>> Now that you've written or edited
your program's SLOs,
it's time to map them to the curriculum.
Curriculum mapping serves two main functions.
First, it helps program
administrators and faculty know
where the outcomes are covered
or not covered in the curriculum.
Second, curriculum mapping helps to define
the appropriate assessment points
in your assessment plan.
Before beginning the process,
curriculum mapping is often viewed
as a heinous task by faculty.
But as you read in
the Uchiyama and Raiden article,
creating a curriculum map is not
only necessary to program assessment,
it can promote unity and
collaboration in the program.
To create a map, you will need to
first collect a list of
all the programs courses.
Start with required courses,
but feel free to add electives if you desire.
Most people prefer to collect their maps
in an Excel file or in a word table.
Any file type is
acceptable as long as it allows for
a visual representation of
the outcome's relationship to the courses.
Begin by titling columns as Outcome 1,
Outcome 2, and so on.
Each row lists the course.
An Excel template has been
created for your use in this process.
Finally, it's time to consult
with your program's faculty.
The faculty that teaches
the course must be a part of
this process because only they
know how the course aligns to the outcomes.
For each course, ask faculty
which outcome or outcomes
their course aligns to.
Once this has been completed,
ask them to prove how it aligns.
It is not uncommon after conversation to
find that some courses do
not align to outcomes as intended.
Occasionally, programs may find that a course
doesn't align to any of
the program stated learning outcomes.
Courses may have drifted
over the years away from
the intended outcome or
the program may have drifted
away from a previous outcome.
It is at times like this that
a program needs to make a difficult decision.
Is the course worth saving?
Is there value in reworking
the course so that it
better aligns to an outcome?
Or is it better
to eliminate the course altogether and
offer something new that better suits
the current goals and
missions of the program?
Once the faculty has determined exactly
where the program's outcomes
aligned to the curriculum,
the next step is to determine
the level of interaction
allowed for in the course.
Ask faculty to determine if each
course's outcome exposure is introductory,
intermediate or degree level.
Each level of exposure is identified here by
a circle icon with
introductory being an empty circle,
intermediate a half filled circle,
and degree level a completely filled circle.
Introductory indicates that the student
has not previously had
experience with the outcome.
Usually courses at the beginning of
a curriculum will be labeled as introductory,
but that is not always the case.
An outcome may be very
advanced and students may need
experience in other areas
before being introduced to a new outcome.
Graduate programs may find that they never
introduce a particular outcome
and this might be okay.
Some programs may expect that students were
introduced to an outcome in
their undergraduate programs.
When a program marks an outcome
as degree level in a course,
it is indicating that
the course is one that will
move students to a level of
proficiency in that outcome.
Capstone courses are often
areas where outcomes are at degree level.
If an outcome is important,
one exposure is simply not enough.
Exposure should occur often
and ideally throughout
the course of the curriculum.
When determining the extent to which
a course's outcome exposure is introductory,
intermediate, or degree level,
have faculty once
again defend their opinions.
The group should agree that the map
accurately conveys
the activities of the curriculum.
Once all courses have been mapped,
the curriculum should be examined for
over and under-exposure, gaps and logic.
Ask the faculty to look at each outcome.
Are there any outcomes that have
too little exposure in the curriculum,
outcomes that are never
exposed in the curriculum?
Are there outcomes that are
never at degree level?
Are there courses that seemingly
map to every outcome?
Are there courses that map to nothing?
If so, should those courses
remain in the curriculum?
Asking questions like this
will help faculty determine if
the curriculum adequately fits
the goals of the program.
Sometimes
the mapping process can be uncomfortable.
No faculty member wants to
hear that the course they teach doesn't
map to any of the outcomes or that
it introduces an outcome
when it should emphasize it.
If there are gaps in outcome coverage,
it isn't always easy to
decide if a new course should be created
or if it would be better for
the program to rework
a current course to
better meet the goals of the program.
Problems like these have
no clear cut answers.
Each program must find
their own way to
deal with curriculum complications.
Your assignment is to create
a program curriculum map that accurately
reflects the relationship between each of
your program's courses and the outcomes.
We encourage you to involve
as many faculty as you can in this process,
as it will help to ensure
that your map is correct.
Your map must show how each of the programs
courses aligned to
the programs stated outcomes.
Each course should be labeled
to explain the level of
outcome proficiency expected in that course.
Is the course introductory,
intermediate or degree level?
Map should be examined for gaps,
logic, and issues of exposure.
If there are problems with the map,
as it currently stands,
please create a plan for alleviating
any curriculum problems
made evident by the map.
Once complete, send
your completed curriculum map
and student learning
outcomes to
your institution's assessment staff
for review and feedback.