A new model for organizing curriculum alignment initiatives

The author discusses the benefits of curriculum alignment and the development of a new database system called e-CMS (electronic curriculum mapping system) for organizing curriculum alignment initiatives. Fundamental to the systematic organization of curriculum is understanding the interplay between three alignment factors present in all courses: assessments, TLAs (teaching and learning activities), and objectives, also known as the triadic model of alignment. Also important to this process is the inclusion of external alignment factors, such as cognitive level, professional skills, and the core concepts of physiology. When organized properly, alignment of internal and external factors provides a common language for discussing and comparing courses across departments and institutions. Databases such as e-CMS not only help organize curriculum, but also offer almost unlimited ways to combine, analyze, and share resultant data. This could provide value to students and their future employers by communicating with confidence the evidence-based knowledge, skills, and abilities gained in a course or program. The next phase of the alignment initiative that produced e-CMS is to develop a distributed online database for housing and sharing aligned assessments.