Wayland's progressive belief in individual freedom and independence most influenced his thinking in the curricular changes he instituted at Brown University.
https://library.brown.edu/libweb/papers/BrownCurriculum.pdf

https://www.brown.edu/academics/college/degree/curriculum