This document discusses using curriculum mapping to improve student learning. It emphasizes designing curriculum maps with students in mind by communicating goals, guiding learning, and previewing content. Key characteristics for an effective curriculum map include the appropriate level of detail, a coordinated message, planning, a systematic process, and a community effort. The document also discusses using curriculum maps as advance organizers to help students connect new information to existing knowledge and understand how different elements relate. Providing students with a curriculum map alongside course syllabi can reinforce learning outcomes and relationships between assignments, topics, and feedback.

1. USING CURRICULUM MAPPING TO
IMPROVE LEARNING
WCET 2 0 1 2 • San Antonio, Texas

2. Our Agenda
Introductions
Group discussion
Mapping for Student Success
What’s Wrong With This Picture?

4. You have been asked to work
with a team at your institution
to develop a curriculum map for
the required general education
core curriculum. What are
some key characteristics you
would want to see included in
the curriculum map and why
are they important?

5. Mapping For Student Success

6. Designing with students in mind
• First, think about how the map will be used
– communicate
– guide
– preview
• Items to consider
– level of detail
– coordinated message
• And, don’t forget
– planning
– systematic process
– a community effort

7. A special use: Advance Organizer
• David Ausubel (1968) characterized
advance organizers as a cognitive strategy
to help students learn and retain new
information.
• Advance organizers*
– Organizational cues
– Tools to help connect unknown information to
known information
– Frameworks to help students understand
what they will be learning

8. Advance Organizer, Student Learning
Outcomes, & Curriculum Maps
• Provide curriculum map to students with syllabus
• Map should clearly demonstrate relationships
– assignments to specific learning outcomes/goals
– among learning outcomes
scaffolding
– among assignments
• Reinforce
– refer back to curriculum map
• when new learning outcomes are being addressed
• when new topics are introduced
• during reviews
• when making/explaining assignments
• include references with feedback

11. What’s Wrong With This Picture?