Seeing the Connection: Importing Alignment in Coursetune

Coursetune imports your institution’s data, but it is not always as simple as uploading course syllabi. To get the most out of our import process, it is equally important to articulate the relationship between the elements of your course. In Coursetune, alignment lives on the Learning Objective element; this is embedded into the functionality of the software. Because of that, it is important to denote (when possible) the relationship between your Learning Objectives and the other elements of your course, as well as any outcome sets. 

This type of work does NOT have to be done before importing your data. If you don’t already have this information available, it can be done directly in the software! Coursetune is a system that allows data to be moved like modular pieces, so you can always add to, edit, and reorganize your data when needed. After teams import their information, they engage in review and continuous improvement processes inside Coursetune. 

Watch a video: What does course alignment look like? 

Before we dive in, let’s develop some common terminology. We know that every team is a little different, and so the language we use is very broad and intended to represent the purpose of each main field inside Coursetune. Whatever language you use, remember that you are using Coursetune to build a framework for the student learning journey by articulating the what, when, how, and why of learning. With that in mind, here are some standards terms that we use:

• Learning Objective (LO): This field is intended to house the most granular mappable and assessable learning statement present in a course. This piece is also what carries alignment through Coursetune. 
• Course Goals: This information lives on what Coursetune calls the C-Layer. This field is intended to house the overarching goals of your course; other common terms can include course competencies, course objectives, course learning outcomes, and more.
• Bundles: This layer houses the sequential delivery of your course. Examples can include weeks, modules, sessions, units, topics, and more.
• Activities: Activities and Assessments are tied to your Bundles and denote any type of activity or assessment in your course such as class meetings, readings, discussions, papers, exams, and more.
• Outcomes: We use this term to define the overarching outcomes that multiple courses demonstrate alignment to. These can include program outcomes, industry or accreditation standards, state standards, institutional goals, and more. 

Guiding Questions for Document Compilation

What data do you have for each individual course?	This refers to the course goals (C-Layer), delivery structure (Bundles), learning objectives (LOs), and activities (both learning and assessment)
What is the internal alignment of your course?	This refers to the relationship between your LOs and the course goals, bundles, and activities.
What are your outcomes?	This refers to the outcome sets that live in the right-hand panel, such as Institutional Outcomes, Program Outcomes, Industry/Accreditation standards, State Standards, etc.
What is the alignment of your course content to these outcomes?	Coursetune is a deep relational database, meaning that all of the data fields are connected to one another. This connection is created by the alignment that lives on the LOs.

"Got it! So, what other types of data can be imported alongside these basics?"

Every institution has a variety of data types, naming conventions, and structures. To ensure your data makes it into Coursetune the way that works best for you, we offer these guides. They are not exhaustive of all the data possibilities, so feel free to reach out to us with any questions. When in doubt, submit everything: It’s easy to reorganize and even delete what you end up not needing.

Here are some great resources to look at to start getting to know all the data we house through exploring the Course Details, C-Layer, Bundles, Learning Objectives, and Activities panels.

• Data Import Checklist
• What kinds of data should I gather for importing?
• Coursetune Glossary of Terms
• The Structural Levels of Coursetune
• Checking your course for progress and completion
• Full JSON Documentation (for you techies!)

"I have my documents- Now what?"

Once you have compiled the base data for your course (Goals, Delivery, LOs, Activities), it’s time to think about how this information connects to itself, and to your Outcomes. Learning Objectives link most of the primary data fields in Coursetune. Use the following guide to outline how the LOs will tell the story of your course. 

Learning Objective Data Connections
Learning Objectives	Connect to Bundles: 1:1 relationship, LOs should not be duplicated across Bundles (Why not?)
	Connect to C-Layer: 1:1 relationship, LOs should not be duplicated across C-Layers (Why not?)
	Connect to Activity and Assessments: Select 1 or many LOs that are covered in each activity or assessment. You can also connect entire Bundles, or multiple Bundles for items like final exams or comprehensive assessments
	Connect to Outcomes and Sub-outcomes: Select 1 or many outcomes for each LO

Helpful Tip! You are able to create that connection to multiple LOs at once for efficiency. For example, you can:

• Align all LOs in a Bundle to an activity
• Align all LOs in a Bundle to an outcome or sub-outcome
• Align all LOs in a C-Layer to an outcome or sub-outcome 

Watch a video: Building a Solid Foundation in Coursetune

Please keep in mind that even in this case, the alignment lives on each individual Learning Objective element. You are simply using the Bundle or C-Layer as a “select all” button to connect all Learning Objectives from that selected Bundle or C-Layer. 

For example, if you want to see which assessments are tied to a Program outcome, you need to have all three pieces of alignment:

• The LO aligned to the assessment activity
• The LO aligned to the C-Layer
• The LO aligned to the Outcome/sub-outcome

"Can I see where these connections happen in Coursetune?"

Learning Objective Details

Learning Objective- Bundle Layer

Learning Objective- C-Layer

Learning Objective- Activities and Assessments

Learning Objective- Outcomes and Sub-outcomes

"Before we had Coursetune, we thought we knew what we were teaching. Now we actually know. The next fun piece is asking ourselves, 'Is this what we should be teaching?’"

-David Long, Assistant Head of School for Academics, The Galloway School

"I know I have all this data, but I don’t know how to put it together. Help!"

We do not require that your documentation be submitted in any specific format. However, we understand that some users may need guidance or want to organize their data in a format that they are familiar with. 

Below is a template example of a course, organized by delivery, that includes the key pieces of information typically submitted during the import process. We have color-coded the places where alignment is denoted.

Want to fill out your own? Download the template attached at the bottom of this article!

Template Example:

Template Tips

When organizing by Bundles, be sure to include:	The name of the Bundle The Learning Objectives aligned to the Bundle (1:1 relationship)
For Learning and Assessment Activities	Each activity should denote its alignment either to individual LOs or a full Bundle You can also include the activity details and properties
For C-Layer	Each LO should have alignment to one of your course goals (Why?)
For Outcomes and Sub-outcomes	Each LO should have specific alignment to each outcome (sub-outcome if applicable)

Download the template below.