Optimizing the Field Through a
Curriculum Mapping Initiative
Stefanie Metko, Julia Feerrar, Amanda MacDonald
Session Outcomes
◉ Define types of curriculum mapping
approaches
◉ Identify strategies needed for designing a
curriculum mapping framework
◉ Reflect on ways that curriculum mapping can
provide solutions to complex issues facing
library instruction programs
Understanding the
Shifting Landscape
1
High profile campus initiatives
◉Beyond Boundaries visioning into 2047
◉Pathways to General Education
◉VT Shaped Student
◉ePortfolios
◉Digital Literacy
How did we respond?
Beyond Boundaries Innovation Grant
◉$22,000 per year (up to 3 years)
◉Hired students to help with curriculum
mapping
◉Goal: to show our library dean how library
instruction could align with Provost vision
What is curriculum mapping?
A method to align instruction with desired goals
and program outcomes. The map or matrix:
◉Documents what is taught and when
◉Reveals gaps in the curriculum
◉Helps design an assessment plan (University
of Hawai’i at Manao, 2013)
Why do libraries curriculum map?
◉For identifying high-impact areas within a
curriculum
◉For creating realistic programmatic and
curricular assessment
◉For increasing library engagement
Reflection Question
Imagine that you’re about to start a curriculum
mapping initiative at your library. Who would you
approach to be on your team? What role would
each person play in the mapping process?
Project Development
2
Exploring Software Options
Program Overview Template Snippet
Template Outcome Area
ACRL Frames
Reflective Discovery
Research as Inquiry, Searching
as Strategic Exploration,
Scholarship as Conversation
Crafting
Outcome Critical Evaluation
Areas from Ethics
the Frames Creation &
Scholarship
Scholarship as Conversation,
Authority and Constructed and
Contextual
Information Has Value
Scholarship as Conversation,
Information Creation as a
Process
(ACRL, 2015)
Developing Outcomes for Each Area
Template Outcome Area
Reflective
Discovery
ACRL Frames
Research as Inquiry, Searching as
Strategic Exploration, Scholarship as
Conversation
Critical Evaluation
Scholarship as Conversation,
Authority and Constructed and
Contextual
Ethics
Information Has Value
Creation &
Scholarship
General Education Indicators
Discover and comprehend
information from a variety of
sources
Analyze and evaluate the content
and intent of information from
diverse sources
Evaluate the credibility and the
use/misuse of scientific
information
Identify ethical issues in a complex
context
Scholarship as Conversation, Information
Creation as a Process
(ACRL, 2015)
Develop effective content that is
appropriate to a specific context,
audience, and/or purpose
Synthesize multiple complex
sources and create a coherent
narrative or argument
(Virginia Tech,
n.d.)
Information Literacy Template Snippet
Designing a Scale with Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy
Scale
Create
C
Verbs: design, assemble, construct,
conjecture, develop, formulate, author,
investigate
Evaluate/Analyz
E
e
Verbs: appraise, argue, judge, select, support,
value, critique, differentiate, organize, relate,
compare
Apply
A
Verbs: execute, implement, solve, use,
demonstrate, interpret, operate
Remember/
Understand
R
Verbs: define, list, memorize, classify,
describe, identify, select, translate
(Krathwohl, 2002)
Spaces Template Snippet
Reflection Question
What would you want to learn from a curriculum
mapping project? What kinds of issues or
questions would you hope to address?
Pilot: Mapping English
3
Undergrad English Program Overview
Introduce
1
Reinforce
2
Master
3
Undergrad English Info Lit
Outcomes
Taught
Categories Taught: Bubbles vs Bar Chart
Outcome
s
by Class
Reflection Question
If mapping your instruction
program/spaces/campus initiatives, what would
you plan to map first? Why?
Next Steps
4
Next Steps
Mapping
Communication
Mapping
Statistics
Contrasting
STEM and
Humanities
Getting Started at Your Institution
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Identify programs, initiatives, spaces, partners, etc.
Outline goals
Clarify purpose and scale
Select software
Create templates
Pilot mapping
Analyze results
Make any changes and try again!
Closing Reflection Question
How will you apply what you learned in today’s
session to your work after LOEX? Will you be
planning a curriculum mapping project? If so, what
will your first steps be?
References
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Arthur, M., & Tierney, B. G. (2014). Subject librarian initiative at the University of
Central Florida Libraries: Collaboration amongst research and information services,
acquisitions and collection services, and the Office of Scholarly Communication.
Proceedings of the Charleston Library Conference. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org/10.5703/1288284315311
Association of College & Research Libraries. (2015, February 2). Framework for
Information Literacy for Higher Education. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/ilframework
Krathwohl, D. (2002). A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy: An Overview. Theory Into
Practice, 41(4), 212-218. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu/stable/1477405
University of Hawai’i Manoa (2013, October 25). Assessment How-to. Retrieved from
https://manoa.hawaii.edu/assessment/howto/mapping.htm
Virginia Tech (n.d.). Pathways to General Education. Retrieved from
http://www.pathways.prov.vt.edu/8pdf/PathwaysLearningOutcomes.pdf
Thanks!
Questions?
CREDITS
Special thanks to all the people who made and
released these awesome resources for free:
◉ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
◉ Photographs by Unsplash