Resources

This collection provides a starting point for anyone interested in Curriculum Mapping, an activity that can help faculty discuss, assess, improve, maintain, or change a program's curriculum... and other purposes as well.

My favorite resource for curriculum mapping:
This toolkit from the National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment has a simple description of the process and terrific guiding questions for discussing both curricular and co-curricular outcomes.

• National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment. (2018, March). Mapping learning: A toolkit of resources. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment (NILOA).

This is the short version of the CELT workshop Intro to Curriculum Mapping, which focuses on why you might want to try this technique.

For more info or to ask for help, email CELT@uml.edu.

Sample Curriculum Protocol

For Further Reading:

• Here's an example of how your program could focus its efforts on a particular topic using curriculum mapping:  
  Dyjur, et. al. (2020). Capturing Experiential Learning in a Program by Curriculum Mapping.
• An older but useful overview emphasizing the purpose of curriculum mapping for program alignment: 
  Kopera-Frye, K., et. al. (2008). The Map to Curriculum Alignment and Improvement. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, 1, 8-14.
  
• Discipline may influence the way you use curriculum mapping; this article offers clarifications and discipline-specific citations:
  Rawle, F. et al. (2017). Curriculum Mapping Across the Disciplines: Differences Approaches, and Strategies. Collected Essays on Learning and Teaching, 10, 75-88.
• Very helpful context for curriculum mapping, this is a sample report from a department that used mapping to plan, execute, and assess curricular improvements: 
  Lending, D. et al. (2018). Example of a Program-Level Learning Improvement Report. Research and Practice in Assessment, 13, 34-50.
• Curriculum mapping as an opportunity for program faculty to be more aware of how courses function together in the larger curriculum:
  Uchiyama, K.P., & Bates, J.L.  (2009). Curriculum Mapping in Higher Education: A Vehicle for Collaboration. Innovations in Higher Education, 33, 271-280.

This collection is a starting point for highlighting a general approach to creating multiple ways for students to demonstrate learning. Two videos will walk you through everything you need to know about the topic. Start with the introductory video to have a general overview of the topic then hop onto the next video to dive deeper into more focused areas of this topic.

Video 1: Introduction to Multiple Ways to demonstrate Learning
0:00 – How I understand “multiple ways to demonstrate learning”
2:01 – General approach to creating multiple ways for students to demonstrate learning
4:30 – Introducing the collection’s shared readings

Video 2: Discussion on Method and Example Course

0:00 – Quick review of material from Collection Introduction video
2:33 – Applying backwards design to facilitate multiple ways of demonstrating learning
5:52 – Some caveats to consider
9:58 – Advantages to this approach to course / project design
11:33 – Disadvantages to this approach to course / project design
14:50 – Applying this approach to an example course (English 3690)
20:39 – Tips & advice for implementing this approach to other courses
24:28 – Sample project timelines (student-sourced projects & client-sourced projects)
29:20 – Answers to some anticipated questions

Sample Tools to Support Multiple Ways of Learning

For Further Reading:

This collection provides resources for using backwards design to support multiple ways of demonstrating learning. The techniques discussed here are useful for developing projects that will ask students both to explain how they understand a course’s learning outcomes and to develop a plan (with your help) to demonstrate mastery over those outcomes that fits their own academic & professional interests.

• On “backwards design”: Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. Understanding By Design (2005)

• A study examining the use of differentiated instruction in a graduate psychology course: Santangelo, T. & Tomlinson, C. A., “The Application of Differentiated Instruction in Postsecondary Environments: Benefits, Challenges, and Future Directions” International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 20 (2009).

• UMass Lowell Syllabus Template (pdf). A sample syllabus that faculty can adapt to inform students’ first impression of what they can expect from the course and instructor. Faculty are not required to use this template. However, we hope that you find it helpful!
• Equity-Minded Inquiry Syllabus Review (pdf). A resource on developing a syllabus that promotes equity in the classroom.
• Student Absence Guidelines (pdf). Guidelines to help faculty answer questions on medical leaves and long absences in their classrooms!
• Attendance: A great UML technology for helping you take attendance. It's fast and easy! 
  • Go to uml.edu/attendance, log in and select your class. A big 4-digit code will display on your screen. Project this screen in class.
  • On their phones, your students go to the same URL, pick your class, and type in your code, and their attendance is recorded!
  • You can do this at the beginning of class, end of class, or randomly in the middle if you want to keep students on their toes. What's great is you get a report of who's attended but also who's registered but isn't attending. Learn more on the attendance app.
  • Report "never attended students": Log into the Academic Success Alerts Portal and report students who have never attended your class. An academic advisor will reach out to all students whom you report - checking in with them to give them support and find out what's going on. 
• UMass Lowell Testing Centers: The Testing Centers at UMass Lowell are here to provide a space where a student can take an exam in a controlled environment. We provide exam proctoring services to ensure that students receive the testing accommodations they are entitled to, in an organized and as stress-free a fashion as possible.
• STARS: The UMass Lowell Behavioral Intervention Team: Do you have a disruptive student at your classroom? File a STARS report and get help from UMass Lowell’s professional and dedicated team who are ready to give you a hand! 
• Office of Disability Services: provides equal access by partnering with faculty members to remove barriers, promote diversity, implement universal design and strive for inclusion. 
• Eduology Video Membership: All UML faculty and staff have access to over 60 videos on student support, advising and career services by national higher education experts. The library has offerings on the following subjects (among others):
  • Appreciative Advising
  • Integrating Career Development into the classroom
  • Transfer Student Support Interventions
  • Reaching Students with Digital Technology (even if you're not tech savvy) 
    Sign in with Julie_Nash@uml.edu and UML2022 as your password and access the library.
• LinkedIn Learning: Earn professional development certificates or just take courses on over 16,000 "soft-skill" topics. Some of the videos are just under 10 minutes long, while others are full courses lasting several hours. These aren't specific to higher-ed, but some of these topics may be of interest. Bonus: these resources are available to all faculty, staff and students, so you may want to integrate them into your teaching if appropriate.
  • Time management
  • Communication skills
  • Video editing
  • Decision making
  • Photoshop 
    Sign in with your UML credentials