Curriculum Design and Development
Build curricula that work for all students, regardless of instructor skill level. Our backwards design approach creates engaging, effective courses aligned with career demands through collaborative faculty partnerships.
Discipline-Specific Curriculum Development for Today’s Classrooms
Create courses that work in practice, not just on paper. Our curriculum development integrates backwards design, discipline-specific expertise, and faculty partnership to create engaging, effective learning experiences.
- Backwards Design Methodology: Strategic curriculum development starting with learning outcomes and working backwards to create purposeful content alignment
- Discipline-Specific Expertise: Customized approaches for math, English, science, and other subjects that respect content complexity and pedagogical nuances
- Faculty Partnership Approach: Collaborative development process that honors faculty expertise while providing professional curriculum design support and guidance
- Continuous Improvement Framework: Ongoing iteration and refinement based on implementation feedback
Why Faculty Expertise Alone Isn't Enough to Create Effective Curricula
Many institutions struggle with curricula that look impressive on paper but fail in the classroom. Faculty members are content experts, but most lack formal training in curriculum design, leading to courses that attempt to cover everything without prioritizing what students actually need to learn. The result is overwhelming curricula that neither students nor instructors can navigate effectively that leads to poor outcomes despite good intentions.
Traditional curriculum development treats all content as equally important, ignoring the reality that effective learning requires strategic prioritization and scaffolding. Without proper design methodology, courses become collections of topics rather than coherent learning experiences, leaving students unprepared for advanced coursework or career demands while frustrating faculty with poor student performance.
Expert-Led Curriculum Design with Faculty Partnership
Get expert curriculum design tailored to your discipline's unique needs. Our collaborative process respects faculty expertise while providing professional development and implementation support for lasting results.
Materials and Resource Creation
Custom worksheets, activities, and resources for immediate classroom implementation
Faculty Professional Development
Collaborative training and support throughout the curriculum development process
Technology Platform Integration
Curriculum design compatible with existing systems and modern tools
Accessibility Compliance Support
Integration of accessibility standards for equitable student learning experiences
Typical Outcomes for Our Clients
- Significantly improved student learning outcomes with clearer course organization and purposeful content alignment that enhances comprehension and retention
- Increased faculty confidence and satisfaction through systematic curriculum design that works regardless of individual teaching experience levels
- Enhanced course effectiveness with streamlined content that prioritizes essential learning while maintaining academic rigor and career relevance
- Sustainable curriculum systems that adapt to changing needs while maintaining quality through established improvement processes and faculty development
- Measurable student engagement improvements through coherent learning experiences where assignments, assessments, and content align with clear learning goals
Proven Results, Lasting Impact with
Curriculum Design and Development
Streamlining a Multi-Semester Developmental Sequence at Illinois Central College
Responding to a state mandate, Illinois Central College partnered with Almy Education to replace their three-semester developmental math sequence with a single, streamlined course focused on essential content for College Algebra. This redesigned course, launched in Spring 2023, prioritizes mathematical thinking, active learning, and a growth mindset, resulting in positive early indicators of student success in subsequent college-level math.
Modernizing Math: Raising Pass Rates and Building Faculty Engagement at Mississippi University for Women
Facing declining post-pandemic pass rates in a key Statistics course, Mississippi University for Women utilized a federal Title III grant to hire Almy Education for an external intervention. This partnership successfully engaged faculty in professional development focused on modern instruction, leading to significantly increased student pass rates in Statistics and other math courses by 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to common questions about our gateway course redesign service and implementation process.
Expert Resources for
Curriculum Design and Development
How to Teach Graphing
Reading graphs and extracting essential information has proven to be challenging for many. The global pandemic laid bare a widespread deficiency in graphical literacy among the general public, including undergraduate students. In this article we discuss the three relatively recent articles that stand out, dissecting graphing instruction and assessment and offering essential insights on cultivating graphing skills in students.
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Teaching Data as Graphs
Graphical literacy can be broken down into component parts that can be measured. While there is research on existing knowledge and skills, there is a scarcity of research on effective teaching strategies to support the learning of graphical literacy skills.
