Using the Atlas to Detect Curricular Gaps and Overlaps

… one way of Using the Atlas

An easy early step in a curriculum review

If a program were interested in determining the extent to which its curriculum provides instruction in what we posit to be MPP/MPA core content, it is relatively easy to compare the topics in the program’s syllabi with the list of 120 core normed topics.

First cut

A first cut can be conducted simply by aligning each week’s class topic with normed topics as illustrated for the Toronto PPG1000 Governance and Institutions:

Alignment between class topics and Atlas core normed topics

Week	PPG1000 Class Topic	Closest Normed Topic
1	Introduction	The Study of Governance and Institutions
2	Constitutional Framework	Constitutional Framework
3	Democratic Reform	Electoral Systems and Democratic Reform
4	Machinery of Government	Machinery of Government
5	Institutional Dynamics within Government	Institutional Dynamics within Government
6	Federalism	Federalism
7	Federal-Provincial Dynamics	Federalism
8	Cities in the Federation	Municipal Governance
9	Indigenous Governance	Indigenous Governance
10	The Courts and the Charter	Courts, Tribunals, and Commissions
11	From Government to Governance	Modernizing Government
12	Judging Canada’s Institutions	The Study of Governance and Institutions

This could be repeated for each of the required courses to see which core topics are taught in more than one course, perhaps for more than one week, and which core topics are not taught in any required course.

More detailed look

If a program were interested in determining the rigour with which the courses teach the core topics, a more detailed comparison at the concept level could be undertaken. As well, comparisons of workload demands of typical courses could be made by comparing week-by-week content (see Comparing Course Workload – Economic Analysis and Comparing Course Workload – Quantitative Methods).

Page created by: Ian Clark, last modified 28 January 2017.

Image: Yale Student Government, at http://studentgov.commons.yale-nus.edu.sg/portfolio-item/common-curriculum-review/, accessed 26 April 2016.