A course map is a document that provides concise guidance to both instructor and student users on how a course is organized and how they will move through it. One of the easiest ways to develop a course map is to make a list of all the due dates (this may be a list of the planned number of due dates without yet associating specific calendar dates). Then, each due date can list a brief title of what content is being learned, what activity is being completed, the outcomes they’re in alignment with, and the purpose for doing these things.

The two examples below include basic course map elements, providing a timeline and required activities, and a brief overview of the purpose for the work. Ideally, your course map should account for both course-level and module-level outcomes. While we use due dates, you could also organize by weeks, modules, or whatever matches the length and structure of what you’re designing.

Other elements your course map might include:

• Descriptions of pedagogical logic (vs. instructional purpose),
• Sticking points where students tend to get lost, and
• Locations when and where instructors can insert their own expertise and experience.

View an example of a full course map from a first-year writing course below:

Making a Course Map for an Existing Course

If you already have a course or shared materials, you can retro fit it into a course map. To make it more instructor friendly, you could try the following:

1. Revisit what the course is asking students to do and when, then pull the titles of the activities into a table or a visual mind map tool. As you do this, you’ll want to consider the best way to separate the content. For example, if you’ve designed for a 16-week course and that’s the only way it gets taught, organising by weeks might work better.
2. Once you’ve pulled the activities in (and picked your organization method), go through and add the concepts learned.
3. Then add in the purpose for each “section” and finally the goals/outcomes they align to.
4. You might consider adding in special notes for instructors. For example, if there are four different places where an instructor must make a choice that’s not last minute, you might make it clear on the course map.

Making a Course Map for a New Course

If you are designing a brand-new course, a course map can be a useful tool in the backwards design process of a course. In short, you start with the goals for the course and work your way backwards. For the course map, this means starting with the learning outcomes and then identifying the activities and steps learners need to take to achieve them. You work backwards to identify the content and learning experiences that learners will need at each stage. Finally, you can add the purpose of each activity or piece of content and show how it connects back to the overall course goals. This approach helps you avoid designing a course simply around “What do I want to teach?” and instead focuses the design on “What do I want learners to achieve, and what will help them get there?”

Remember, a course map should be a fluid document that both gives the birds eye view of the course for instructors and students and adapts as the curriculum changes and evolves.

Lean more about backwards course design with Fundamentals of Backward Course Design course.