Mapping: The Outcome Map vs. The Curriculum Map

Leads working in Planning & Self Study might be asked to contribute "mapping" connections to the Outcome Map and/or the Curriculum Map.

 

The Outcome Map

The Outcome Map is a matrix that provides the means for an Organization to map, or illustrate a connection between, its own Outcomes and those of any other relevant Organization.

In practice, this might be a Program mapping its own Outcomes to those of the Department it falls under or a Department mapping its Outcomes to the Institution's Outcomes.

In the screenshot shown above, the left-most column lists the Program's own Program-Level Outcomes, with each subsequent column representing other areas of the hierarchy that are relevant to this particular Program - for instance, the Department the Program falls under, the College the Department falls under, etc. This would typically continue all the way up to the Institutional level. The Courses that compose the Program could also be included. 

Alignment between the Outcome and the Organization is indicated with a check-mark, and the right-hand panel is where the individual Outcomes being aligned to can be selected. 

For more information on mapping Outcomes, please see the resource linked HERE

 

The Curriculum Map

The Curriculum Map is also a matrix, but rather than showing correlation of one Organization's Outcomes to another, it displays the manner in which a Program addresses its own Outcomes within the Courses that the Program is composed of.

In other words, it shows where within the Program's curriculum each individual Outcome is assessed, and the extent to which it is assessed. In addition to simply stating that an Outcome is Aligned to a particular Course, the Lead will be able to select whether the Outcome is Introduced, Reinforced, or Mastered in that Course. In the screenshot above, Alignment is indicated by the check-mark, and whether the Outcome is Introduced, Reinforced, or Mastered is indicated by the corresponding letter. 

Curriculum Maps also allow for Assessment Measures to be created directly within the map - these Measures then get pulled into the Organization's Assessment Plans. The inclusion of a Measure is indicated on the map with the "A" icon, signifying an "Assessment Activity". 

For more information on Creating and Editing Curriculum Maps, including the creation of Measures, please see the resource linked HERE.

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