Navigating the future of gerontology education: curriculum mapping to the AGHE competencies

ABSTRACT

The recent adoption of gerontology competencies for undergraduate and graduate education emphasize a need for competency-based education. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the approach one program took to mapping and aligning courses to the newly adopted Association for Gerontology in Higher Education’s (AGHE) competencies in an effort to clarify curriculum needs for a diverse student population, increase the measurability of objectives, and apply for Program of Merit status through AGHE. Assessment of current courses led to mapping objectives to competencies, identifying missing content, and revising courses to reduce knowledge gaps. Barriers and facilitators to this process are examined in an effort to share the implications of one program’s competency alignment process.

KEYWORDS:

• Competency-based education
• curriculum mapping
• course revision