Curriculum Mapping –
A Comprehensive Approach
Introduction
Welcome.
This resource is intended to introduce and discuss Comprehensive Curriculum Maps in a post-secondary environment. This resource is intended to be of use to those who are experienced the creation, revision and use of curriculum maps, novices or anywhere in between. As this resource is intended to be used asynchronously, it will proceed in a very granular manner introducing and exploring component topics in detail.
Scope
The presentation of this resource prioritizes pedagogical best practices over structural or governance demands. Stated another way, the focus of this resource is to explore in detail comprehensive curriculum mapping, its benefits and its process. Please refer to your Faculty level Curriculum Committees, Senate Standing Committee on Curriculum, and Office of the Provost Curriculum for guidance on governance – related questions addressing curriculum mapping.
Further, this resource is not intended to be used when creating partial curriculum maps such as those used for the Program Review Process at KPU. If you intend to use curriculum mapping for program review purposes, please review this resource on Curriculum Review for Program Review resource regarding developing an Essential Compressed Curriculum Map to complete chapter 01 & 02 of the self study report.
Comprehensive vs. Compressed Curriculum Map
A Compressed Map represents curricular information required to address a specific concern. Compressed Maps are created from a full comprehensive Map Matrix Document representing the entire curriculum. The reason for this is much of the information required for specific purposes will only be evident upon the completion of the comprehensive curriculum map. Once complete, the user is able to isolate the information relevant to a specific purpose by hiding the unrelated information. For example, if a task requires a Compressed Map to display the progression of Content Milestones, then all the cells in the document may be hidden except for the Course Learning Outcomes and the Content Milestones. This will provide a clear tracking of Milestone progression. Compressed Maps can be used for most curricular tasks.
CLICK HERE for more information about types of compressed curriculum maps
This resource will be presented as three core sections
Foundations
The foundations section of this resource will begin by exploring curriculum. An in-depth discussion of this topic can be found in the additional information section. Curriculum mapping is and its value will then be discussed including core documents required to begin the Curriculum Mapping Process.
Mapping Process
This section outlines the Curriculum Mapping Process with guidance to develop a basic to a more complex curriculum map.
Applications
The applications of curriculum mapping section will explore types of Compressed Maps that can be developed based on the comprehensive Curriculum Mapping process discussed, a list of user groups that can benefit from curriculum mapping and its use at different stages of a program’s lifecycle.
Exploring Curriculum and Curriculum Mapping is intended to make formal education more active and engaging for all involved. By understanding the background, components, sites, and influences on curriculum, it is hoped that Curriculum Developers are more aware of their intentions, and emerging discipline-related nuances; that they are able to integrate these to meet their goals for their discipline. Similarly, it is hoped that having a better or more grounded understanding of curriculum will provide instructors with a better understanding of the “what” and “why” of their curriculum, providing them with more opportunities for active engagement rather than just teaching to the outline. It is this Critical Consciousness that allows instructors to consciously engage with the material and create an identity through praxis.