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Map Learning Outcomes to Curriculum

Overview

Curriculum mapping involves examining how the courses offered by a department or program align with its learning outcomes. A common approach is to create a table, or map, showing how program learning outcomes are introduced, reinforced, or mastered throughout the curriculum.

Programs may map individual courses, groups of courses that fulfill particular requirements, and, where appropriate, courses outside the program that students frequently take.

Approach

Develop the Curriculum Map

A key step in curriculum mapping is reviewing course syllabi to identify course-specific learning outcomes and mapping them to program learning outcomes. Conversations with instructors can provide additional insight into assignments, activities, and other learning opportunities that may not be evident from syllabi alone.

Use the Map to Examine the Curriculum

Identifying the relationships between courses in a curriculum and program learning outcomes can make it evident that:

  • Some courses are central to one or more learning outcomes.
  • Some courses are less relevant to particular outcomes.
  • Some learning outcomes are rarely addressed in the courses students take.

Inform Conversation and Change

Curriculum mapping can identify strong alignment as well as opportunities for change. Programs might reconsider requirements, introduce new learning activities or assignments, develop new courses, or revisit learning outcomes when valued curricular experiences do not align with the stated outcomes. Importantly, curriculum maps show opportunities for learning, not evidence that learning occurred.


Key Considerations

When developing or revisiting a curriculum map, consider the following:

Characteristics

  • Representative of the curriculum students actually experience, including required, elective, grouped, or outside courses where relevant.
  • Based on multiple sources of information, such as syllabi, course learning outcomes, assignments, activities, and faculty knowledge.
  • Clear about progression, identifying where learning is introduced, reinforced, and mastered or otherwise developed across the curriculum.
  • Interpreted appropriately, recognizing that curricular opportunity is not itself evidence that students achieved the intended learning.

Connections

  • Grounded in clearly articulated program learning outcomes, so the map has a meaningful point of reference.
  • Used to identify strengths, gaps, redundancies, and opportunities across the curriculum.
  • Connected to assessment methods where useful, helping programs identify where meaningful evidence of particular outcomes might be collected.

Engagement

  • Collaboratively developed and reviewed, drawing on faculty knowledge rather than functioning only as an administrative exercise.
  • Revisited as curricula evolve, rather than treated as a static document.

Examples of Evidence

Evidence may take many forms. Courses and programs are not expected to provide every type of evidence listed below. Depending on the context, one or more of the following may be appropriate:

  • A completed or revised curriculum map.
  • Documentation of faculty conversations used to develop or interpret the map.
  • Evidence of alignment among program outcomes, course outcomes, and curricular experiences.
  • Identification of gaps, redundancies, or areas of strong alignment.
  • Documentation showing progression of learning across the curriculum.
  • Changes to course requirements, sequencing, assignments, or learning opportunities resulting from curriculum mapping.
  • Identification of courses or experiences where evidence of particular learning outcomes can be collected.

Resources and Tools

Questions About Curriculum Mapping?

Whether you're developing a curriculum map for multiple courses or certain activities, let us support you in identifying curriculum needs.