Patent Publication Number: US-2011070573-A1

Title: Instructional content and standards alignment processing system

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     The present disclosure generally relates to computer software and hardware systems, and more particularly, to a system for the processing of instructional content and standards. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     As part of providing quality educational opportunities, many academic institutions are interested in assessing and evaluating their performance, the performance of units and individuals within their institutions, and addressing required educational standards with instructional content and resources. These institutions can include, for example, online (e.g., virtual) institutions, K-12 schools, colleges, universities, multi-campus university systems, and institutions for professional education. One purpose of assessment involves collecting and documenting the evidence needed for satisfying the objectives of regional or national accreditation bodies. Another purpose is to allow the institution to make informed and objective decisions about, for example, instructional content, course offerings, and educational effectiveness. Yet another purpose is to track student progress towards institutional and curricular goals, both individually and collectively. 
     Academic institutions engage in a complex process of associating curriculum resources, lesson plans, and other assessment items with specific state educational standards and other types of goals and objectives to ensure that instructional content (e.g., course, unit, and lesson plans) are in alignment with those standards. Although educational standards, which are a common example of general educational objectives, are unique from state to state, there is often considerable overlap between state educational standards. Additionally, educational standards are hierarchical in nature; each state educational standard often has two or more levels of description. In practice, most alignment happens at the lowest level, and may vary by state, school district, and individual schools, but the relationship created by the alignment between instructional content and a low level state educational standard rolls up to inform general alignment at higher level state educational standards. 
     Instructors, administrators, and other staff often spend significant time attempting to manually align or otherwise associate their instructional content and assessments with state educational standards. This alignment is error prone, and collaboration between instructors, administrators, staff, and institutions is constrained due to both the voluminous paper-based resources and materials generated and required for manually aligning instructional content and assessments with state educational standards, and the limited use of web-based and electronic tools. 
     The alignment process is made even more difficult because state educational standards change periodically and re-alignment of the instructional content and assessments with the changed state educational standards is often necessary. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the instructional content and standards alignment processing system disclosed herein provide for user-generation of an alignment, and user-confirmation of an automatic alignment or re-alignment, of instructional content with a second educational standard based on the pre-existing relationships of the instructional content with a first educational standard, and the first educational standard with the second educational standard. The system is further configured to provide for user-generation of a mapping, and user-confirmation of an automatic mapping or re-mapping, of a first educational standard with a third educational standard based on a pre-existing mapping between the first educational standard and a second educational standard, and the second educational standard with the third educational standard. The system is also configured to generate new alignments to replace existing alignments, and generate new mappings to replace existing mappings. 
     In certain embodiments of the disclosure, an instructional content and standards alignment processing system is provided. The system includes a computer-readable memory configured to store information indicative of instructional content, a first educational standard, and a second educational standard, and configured to store at least one alignment between the instructional content and the first educational standard and at least one mapping between the first educational standard and the second educational standard. The system also includes a processor configured to automatically generate at least one alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard based on the mapping between the first educational standard and the second educational standard. The computer-readable memory is configured to store the alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard after the alignment is confirmed by a user. 
     In certain embodiments of the disclosure, a method for associating instructional content is provided. The method includes receiving at least one alignment between instructional content and a first educational standard, and at least one mapping between the first educational standard and a second educational standard. The method also includes generating at least one alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard based on the mapping between the first educational standard and the second educational standard. The method further includes receiving, from a user, a confirmation of the alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard, and storing the confirmed at least one alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard. 
     In certain embodiments of the disclosure, a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a processor to execute instructions to associate instructional content by performing certain steps is provided. The steps include receiving at least one alignment between instructional content and a first educational standard, and at least one mapping between the first educational standard and a second educational standard. The steps also include generating at least one alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard based on the mapping between the first educational standard and the second educational standard. The steps further include receiving, from a user, a confirmation of the alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard, and storing the confirmed at least one alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide further understanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosed embodiments. In the drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an instructional content and standards alignment processing system according to certain embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary mapping process using the instructional content and standards alignment processing system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of obtaining a mapping for the process of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of creating a mapping for the process of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for providing different options for existing mappings from the process of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for confirming and acting on a mapping from the process of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process of updating instructional content alignments based on the confirmed mapping from the process of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 8A  is a sample screenshot, displayed by the display device associated with the instructional content and standards alignment processing system of  FIG. 1 , of base instructional content aligned to a base standard during the operation of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 8B  is a sample screenshot, of a list of base standards (i.e., the base standard of  FIG. 8A ) mapped to target standards. 
