Curriculum alignment is the process of evaluating and updating educational programs to meet the needs of employers and students. It involves designing, reviewing, approving, and structuring courses to fit into an overall educational plan and ensure course objectives are linked to employer needs. Existing courses are also reviewed periodically to ensure relevance.
The curriculum alignment process is the formal evaluation of a course or educational program to meet the changing needs of employers and students. Curriculum is the list of outcomes, skills, and educational materials that need to be covered and completed during a specific training program. The curriculum is developed by teachers, educational counselors, and program coordinators.
Curriculum alignment is achieved through a consultative process. Any proposed course must complete several reviews and be approved by a series of educators and committees before it can be implemented. To implement a new course, it must be designed, reviewed, approved, and then structured to meet these requirements.
Creating a new course is a process that typically starts in the education department of middle and high school courses. At the post-secondary level, courses are developed by faculty, sometimes based on new developments and occasionally based on requests received from the dean, who is responsible for the educational performance of the institution.
The education department has an entire staff of course designers and curriculum advisors. They are responsible for determining course focus and appropriate level based on subject matter, prior knowledge and overall educational goals. For example, a botany course that focuses on how seeds grow in plants could be targeted at the elementary school level. The course designer must determine the assessment matrix to be used, the textbook or resource materials, and how this course fits into the overall curriculum or program of study.
Once this information is reviewed and completed, the course or program summary is provided to education consultants to complete curriculum alignment. During this process, course objectives and outlines are compared to skill sets, educational expectations, prerequisites, and other courses. The objectives of this review are to ensure that all courses fit into an overall educational plan, reduce duplication of course materials, and confirm that course objectives are linked to the needs of employers and subsequent course offerings.
In addition to new courses, all existing courses are reviewed on a set schedule to ensure curriculum alignment. The purpose of the review is to update course materials, review new resources and manuals available, and ensure that the course is still relevant. The process for existing courses varies in complexity based on subject area and grade level. For example, an elementary school numeracy course usually doesn’t change over time. However, a high school sociology course needs to be updated to reflect cultural changes that naturally occur over time.
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