Engaging Faculty in Curriculum Mapping (Strategic Communication)

Curriculum mapping is a vital tool for academic programs, offering a clear alignment between program-level student learning outcomes (SLOs) and the courses within a degree program. Simplified, a curriculum map is a matrix that visually represents how each course in a program contributes to the overarching program-level SLOs. The complexity of these maps can vary to best suit the needs of a program, but their primary function is to enable faculty to design intentional curricula that systematically build and deepen students’ skills and knowledge throughout the undergraduate experience, leading to mastery of program-level SLOs. By making this relationship visible, curriculum maps empower faculty to create a cohesive learning experience that appropriately scaffolds student achievement of key educational goals.

In practice, curriculum maps serve several important purposes. They help each faculty member understand the specific role their course plays within the broader curriculum, clarifying how their teaching contributes to the advancement of program-level SLOs. Additionally, these maps can reveal areas where the curriculum may be stronger or weaker in terms of supporting student learning, supporting faculty discussions on course alignment and scaffolding. Furthermore, curriculum maps assist in planning program-level assessment and offer a framework for exploring how the intended, taught, and assessed curricula align with each other. Lastly, they can be used to investigate assessment findings and plan appropriate interventions to address identified gaps or areas for improvement.

Following a refresh of the program-level SLOs for the BA in Strategic Communication by program faculty, the Department of Strategic Communication undertook an initiative to update their curriculum maps during the 2023-24 academic year for their four majors: Advertising, Public Relations, Integrated Strategic Communication, and Risk & Crisis Communication. The faculty assessment coordinator began by reviewing syllabi from all required courses for each of the four majors, using a curriculum mapping template adapted from WSU’s Office of Assessment for Curricular Effectiveness. This involved entering course-level SLOs from the syllabi into the template and aligning these with the program-level SLOs. A pilot phase was conducted where the faculty assessment coordinator met with faculty teaching specific courses to review this alignment and discuss how course assignments support program-level SLOs.

This initial phase of the project yielded several important insights. The faculty identified some course-level SLOs that needed updating, and key assignments were revised accordingly. However, aligning course-level SLOs with program-level SLOs also proved challenging when faculty were given their courses to review in isolation rather than as part of a cohesive program progression. To address this, the assessment coordinator worked with a small program leadership group to review the alignment comprehensively, prior to orienting the larger faculty on the process and soliciting additional feedback.

This effort represents a significant step toward ensuring that the curriculum for each major leading to the BA in Strategic Communication is systematically aligned with program-level SLOs, fostering a more intentional and effective learning experience for students. Moving forward, the Murrow College of Communication is also planning to adapt a similar process to update the curriculum maps for the BA in Journalism and Media Production.

For more information on curriculum mapping, see ACE’s curriculum mapping resources. ACE is also available to collaborate with undergraduate degree programs to develop or update curriculum maps; contact us for additional information.