A curriculum map is the one document that shows whether a degree program actually delivers what it promises. Each program outcome should be introduced somewhere, practised somewhere, and demonstrated somewhere, and the map shows where. When the map is missing or copied from another program, gaps stay invisible until a batch of graduates cannot do something the program said they could.
This guide shows how to map course learning outcomes (CLOs) to program outcomes (POs), how to mark the level of each link, and how to read the finished map for gaps. It builds on our guide to writing OBE course learning outcomes.
The 10-second answer: List program outcomes across the top and courses down the side. In each cell, mark whether the course Introduces, Practises, or Demonstrates that outcome, and only where a CLO and an assessment back it up. Every PO needs at least one D, and the D should sit in upper-year courses.
The three levels of outcomes
| Level | Who writes it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Institutional outcomes | The institution | Graduates act with integrity in their profession |
| Program outcomes (POs) | The program, guided by CHED policies, standards, and guidelines for the discipline | Design a system to meet stated needs within realistic constraints |
| Course learning outcomes (CLOs) | The faculty teaching the course | Design a relational database for a small business case |
CLOs are the building blocks. A PO is achieved when the CLOs that support it, across several courses, are achieved.
Step 1 · Build the grid
Put the program outcomes across the top, numbered as in your program’s official list. Put every course down the side, in curriculum order from first year to last. Use the official PO list; do not paraphrase it, because the map will be compared against it.
Step 2 · Map each course from its CLOs
For each course, read its CLOs and ask, for each PO: does a CLO in this course contribute to this PO? If yes, mark the level.
- I · Introduced: the course presents the knowledge or skill for the first time, usually assessed at lower levels.
- P · Practised: students apply it with support and feedback.
- D · Demonstrated: students show it independently, at the level expected of a graduate, in an assessed task.
Mark only what a CLO and an assessment support. A course that “touches on” teamwork in one lecture does not practise teamwork.
A worked example
| Course | PO1 Apply knowledge | PO2 Design solutions | PO3 Communicate | PO4 Work in teams | PO5 Ethics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 · Fundamentals | I | I | I | ||
| Year 2 · Data Structures | P | I | I | ||
| Year 2 · Technical Writing | P | ||||
| Year 3 · Systems Analysis | P | P | P | P | P |
| Year 4 · Capstone | D | D | D | D |
Step 3 · Read the map for gaps
- A PO with no D. In the example, PO5 Ethics is introduced and practised but never demonstrated. Either add an assessed ethics task in an upper-year course or strengthen an existing one.
- A D in first year. Usually a sign the level is overstated.
- A course mapped to every PO. Almost always overstated. A course that claims everything assesses nothing in depth.
- A long gap between I and D. Students introduced to a skill in first year and demonstrating it in fourth need practice in between.
Step 4 · Connect the map to evidence
The map is a claim. The evidence is the assessment behind each D, the rubric used to score it, and the attainment results. That evidence lives in each course’s portfolio; see building a course portfolio for accreditation. The capstone is often the main D for several POs, which is why its rubric matters; see our capstone and thesis defense rubric.
Keeping the map alive
Review the map when a course’s CLOs change, when attainment data shows a PO consistently unmet, and before each accreditation cycle. Assign one faculty member to own it, so it does not drift out of date between reviews.
Where Skoolari helps
Skoolari’s SUCs and Private Schools mode organises each course as a subject folder with its own materials, assessments, and weighted grading formula. Assessments generated from your own course materials, with item analysis, make it easier to show that the task behind each D measures what it claims. See the plans, and see running online exams without a proctor for keeping assessed evidence trustworthy.
Related reading: keeping an outcome’s verb honest from plan to assessment.