Key Principles of Curriculum

Alignment

Definition
McMahon and Thakore (2006), define curriculum alignment as the coherence between
evaluation, teaching strategies and intended learning outcomes in an educational program.
Curriculum alignment uses an outcomes-based approach to curriculum design. In outcomes-
based curriculum design, learning outcomes are determined prior to determining teaching and
learning strategies or evaluations. Teaching and learning strategies are designed to support the
student to practice and receive feedback on the desired learning outcomes.

Outcomes-based curriculum design is sometimes referred to as backwards design, in which

the curriculum design begins with the end in mind. The focus is on results of learning. Learning
outcomes are designed based on industry needs and requirements and the learning
expectations that are critical for success in life and work.

Program Level Curriculum Alignment

alignment of the learning outcomes, teaching and learning strategies, and evaluations
across a sequence of courses
a well-organized and purposeful plan to facilitate the successful achievement of the
program learning outcomes
all the course learning outcomes in a program are designed to ensure that graduates
meet the program learning outcomes
Course Level Curriculum Alignment
alignment of the learning outcomes, teaching and learning strategies, and evaluations
within a course
a well-organized and purposeful teaching and learning plan to facilitate the successful
achievement of the course learning outcomes
Integrated Course Design: The Golden Chain

outcomes, teaching methods and evaluations are an

unbreakable chain
students are given time to practice and receive feedback on their learning in the same
learning domain and level as the learning outcomes
evaluations are designed to ensure that the outcomes are fully assessed in the same
learning domain and level as the outcomes

Key Benefits of Curriculum Alignment

student performance and engagement

collaboration and communication
1
 consistency and quality of learning experience

Key Curriculum Alignment Principles for Course Evaluations

include real world examples of demonstration of learning
builds on learning and expectations from previous or concurrent courses
inclusive of diverse learning styles and needs (e.g. variety of assessments)
increase in complexity (i.e. expectations and performance) from the first to the last
semester
include plenty of time and opportunities for students to practice and receive feedback
within course
includes evaluations where students demonstrate culminating performance at the level
of the program learning outcome.

Methods of Checking Curriculum Alignment

Curriculum maps are a type of chart or data visualization commonly used to determine
curriculum alignment.

Curriculum maps can help to identify patterns in curriculum design such as illustrating the
frequency that a particular learning outcome has been taught and evaluated in a program.

Curriculum maps help to answer the following types of questions:

Are there any gaps?

Are there any redundancies?
Are the learning expectations at the right level as students transition into their first
semester and move through to graduation?
To what extent do the evaluations measure the program learning outcomes?
Do we include a range of teaching methods? Do the teaching methods align to the
learning outcomes?
Are the evaluations aligned to industry needs and requirements?
What are some of our best examples of how we use authentic assessment?
Are the evaluations at the right level for the students for a given semester?
Are we teaching what we are testing?
Are we practicing in class what we are testing?
Are there adequate opportunities for students to get feedback on progress prior to
testing?

Reference
McMahon. T & Thakore. H (2006) Achieving Constructive Alignment: Putting Outcomes
First The Quality of Higher Education.