A course curriculum map is a chart or table that shows where in the curriculum students are progressing toward the major’s learning goals. The purpose of creating a curriculum map is to identify any goals that are not being adequately addressed. It can also help you decide which courses to include when you assess a learning goal.

To create one, list the department’s learning goals across the top of a chart and list the department’s courses down the left side of the chart (or vice versa; the exact formatting doesn’t matter). Indicate that a course gives students opportunities to progress toward any given goal by marking the corresponding box. The most simple curriculum map might look something like this:

Course	Goal 1	Goal 2	Goal 3	Goal 4
WRTG 101	X
WRTG 102		X	X
WRTG 150		X		X
WRTG 200	X	X	X	X
WRTG 205	X			X
WRTG 315		X	X
WRTG 150	X		X	X

A somewhat more detailed curriculum map might indicate the level of goal mastery the students will attain as they progress through the major:

Course	Goal 1	Goal 2	Goal 3	Goal 4
WRTG 101	B
WRTG 102		B	B
WRTG 150		I		B
WRTG 200	I	I	I	I
WRTG 205	I			I
WRTG 315		A	A
WRTG 150	A		A	A

Key: B = beginning, I = intermediate, A = advanced

More information can be found in Barbara Walvoord’s Assessent Clear and Simple (2010).