         FIG. 8C  is a sample screenshot of a user interface for modifying the mapping of  FIG. 8B . 
         FIG. 8D  is a sample screenshot of a user interface for adding additional target standards to the mapping of  FIG. 8B . 
         FIG. 8E  is a sample screenshot of a resulting alignment between the base instructional content of  FIG. 8A  and the target standards of  FIG. 8B  according to the exemplary process of  FIG. 7 . 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computer system with which the instructional content and standards alignment processing system of  FIG. 1  can be implemented. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     There is a problem, in educational standards alignment, of generating incorrect, time consuming, and constrained alignments of re-aligned instructional content to new, changed, or related educational standards due to the manual procedure of aligning instructional content to older or obsolete educational standards. This and other problems are addressed and solved, at least in part, by embodiments of the present disclosure, which include an instructional content and standards alignment processing system. The system includes a computer-readable memory configured to store information indicative of instructional content, a first educational standard, and a second educational standard, and configured to store at least one alignment between the instructional content and the first educational standard and at least one mapping between the first educational standard and the second educational standard. The system also includes a processor configured to automatically generate at least one alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard based on the mapping between the first educational standard and the second educational standard. The computer-readable memory is configured to store the alignment between the instructional content and the second educational standard after the alignment is confirmed by a user. 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. It will be obvious, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail not to obscure the disclosure. 
     As discussed herein, “instructional content” includes educational resources, lesson plans, assessment items, artifacts, papers, tests, surveys, quizzes, collaborative exercises, and assignments. In general, as discussed with regards to an assessment, a “standard” (or “educational standard”) includes a statement of what a student (or “learner”) should know or be able to do. A standard is measurable, and is often more specific than a goal. A standard may not be related to a specific activity, instruction, performance, etc. or timeframe. Standards are frequently generated by organizations external to an academic institution (e.g. state governments and accrediting agencies) as a means to standardize measurement of performance or learning across multiple organizations. A state or government institution that publishes a standard or set of standards in hardcopy format may change to an electronic publishing format in the future. An educational standard is a common example of the how educational goals and objectives are used more generally. 
     As discussed herein, the association of instructional content to an educational standard is an alignment, and the association of an educational standard to another educational standard is a mapping (or “connection”). Both mappings and alignments are considered associations. 
     As discussed herein, a user is a person who uses the instructional content and standards alignment processing system. A user may have a user account (associated with at least one user role) that identifies the user by a username. To log in to the user account, a user is typically required to authenticate himself with a password or other credentials for the purposes of accounting, security, logging, and resource management. 
     While many examples are provided herein that include educational standards, the principles of the present disclosure contemplate other types of goals and objectives from many different sources. Furthermore, while many examples are provided herein that include an educational institution, the principles of the present disclosure contemplate other types of organizations as well. For example, corporations and governmental entities are all considered within the scope of the present disclosure. An institution may also be a consortium of schools and/or campuses. In general terms, an institution is an operating unit and is, itself, made up of different operating units that may correspond to campuses, colleges, departments, sub-departments, etc. The systems and methods described herein do not require any particular arrangement of operating units but, instead, allow the institution to model its organization into a hierarchy of operating units for purposes of management, planning, and reporting of assessment efforts. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram illustrating an instructional content and standards alignment processing system  100  according to certain embodiments. The system  100  includes a client  102 , input device  114 , and a display device  116 . The client  102  can represent a computer, a laptop computer, a thin client, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computing device, a mobile intelligent device (MID), a system as a service (SAAS), or a suitable device with a processor and memory. The client  102  can be stationary or mobile. The client  102  may also be managed by a host, such as over network  118 . 
