A Curriculum Map is a matrix that connects the required courses of a program to its learning outcomes. It shows where outcomes are introduced, reinforced, and emphasized across the curriculum and helps identify the best courses to pull assessment evidence.
What the Map Shows
Each course is rated against each outcome using three levels — Introduce, Reinforce, and Emphasize:
| I — Introduce | The course introduces a concept for the first time. Students are building foundational knowledge or skills related to this outcome. |
| R — Reinforce | The course builds on prior exposure. Students practice and strengthen their skills with the assumption that foundations are already in place. |
| E — Emphasize | The course gives students the opportunity to fully integrate and demonstrate the outcome — typically in upper-division or capstone courses. |
How to Build Your Map
1. List your program learning outcomes down the left column.
Each row represents one outcome.
2. List all required courses across the top.
Only include courses that are required for program completion, not electives. Electives vary too much across students to provide consistent program-level evidence.
3. Fill in I, R, or E for each course-outcome pair.
Do this collaboratively with faculty who teach those courses. They know best where outcomes are meaningfully addressed. Leave cells blank if a course does not substantively address an outcome.
4. Look for gaps and alignment.
Every required course should link to at least one outcome. Every outcome should be introduced and built toward an “E” at some point. Gaps in either direction signal a curriculum design issue worth addressing.
5. Use the map to select your assessment evidence.
Courses marked “E” for an outcome are your best sources of evidence — that is where students are expected to fully demonstrate the outcome. These are the courses you will pull student work samples from when you collect data.
Why This Matters
Find Gaps: If an outcome has no “E” course, students may never be expected to fully master it.
Guide Assessment: The map tells you exactly which courses to draw evidence from for each reporting cycle.
Avoid Redundancy: If too many courses cover the same outcome, your curriculum may be unbalanced.
Start Conversations: Building the map together surfaces assumptions faculty did not know they disagreed on.
What do you want to do next?
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