Curriculum Mapping

What is curriculum mapping?

Curriculum mapping is a planning tool and a process for identifying, designing, monitoring, evaluating and controlling the balance and the relationships between parts of a program and the courses that make up the program.

What are some of the major roles of curriculum mapping

Alignment

Curriculum mapping can:

 
  • Identify program intent and structure and how elements of a program and its courses align
  • Identify the relationships between the learning outcomes, the elements and parts of the program and the courses that make up each program
  • Identify assessment and learning outcome alignment at both program and course levels
  • Identify opportunities for integration and alignment within and across programs, especially important in double degrees
  • Identify distinctiveness and differences of each program in comparison to other programs
  • Identify any misalignment within the program and its courses
  • Identify any gaps, content duplication and redundancies within the program and the courses of the program

Student Progression

Curriculum mapping can:

 
  • Show students how the program is structured, where they are in the program and how they can plan their progress within the program
  • Show students what they have learned, enabling them to build on appropriate levels of complexity of acquired knowledge, skills and their applications and behaviours as they progress through the program
  • Identify individual student levels of achievement demonstrated by completion of multiple assessment tasks linked to course, specialization and program learning outcomes

Where is the relevant UNSW information on curriculum mapping?

ICFUNSW Program Design Procedure, paragraph 1.2. The Integrated Curriculum Framework and curriculum mapping states that all programs will maintain a (curriculum) map, which demonstrates alignment between ICF elements.

Key references in developing curriculum maps at UNSW

Review professional accreditation and discipline requirements and benchmarks (where appropriate)           

Further information on curriculum mapping, please contact Professor Bob Fox, PVC(E), bobfox@unsw.edu.au.

Examples and types of curriculum mapping at UNSW

Example 1:

PLOs mapped to AQF qualification specifications. UNSW Arts and Social Sciences.

 

Example 1

 

Example 2:

PLOs mapped to AQF qualification specifications. UNSW Business

 

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Example 3:

PLOs mapped to UNSW’s Graduate Capabilities, UNSW Built Environment.

 

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Example 4:

PLOs mapped to accreditation body, Engineers Australia competencies. UNSW Canberra at ADFA. 

 

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Example 5:

Extracted program and course information from AIMS with additional information in an online mapping system, CMAP, to enable monitoring program/course alignment with the professional accreditation body, Engineers Australia competencies. UNSW Engineering

 

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Example 6:

Phases 1-3 of the PLOs within a program, enabling students to see their progression. PLOs are cumulative, so that once developed they are expected to be refined and exercised in subsequent phases. UNSW Medicine.

 

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Example 7:

Mapping program distinctiveness to PLOs. UNSW Arts and Social Sciences.

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Curriculum mapping templates

Sample Curriculum Mapping TemplateTemple

Sample Curriculum MappingTemple

Sample Core Course

Template 3


Sample Elective courseTemplate 4

Sample Assessments linked to CLOs and PLOs

Descriptive text

Program Level

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Core Course - Program Learning Outcomes & Course Learning Outcomes (PLOs/CLOs)

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Core Course - Program Learning Outcomes, Course Learning Outcomes (PLOs/CLOs) and Assessments 

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Word Curriculum Maping Template - Download Link

Excel Curriculum Mapping Template - Download Link 

 

Resources for UNSW staff

The Connections Seminar series and the annual Learning and Teaching Forum provide platforms for UNSW staff to explore different aspects of learning and teaching, share ideas and get feedback on practice and research.

Recordings and presentations can be found on the respective Moodle course sites (self-enrolment key provided)

  • 2018 Learning and Teaching Forum on 26 October 2018: A teaching community driving curriculum innovation at Art & Design presented by Ms Fiona Nicolson and Mr Douglas Schofield, Faculty of Art & Design (self-enrolment key: lntforum)
  • Connections Seminar on November 19, 2018: Why Curriculum Map? Examples from 3 Faculties presented by Professor Bob Fox, Curriculum Academic Lead, Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Education), Professor Gary Velan, Senior Vice Dean (Education), UNSW Medicine, Mr Paul Macmullen, Senior Learning & Teaching Advisor, UNSW Business School and Dr Ray Eaton, Associate Dean (Education), UNSW Engineering (self-enrolment key: unswconnections)
  • 2019 Learning and Teaching Forum on 26 November 2019: Course Outline Processes as Drivers for Positive Change in Course Outcomes presented by Mr Andrew Chambers, AGSM, Business School (self-enrolment key: lntforum)
  • 2019 Learning and Teaching Forum on 26 November 2019: Communication for Success presented by Mrs Angie Nazim and Ms Laura Christie, UNSW Global(self-enrolment key: lntforum)