Optional Resource: Explore the Online Course Map Guide Website

A Helpful Tool for Deeper Understanding of Course Mapping

As you work through this course, you’ll be building a purposefully aligned course map using the COR → Outcomes → Assessments → Activities → Materials sequence.

If you’d like additional guidance, completed course map examples, or templates, the Online Course Map Guide is an excellent optional resource that walks you through this same process step-by-step.

⭐ What the Course Map Guide Website Provides

The Online Course Map Guide offers:

✔ Clear, step-by-step explanations of how to design a course map

Especially helpful for instructors designing online courses, but the principles apply to all modalities.

✔ A downloadable Word template for building your course map

This template includes:

Modules
Outcomes
Assessments
Instructional content
Activity scaffolding

You can use this template alongside the Canvas workshop or as a reference tool.

✔ Examples of completed course maps

Seeing real course maps can help you visualize the structure you’ll create for your own course.

✔ Guidance on backward design

The site reinforces the same core message of this course:

Start with your outcomes, then design assessments, then map learning activities and content.

✔ A focus on converting a course map into scaffolded modules

The site helps you think about:

How learning builds over time
How to sequence content
How to align module-level outcomes to course-level outcomes

This is especially useful once you've completed your Course Map in this Canvas course and are ready to start building your module structure.

⭐ Key Tutorial Pages Worth Exploring

📍 Mapping Your Course

Explains backward design and how to begin mapping your outcomes and assessments.

📍 Course Map Template

A clean, editable Word document template for creating a full course map.

📍 Modules, Outcomes, Assessments, Instructional Content

Breaks down each element of course mapping and shows how they fit together.

These pages reinforce the same design principles we use in this course, so they are excellent optional supplements.

⭐ Why You Might Want to Use This Optional Resource

You may find the website helpful if you want:

More examples of completed course maps
A downloadable template you can keep or share
Additional explanations of backward design
Another perspective on mapping an aligned course
Guidance tailored slightly more toward online course design

The website and this Canvas course share the same goal: helping you create a thoughtful, aligned, intentional course map that will guide your teaching.

⭐ How to Use This Resource with This Course (Optional)

You may choose to:

Review the Course Map examples before designing your own
Download the Word template and draft your map there
Use their step-by-step mapping explanation to supplement the Canvas activities
Return to the site later when you are ready to build modules in Canvas

Using the website is completely optional. Your main work will still occur in this Canvas course.

Where are you in the course?

From here, you can either choose to go directly to Step 1 of the COR to Course Process, or continue through the Course Preparation pages.

Optional course preparation
- Optional Preparation: COR to Course GenAI App
- Optional Preparation: Using AI in the Course Design Process
- Optional Course Map Template- List structure
- Optional Course Map Template: Table Structure
Steps to Completing COR to Course
- Step 1: Understanding Your Destination: The Course Outline of Record (COR)

Click Next to continue your course design journey.