     The display device  116  is a type of output module. Other types of output modules can be used, including, without limitation, a processor, a printer, audible indicators such as speakers, or other visual indicators such as display screens, including a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), light emitting diode (LED) display, plasma display panel (PDP), liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diode (OLED), or surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED). The display device  116  is configured to display or otherwise output information provided by the processor, such as alignments between instructional content and educational standards, and mappings between educational standards. 
     The input device  114  is configured to provide input, to the client  102 , the input having been processed by the processor  104 . A wired or wireless input device  114  can be used, such as, but not limited to, a keyboard, a touch-screen display, a mouse, a microphone, a magnetic card reader, a biometric reader-sensor, a proximity reader, a radio frequency (RF) identification reader, and a symbology reader. The input device  114  can also include assistive technology devices (i.e., accessibility devices) such as, but not limited to, modified keyboards, foot mice, LOMAK keyboards, trackballs, joysticks, graphics tablets, touchpads, a microphone with speech recognition software, sip-and-puff input, switch access, vision-based input devices, keyboard shortcuts, and hardware configured to work with software customized for assistive access. 
     In certain embodiments, the client  102  is connected to a network  118  via a communications module  106 . The communications module  106  is connected to the network  118 , for example, via a modem connection, a local-area network (LAN) connection including the Ethernet, or a broadband wide-area network (WAN) connection, such as a digital subscriber line (DSL), cable, T 1 , T 3 , fiber optic, or satellite connection. The network  118  can be a LAN network, a corporate WAN network, or the Internet, and may include features such as a firewall. The processor  104 , communications module  106 , memory  108 , input device  114 , and display device  116  communicate using a communications bus  120 . 
     The memory  108  of the client  102  includes a standards data store  110 , content data store  120 , associations data store  122 , and a standards mapping and alignment processing module  112 . The standards data store  110  includes information indicative of educational standards, and the content data store  120  includes data indicative of instructional content. The associations data store  122  stores: (1) associations between the educational standards of the standards data store  110  and the instructional content of the content data store  120 , (2) associations between educational standards within the standards data store  110 , and (3) associations between instructional content within the content data store  120 . The associations data store  122  and content data store  120  may be accessible by other systems over the network  118 , such that the mappings and alignments in the associations data store  122  and instructional content from the content data store  120  can be shared and reused. 
     Several examples will now be presented that use the system  100  disclosed herein. As a first example, a mapping can be modified in the system  100  and exported (as described in further detail below), and then reused by another system. As another example, instructional content from another system can be obtained over network  118  and stored in content data store  120  for use by the system  100 . By way of another example, if the system  100  were located at a certain school, a mapping can be created and/or managed external to the system  100 , such as at a district office, and added to the standards data store  110  of the system  100  at the school over the network  118 . As yet another example, instructional content in the content data store  120  can be associated with alignments (e.g., added, copied, or deleted) based on previously existing associations between the instructional content or metadata of the instructional content. As another example, mappings and or alignments within the system can be selectively updated, such as the application of a map from an external source to a subset of the system or content based on information from the external source, e.g. within a district, a school is limited to applying changes to courses within that school, not all courses within the district. As a further example, instructional content, standards, and alignments obtained from an interface with an external system, such as an outcomes management system, can be imported into the content data store  120 , standards data store  110 , and associations data store  122 . Exemplary outcomes management systems are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/151,593 entitled “Systems and Methods for Goal Attainment in Achievement of Learning,” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/151,580 entitled “Systems and Methods for Goal Attainment in Post-Graduation Activities,” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/151,592 entitled “Systems and Methods for Goal Attainment in Alumni Giving,” which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
     The standards mapping and alignment processing module  112  stores computer-readable instructions executable by processor  104  to generate new associations (e.g., mappings or alignments) to store in the associations data store  122  based on pre-existing associations already stored in the associations data store  122  and/or user-generated associations between the educational standards and/or the instructional content received via the input device  114 . For example, if the associations data store  122  includes (1) information indicative of an alignment between base instructional content, a course syllabus (stored in the content data store  120 ), and a base standard from a previous year (stored in the standards data store  110 ), and (2) information indicative of a mapping between the base standard and a target standard from a current year (also stored in the standards data store  110 ), the processor  104 , executing instructions stored in the standards mapping and alignment processing module  112 , will advantageously generate a new alignment between the course syllabus (i.e., the base instructional content) and the target standard from the current year. Thus, the need for a user to manually align the course syllabus to the standard from the current year is avoided. The new alignment can be modified based on input from the user. If the alignment and/or modifications are displayed to the user via the display device  116 , the user may then confirm the new alignment and/or his modifications to the alignment using the input device  114 . 
