Curriculum Mapping & Its Benefits in Teaching and Learning

Curriculum Mapping
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In education, a course of study is designed to deliver subject knowledge to learners effectively. An educator’s objective is to impart the prescribed curriculum to help learners understand and retain the information. 

However, the best results are usually seen in courses wherein the curriculum is constantly revised. Along with the duration of the study, observing the teaching and learning process can help teachers identify the areas of improvement in a curriculum. And working on these areas of improvement can improve the quality of education being given in a course over time. A popular method of evolving a course curriculum is curriculum mapping. 

What is Curriculum Mapping?

Curriculum mapping is the process of aligning resources, activities, assessments, instruction, and educational reforms with a programme. It is defined as indexing or diagramming a curriculum to detect and rectify the gaps, redundancies, and misalignment in the course content. This exercise helps in improving the overall coherence of a course of study and its effectiveness.

What Does a Good Curriculum Look Like?

The objective of a curriculum is to organise the teaching effort for a subject and enable students to enhance their knowledge as per the required level and their aspirations. A good curriculum is designed considering student abilities and goals, the expectations of an institution’s administration, course materials being used, and time duration. Here are some characteristics of a good curriculum – 

  • Well-organized and Purposefully Designed for Effective Learning
  • Alignment With Lessons, Courses, Subject Areas, and Grade Levels
  • No Repetitions of Concepts and Content
  • Defined Objectives and Outcomes
  • No Academic Gaps
  • Alignment With the Latest Reforms Such as New Education Policy

Benefits of Curriculum Mapping

 

1. Building an Organised Path

Curriculum mapping is essentially creating a road map that teachers and students must follow during the course. Curriculum mapping defines the starting and the endpoint of the course and the various milestones that students must achieve on the way. One of the best methods of curriculum mapping is to leverage technology and draw insights from data. CollPoll’s master data management tool helps derive the insightful data and enable educators to determine what needs to be taught, the timeline of the course and gives them a clear idea of the pedagogy to follow.

2. Alignment with Standards

Every educational institution has some predetermined standards to live up to. Their affiliation to a university or a government education department may define the standard of education they need to impart. Curriculum mapping defines the standards and helps the teachers always keep course goals in sight. The focus and outcomes of the course are clear to everyone. Therefore, teachers and students can work towards the course goals together and achieve the desired outcomes.

3. Improves Communication & Collaboration

A curriculum map helps teachers understand what a student has learned in the past and their level of understanding when they begin the next level of a course. When teachers of different areas come together for a curriculum mapping exercise, the resulting curriculum design aligns with the bigger student learning picture. 

4. Map Student’s Progress

A curriculum map defines the different milestones a student needs to achieve along the journey of learning. As students progress through the course, a well-defined curriculum map can highlight the goals they need to succeed. This clarifies the expectations from the students and helps make progress tangible. 

5. A Reflective Practice Tool

The curriculum mapping process is a reflective exercise in which educators can assess the teaching and learning experience of the past year. They can assess the course content and its relevance, the learning outcomes, and whether the course content has met their students’ learning needs.

6. Improve Students’ Learning Experience

A curriculum mapping exercise is essential to improve the students’ learning experience in a course. A retrospective look at the past year can bring up many examples wherein the course can be better aligned with student expectations. Over the years, the course content can be revised and enhanced to maintain the program’s relevance. 

7. Curriculum Flexibility

A curriculum is utilised best when it’s designed as per students’ aspirations. With CollPoll’s Academic Management System, educational institutions can organise their syllabus in different enrollment types such as Core, Programme or Department Elective, Open Elective, Zero Credit, and Audit Courses. This helps institutions to define courses within different buckets and helps students to select the courses of their own choice and thus supports a Fully Flexible Credit System, which also aligns with the latest reforms as per New Education Policy (NEP).

 

The Covid-19 pandemic had led to an emergency remote learning. Thus, it becomes even more imperative for institutions to identify academic gaps and address the same through curriculum mapping along with helping teachers gain a thorough understanding of the learning goals of students, with the right use of a comprehensive technology such a CollPoll. If you want to know more about curriculum mapping, curriculum management, or academic data management, contact us or request a demo today!