Curriculum map

An effective curriculum map provides a visual representation of how a degree program’s learning outcomes are connected to its course requirements. Its purpose is to create a meaningful and transparent image of your program’s curriculum that can be understood and implemented by every faculty member. More highly developed maps delve more deeply into the curriculum, providing information about everything from course learning outcomes, to assignments, to activities (field or lab experiences). Adding an element such as course assignments to a curriculum map enhances faculty understanding of how assignments contribute to the curriculum and enables faculty to convey this understanding to students. Simply by collecting the information to create a curriculum map, we are able to raise our perception and awareness of our degree programs in a manner that leads to changes that continue to strengthen and enhance student learning.

Curriculum Mapping enhances assessment in three ways, to:

1. Develop Useful and Meaningful Assessment Questions

The development of a Curriculum Map frequently leads faculty to question whether their curriculum accomplishes the learning experiences they most desire for students. By examining their Degree Program from a visual perspective, faculty members are better equipped to develop useful and meaningful assessment questions that transform assessment from “that-thing-we-have-to-do-again” into a fascinating exploration of a question about student learning for which they have a strong desire to find the answer.

2. Tie Assessment Findings Back to Curriculum and Learning Design

Faculty members become frustrated with assessment when they review their findings and are uncertain where to make changes in program or course curricula or in course learning design to improve student learning. A curriculum map allows professors to directly use their data to target curricular improvements and learning design modifications by knowing where, and even how, program learning outcomes are being addressed.

3. Develop Feasible, Manageable Assessment Designs

It can assist a department to target specific courses for assessment, and thus use their time and energy for data collection and analysis efficiently and effectively.

An effective Curriculum Map demonstrates where the degree program’s learning outcomes occur across the degree program’s course requirements (primarily staying within the prefix of the degree program). Degree Programs having emphases would identify how their “common core” set of program learning outcomes (those similar to all emphases) occur across courses, and also identify where emphasis-specific learning outcomes occur across courses.

Distinguished Curriculum Maps also identify two additional layers of information. The first layer adds information about how the degree program relates to requirements from other disciplines (areas outside of the degree program’s prefix), and General Studies, Diversity, and other University-wide initiatives. The second layer adds information about how the Program Learning Outcome is addressed within the course. For additional information, please see the examples below.

When you begin the process of developing a Curriculum Map, the easiest place to start is to create a “basic curriculum matrix.” A basic curriculum matrix contains only two variables: (1) the Program Learning Outcomes of your degree program, and (2) the courses required by your degree program. An effective curriculum map will contain within it all of the degree program requirements for the major and demonstrate their connection to all program learning outcomes. Including all courses and learning outcomes will allow your department to identify where and how courses are contributing to students’ learning across the degree program.

The time you invest developing your curriculum map will save time later in the assessment process, because it will help you identify useful and meaningful assessment questions, and design effective assessment strategies that will be successful within the resource and time constraints of your faculty. If you find that you are spending a large amount of time or becoming frustrated, it is time to stop and ask for help. If that happens, please contact us, and let us help you simplify things.

Click here to view an example of a basic curriculum matrix.

A common method for developing a basic curriculum matrix for a smaller group of faculty (4 to 8 members) is to:

1. Identify the courses you will be mapping to your program learning outcomes
2. List the courses across the top of a large white board, sheet of paper, or chalkboard
3. Place the program learning outcomes down the right side of the board or paper
4. Convene the faculty teaching within your degree program for 1 to 2 hours
5. Using sticky notes or markers, have faculty identify on the board the program learning outcomes they are covering in their courses
6. Transfer the finished map into Word or Excel once it is complete
7. ALWAYS follow up the creation of the Map by engaging faculty in an examination of the Curriculum Map (see below)

1. Have the leader or a small group develop a set of questions based upon their observations of the map (such as: Where do desired and undesired redundancies, overlaps, and gaps occur in our curriculum?, How and where is our curriculum coherent and well-sequenced for student learning?, What conclusions can we make about our student learning priorities?, etc.)