     The standards mapping and alignment processing module  112  also stores computer-readable instructions to allow a user to provide and store, in the associations data store  122 , additional input regarding the stored associations. For example, using input device  114 , the user can provide notes on the purpose of an alignment between a specific standard and instructional content. As another example, using input device  114 , the user can provide notes on why the user modified an alignment between a specific standard and instructional content. The standards mapping and alignment processing module  112  also stores computer-readable instructions to allow a user to make use of portions of the standards management process, such as generating user defined (or “custom”) standards, into the standards mapping processes  200  of  FIG. 2 . For example, using the input device  114 , the user can instruct the system  100  to copy a user defined standard shown in the set of base standards and stored in the standards data store  110  to its proper location in the set of target standards also stored in the standards data store  110  such that the user-generated standards can be processed with the other standards stored in the standards data store  110 . 
     The standards mapping and alignment processing module  112  further stores computer-readable instructions to generate a log  124  of system  100  usage to be stored in the memory  108 . The log  124  includes information indicative of the user account associated with new associations or changes to associations made in the memory  108 , access attempts, and date and time information for system  100  usage. The log  124  may be implemented using metadata stored in the memory  108 . 
     The standards mapping and alignment processing module  112  stores computer-readable instructions to have the display device  116  display the status of associations of instructional content and standards. Associations can have an (1) active status, where a user account accessing the system  100  has authorization to access and/or change the association, (2) inactive status, or (3) in review status, the latter two visible and usable by those users who have authorization to manage standards in general and/or in certain courses or contexts on the system  100 . 
     The instructional content and standards alignment processing system  100  can be used in a variety of situations. As a first example, within state educational standards, if base instructional content, such as an Algebra course lesson plan, is aligned to an old state math educational standard, and a new target state math educational standard is released, then, based on a mapping of the old state math educational standard to the new target state math educational standard, the Algebra course lesson plan can automatically be re-aligned to the new target state math educational standard. As a second example, for state to national standards, if the base instructional content Algebra course lesson plan is aligned to a state math educational standard, and a new target national math educational standard is released, then, based on a mapping of the state math educational standard to the new target national math educational standard, the Algebra course lesson plan can automatically be re-aligned to the new target national math educational standard. 
     As a third example, across disciplines, if the base instructional content Algebra course lesson plan is aligned to a state math educational standard, and a state technology educational standard is made available, then, based on a mapping of the state math educational standard to the target technology educational standard, the Algebra course lesson plan can automatically be re-aligned to the target technology educational standard. As a fourth example, across multiple states, if base instructional content, an English course syllabus from a virtual institution such as online university, is aligned to a first state reading standard, and the virtual institution seeks to offer courses to students in a second state, then, based on a mapping of the first state&#39;s reading standard to the target second state&#39;s reading standard, the English course syllabus can automatically be re-aligned to the target second state&#39;s reading standard. In either example, if several re-mappings need to occur, then the re-mappings may be processed together in one batch operation. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary mapping process  200  using the instructional content and standards alignment processing system  100  of  FIG. 1 . The mapping process  200  proceeds from beginning step  201  to step  202  in which a first educational standard, a second educational standard, and a mapping between the first educational standard and second educational standard are imported. The first educational standard and second educational standard are, for example, imported into the standards data store  110 , and the mapping is imported into the the associations data store  122 . In certain embodiments, the mapping is included with the first educational standard and the second educational standard. Next, in step  203 , the mapping is opened (e.g., for analysis and/or viewing), and in step  204 , the mapping is reviewed and optionally edited. The mapping may be obtained from the associations data store  122 . The mapping is presented for confirmation in step  205 , and, if the mapping is confirmed in decision step  206 , the process  200  proceeds to step  207  in which instructional content aligned with the first educational standard has alignments that are copied and updated to be aligned with the second educational standard based on the confirmed mapping from decision step  206 . If, however, in decision step  206  the mapping was not confirmed, the process  200  returns to step  204 . The process  200  ends in step  208 . 
