Course Mapping

Course mapping is a crucial step in course design. Course mapping involves the systematic planning of course modules, topics, materials, and activities before their integration into a Learning Management System (LMS). By mapping a course beforehand, educators can identify gaps in content, ensure a variety of learning activities, and align assessments with learning objectives, promoting a comprehensive and effective learning experience.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can significantly enhance the course mapping process. AI can assist in aligning learning objectives with appropriate content and activities, suggesting innovative teaching strategies, and ensuring that various learning styles are catered to. It can also assist with writing materials, instructions, and assessments. Here are a couple of examples of how AI can be used to facilitate the course mapping process.

Sample Prompt

Modern AI’s have a ton of interdisciplinary knowledge and can often do an exceptional job outlining courses. When provided with the course format and learning objectives, AI can help educators envision a structure and sequence for the course, map learning activities, and ensure that nothing is accidentally left out. Here’s an example of a prompt that you could use to begin a conversation about course mapping with an AI.

“Help me to create an outline for my course. I will be creating a 10-week course that will be taught fully online. There will be no scheduled class meetings. The course should have ten modules. I want there to be a midterm writing assignment in week 5, and a final exam in week 10. There shouldn’t be any new content in week 9, it should be left open for review of prior learning. For each module, produce a module title, a list of topics to be covered within the module, and ideas for one assignment and one online discussion.

Here are the learning objectives students should accomplish by the end of this course:

1. 1. Apply foundational instructional design principles.
   2. Develop and implement effective instructional strategies and assessments.
   3. Integrate educational technologies in design processes.
   4. Design inclusive and accessible learning materials.
   5. Evaluate instructional effectiveness and adapt to emerging educational trends.

Here are some topics that I want to be sure to touch on within the course:

1. 1. Introduction to Instructional Design
   2. Learning Theories and Models
   3. Instructional Design Models
   4. Needs Analysis
   5. Designing Learning Experiences
   6. Technology in Instructional Design
   7. Developing Assessments
   8. Inclusive and Accessible Design
   9. Evaluating Instructional Effectiveness
   10. Project Management in Instructional Design
   11. Collaboration and Communication
   12. Trends and Innovations in Instructional Design”

Course outlines can come in many different formats. When you ask AI for assistance generating a course outline, make sure that you tell it what you want to include, and how you want the outline to be formatted.

Tips and Best Practices 

Here are some quick tips for using AI to help you outline your course!

1. Limit your prompt: Don’t ask for too much! The length of the AI’s response is limited. If you ask for too much detail at this stage, such as asking it to generate assignment instructions or rubrics along with the outline, the AI may leave content out of the outline. Begin by creating a high-level outline of the full course and make sure that the structure of topics is as you want it. Then in follow-up prompts, ask it to provide more detail for individual modules and activities.
2. Initial Brainstorming: Use AI to generate ideas and topics relevant to your course subject. AI can provide a wide range of ideas, ensuring comprehensive coverage of your field.
3. Organizing Content: Leverage AI to structure these ideas into a logical sequence. AI can help in categorizing topics based on complexity, relevance, or learning objectives.
4. Gap Analysis: AI can analyze existing course outlines in your field to identify gaps or emerging trends that your course could address.
5. Alignment with Learning Outcomes: Use AI to ensure that each module or session aligns with specific learning outcomes. AI can suggest activities or materials that effectively meet these outcomes.
6. Accessibility and Inclusion: AI can provide recommendations to make course content more accessible and inclusive.