Course Design Map
A ready-to-use backward design map (Wiggins & McTighe) with desired outcomes, assessment evidence, and learning experiences. Alignment edges show how assessments and activities connect to outcomes. Duplicate and customise for your own course.
Live and interactive — pan, zoom, and click nodes to explore the template.
About this template
This template applies backward design (Wiggins & McTighe’s Understanding by Design) to a single course: you start from the desired outcomes, then define the assessment evidence that would prove them, then design the learning experiences — with alignment edges showing how each assessment and activity connects back to an outcome.
Backward design is powerful precisely because it makes misalignment obvious: an outcome with no assessment, or an activity that supports nothing, jumps out immediately. A map makes those gaps visible in a way a syllabus document hides them.
Fork it, write your desired outcomes first, add the assessments that evidence them, then the learning experiences — and use the “aligns to” links to keep everything connected.
When to use it
- You are designing or redesigning a course and want to start from outcomes, not content.
- You want to guarantee constructive alignment between outcomes, assessment, and activities.
- You are applying Understanding by Design / backward design formally.
- You need to spot outcomes with no assessment, or activities that support nothing.
Map structure
How this template organises its nodes, groups, and relationships.
Node types
- CourseRoot
- Stage
- ElementLeaf
Relationship types
How to use this template
- 1
Fork the template
Click "Use this template" to copy it into your account. The map structure, node types, and groups are all pre-built.
- 2
Customise for your institution
Rename groups, add your own courses or outcomes, and adjust the relationships to match your program structure.
- 3
Generate or import your content
Paste your syllabus or upload a PDF — the AI will populate the map structure with your actual content.
- 4
Publish or share
Share a live link with accreditation reviewers, embed the map in your website, or export it for reports.
First steps with this template
- Write your desired outcomes (Stage 1) — what students should understand and be able to do.
- Add the assessment evidence (Stage 2) and align each to the outcomes it measures.
- Add the learning experiences (Stage 3) and align them to outcomes and assessments.
- Scan for any outcome without aligned assessment — that’s a design gap.
New to curriculum mapping? Start with our free 30-minute tutorial — Learn Curriculum Mapping — then come back and fork this template.
Frequently asked questions
- What is backward design?
- Backward design (Wiggins & McTighe’s Understanding by Design) plans a course in reverse: identify the desired results first, then the assessment evidence, then the learning activities — so everything is built to serve the outcomes.
- What are the three stages?
- Stage 1: desired outcomes. Stage 2: assessment evidence that would prove them. Stage 3: the learning experiences and instruction. This template represents all three, with alignment links between them.
- What is constructive alignment and how does the map show it?
- Constructive alignment means outcomes, assessments, and activities all point the same way. The “aligns to” edges make it visible — anything left unconnected is a misalignment to fix.
Ready to build your curriculum map?
Fork this template and have a working map in minutes. Free to start — no credit card required.