The process of curriculum alignment is the formal evaluation of a course or educational program to address the changing needs of employers and students. Curriculum is the list of educational outcomes, skills, and materials that need to be covered and completed during a specific training program. The curriculum is developed by the teachers, educational advisers, and program coordinators.
Curriculum alignment is achieved through a consultative process. Any proposed course must complete multiple reviews and be approved by a series of educators and committees before it can be implemented. In order to implement a new course, it must be designed, reviewed, approved, and then structured to meet these requirements.
Designing a new course is a process that typically starts at the department of education for elementary and secondary courses. At the post-secondary level, courses are developed by professors, sometimes based on new developments and, on occasion, based on requests received from the provost, who is responsible for the educational performance of the institution.
The department of education has an entire staff of course designers and curriculum advisers. They are responsible for determining the focus of the course and appropriate level, based on the subject matter, prerequisite knowledge, and overall educational goals. For example, a course in botany that focuses on how seeds grow into plants can be aimed at the elementary school level. The course designer must then determine the evaluation matrix to be used, 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 outline or syllabus is provided to the educational consultants to complete curriculum alignment. During this process, the course aims and outline are compared to skill sets, educational expectations, prerequisites, and other courses. The purposes of this review are to ensure all courses fit into an overall education plan, to reduce the duplication of course materials, and to confirm that course aims tie into 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 textbooks available, and ensure the course is still relevant. The process for existing courses varies in complexity based on the subject area and level of education. For example, an elementary school course in numeracy does not typically change over time. However, a high school course in sociology needs to be updated to reflect cultural changes that occur naturally over time.
