Week 4 Curriculum Mapping
Curriculum mapping is aligning the curriculum to steer it in the right direction. By addressing academic gaps, redundancies, and misalignment, curriculum is to be restructured and improve the quality of outcome. This ensures that the curriculum is mapped according to the Intended Learning Outcomes of the course.
According to Rahimi (2010), the main objective in curriculum mapping is designing a written document about what has been taught during a term. It should be noted that a lesson plan is what a teacher is going to teach but curriculum mapping is what has actually been taught (Clough, James & Witcher 1996).
Curriculum mapping is important because it allows teachers and administrators to focus on balance between the content across curricula. It allows them to look into each classroom and see what children learn, and helps them gather data on redundancies or gaps in the course content. Reviewing the curriculum so it matches the initial layout of the program is important to know that the curriculum is structured on the right track.
Steps to follow when doing curriculum planning are as follows:
1. Identify program goals - these program goals are written by an accreditation body or a curriculum team.
2. Identify course learning outcomes - The achievement of the course objectives should provide students what they need to eventually achieve the program goals.
3. Prepare instructional support materials - This is the information students will need and might include a textbook, open educational resources, videos, supplemental resources, learning objects, software or web tools, and others.
4. Plan for formative course assessment - identify and plan activities or assignments that will allow both the teacher and the students to informally assess their achievement of the course objectives.
5. Plan for summative course assessment - This is the time for students to demonstrate their levels of achievement.
The concept of curriculum mapping was introduced to me when the Bachelor of Engineering (BE) program was undergoing accreditation procedures from Engineering New Zealand. I have had positive experience with curriculum mapping as it is an ongoing process focused on student learning and success. It was a great factor to create dashboards and reports on curriculum data including assignments, examination, tests and assessments to help teachers and administrators track and analyze the impact of curriculum maps on student achievement.
The BE program had been aligned and structured in such a way, that every unit in each semester was linked to the units taught in the previous semesters. This way, students had a background knowledge on what was supposed to be covered in that current course.
I was taking part in workshops and training that were conducted to ensure the curriculum is correctly mapped. Hence, the engineering department had gone through all the course outlines and restructured it so that it meets the accreditation standards. Redesign of few units to make it full course-based assessment had been done. Upgrading of engineering equipment and introducing new units were some of the changes brought in. That way, the curriculum was mapped according to the accreditation standard.
Prior to the accreditation period, I was using specific learning standards, lessons, assignments, and materials to organize and teach a particular course. When told in workshops and training that this is an example of curriculum mapping, I realized that I was engaged in curriculum mapping way before the concept was introduced to me.
After conducting a general online search for curriculum maps, I came across a variety of maps and the purpose for which they were developed. Adapted from “Program-Based Review & Assessment Tools & Techniques for Program Improvement,” (April 2017), these are:
1. The Basic Map: Required for curriculum proposals
Typically, this map is more basic—visually demonstrating broad strokes about the curriculum. These maps assist in identifying gaps and unintentional redundancies in covering Degree Program Student Learning Outcomes.
Examples of this basic map includes:
i) All Degree Program Student Learning Outcomes of the degree program;
ii) All courses required in the degree program, even those courses that are required, recommended, or an elective outside of the academic unit of the program.
2. The “Level of Learning” Map
The “Level of Learning” Map assists programs in agreeing upon desired levels of learning within and across courses. Faculty members agree upon definitions of learning for the program, such as “I = Introduced; R – Reinforced; RA – Reinforced through application; M – Mastery within the context of our curriculum. This approach assists faculty in scaffolding learning across the curriculum.
3. The Course-to-Program Outcome Alignment Map
The Social Work Program developed this map to determine how well their course outcomes were aligned with their program outcomes. This information provides the opportunity to understand how outcomes developed consecutively, throughout the degree program.
In addition, when assessment data/information is reviewed, the data can be connected directly back to course outcomes and course design. The program faculty can then pinpoint the courses to improve learning outcomes and course design within the curriculum.
I can say that in engineering courses, the third type of CM mentioned (The Course-to-Program Outcome Alignment Map) is mostly used. Since technology is changing day by day, it is also important to keep modifying parts for the course outline to meet the learning outcomes.
This is seen in a course I teach, EE314: Electrical Systems Design, where projects are given to students and with the ongoing progress of the projects, modifications are made to the initial course outline to meet the learning outcome of the projects.