1. INTRODUCTION

At the heart of any program lies its curriculum. Individual courses are the building blocks of the program and the connection points between courses should be evident when assessing a program. A coherent curriculum is fundamental to meaningful learning and student success; therefore, the program review process includes a detailed assessment of the program’s curriculum and its delivery.

An in-depth assessment of the curriculum and its delivery provides the program review team with opportunities to link their curriculum to the realities of the world beyond the program and produce graduates who are equipped to thrive in a competitive employment market. As part of program review, the team must complete a Self-Study Report. Chapter 3 of the self-study report includes an assessment of the quality of the program’s curriculum design. Chapter 4 includes an assessment of the design and delivery of its courses. This guide is designed to assist the program review team ask and answer pertinent questions related to chapter 3 and 4 of the self-study guides.

Questions that guide the curriculum assessment are:

• How does the curriculum prepare students for employment and/or further education? In other words, does the curriculum reflect the needs, changing demands and anticipated trends of the discipline/sector students expect to join? [Career pathway]
• Does the program make explicit the competencies, skills, knowledge and values students will be able to acquire through the program and, consequently, use to gain employment in the discipline/sector of their choice? [Program competencies]
• Does the program developed in a way to assist students ladder from lower-level competencies/programs to the intended competencies in the specified program? [Credential level specifications]
• Are program-level learning outcomes specific, measurable and commensurate with the competency’s students are seeking to attain? [Program outcomes]
• Does the current program description match with the careers, further education goals of students, competencies, and outcomes the program wishes to deliver? [Program description]
• Are program learning outcomes sufficiently supported and mapped via relevant course learning outcomes? [Curriculum mapping]

• Are the course outcomes specific, measurable enough to deliver the program outcomes? [Course learning outcomes]
• Are assessments and learning activities within a course constructively aligned to course outcomes [Constructive alignment]
• Are courses designed to accommodate multimodal delivery modes such as online, blended, & face-to-face formats? [Delivery modes]
• Are resources and content used to deliver learning and assessment activities current and relevant? [Currency and content of resources]
• Are technology tools used to deliver courses align with course outcomes and its design philosophy? [Use of technology tools]