Curriculum/Curricular Alignment
Course Alignment
Course Alignment
Course curriculum is the set of knowledge, skills, behaviors and dispositions intended as outcomes for the course. As you plan your course, be mindful of how it falls in the sequence for the major. Take time initially to compare your course learning objectives to the objectives for prerequisites and courses to follow yours.
- Adopt practices grounded in inclusive curriculum (see Curriculum and Curricular Alignment domain in this document)
- Use backwards design to align all course content, assignments, and assessments
- Add an inclusivity statement to your syllabus
- Make sure your syllabus, textbooks, resources and coursework are accessible to all learners according to the CSU Accessibility by Design website
Course curriculum is the set of knowledge, skills, behaviors and dispositions intended as outcomes for the course. As you plan your course, be mindful of how it falls in the sequence for the major. Take time initially to compare your course learning objectives to the objectives for prerequisites and courses to follow yours.
- Choose or create content that deliberately reflects the diversity of contributors to the field
- Adopt practices grounded in inclusive curriculum
- Use a variety of course materials: text, video, simulation, games, etc. to appeal to a variety of learning preferences
- Use visuals, examples, analogies, and humor that do not reinforce stereotypes but do include traditionally marginalized people or perspectives to ensure inclusivity
- Know the implications of religious perspectives regarding course content
- Ensure all of your course materials are accessible to all learners
Additional Considerations for Teaching Online
While most of the information on teaching effectiveness pertains to both RI and online classrooms, following are a few key points for online courses.
Show alignment among your course objectives, learning objectives and assessments in your online course by using a numbering system.
- Number your course objectives (1, 2, 3, etc.).
- As you create your module objectives, number them, as well. In Module 1, you might have objectives 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4. In Module 2, you might have 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, and so on throughout each module in your course.
- Tell students which course objective each module objective aligns with. For example, your Module 1 objectives might look something like:
- 1.1 Compare and contrast xxxx (aligns with Course Objective 3).
- 1.2 Describe xxxx (aligns with Course Objectives 1 and 2).
- As you create your discussions and assignments in each module, tell students which module objectives each one aligns with. For example:
- This discussion aligns with module objective 2.4.
- This assignment aligns with module objectives 2.1 and 2.3.