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process  300  of obtaining the mapping of process of  FIG. 2 . The process  300  proceeds from beginning step  301  to step  202  if a standards package with a map (e.g., at least one standard that includes a mapping to another standard) is imported, or to step  203  if a map is imported. In decision step  304 , if an appropriate map exists, then in decision step  306  the map can be overwritten. If a map does not exist in decision step  304 , the process  300  proceeds to step  305 . Returning to decision step  304 , if the map is selected to be overwritten, the process  300  proceeds to step  307  in which the existing version of the map is overwritten. If, however, in decision step  304  the map is not selected to be overwritten, the process  300  proceeds to step  305 . In step  305 , a new version of the map is created. The process  300  then proceeds to step A, which is described in  FIG. 5  below. 
       FIG. 4  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process  400  of creating a mapping for the process of  FIG. 2 . The process  400  proceeds from beginning step  401  to step  402  in which a base set of standards and a target set of standards are selected. In decision step  403 , a map between the base set of standards and the target set of standards can be created manually. If the map is created manually, then the process  400  proceeds to step  404  in which the map criteria are defined, and from step  404  the process  400  proceeds to decision step  405 . Examples of how map criteria can be defined include semantic matching of text in standards, usage based on existing alignments, and metadata on alignments or standards (status, owner, purpose, categories, notes, and date). If a map is not created manually in decision step  403 , then the process  400  proceeds to decision step  405 . In decision step  405 , if a map does not exist, then the process  400  proceeds to step  408  in which a new version of a mapping between the base set of standards and the target set of standards is created. If a map does not exist in decision step  405 , then the process  400  proceeds to decision step  406 , where a decision is made whether to overwrite the map. If a decision is made not to overwrite the map, the process  400  proceeds to step  408  described above. If a decision is made to overwrite the map in decision step  406 , then in step  407  the map is overwritten. The process  400  then proceeds to step A, which is described in  FIG. 5  below. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process  500  for providing different options for existing mappings from the process  200  of  FIG. 2 . The process  500  proceeds from beginning step  501  to step  502  in which a base standard set and a target standard set are chosen. Next, in step  503 , which may either be reached from step  502 , or from steps  305  (of  FIG. 3 ),  407 , or  408  (of  FIG. 4 ) discussed above, existing mappings between the base standard set and the target standard set are viewed. If multiple versions exist, as decided in decision step  504 , then a version is selected in step  505  and the process  500  proceeds to step  506 , otherwise the process  500  immediately proceeds from decision step  504  to step  506 . In step  506 , the map is opened, and from step  506 , four options are available. In one option, step  507 , the map may be reviewed or edited, from which the process  500  proceeds to step B discussed in  FIG. 6  below. In another option, step  508 , the map is exported, and the process  500  ends in step  509 . For example, the map may be exported into an archive in a common format such that it can be exchanged and used by other institutions. In a further option, step  510 , the last alignment update of map is reversed, and the process  500  ends in step  509 . In yet another option, step  511 , a history of the alignments associated with the map is viewed, and the process  500  ends in step  509 . 
       FIG. 6  is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary process  600  for confirming and acting on a mapping from the process of  FIG. 2 . The process  600  proceeds from step  507  of  FIG. 5  to step  601 , in which the mapping (or connection) between the base standard set and the target standard set is chosen or identified. The mapping may be identified by, for example, all standards in the set of standards, grade level, concept or topic, or metadata on standards (e.g., tags, categories, or notes). Next, in decision step  602 , a confirmation workflow (of the chosen/identified mapping) may be started. If the confirmation workflow is started in decision step  602 , the process  600  proceeds to step  603  in which users, who are selected to confirm the mapping, are notified, and those users then approve of the mapping in step  604 . The process  600  then proceeds to step  605 . If, however, the confirmation workflow is not started in decision step  602 , the process  600  then proceeds directly to step  605 . 
     In step  605 , the mapping is presented for confirmation. If the mapping is confirmed in decision step  606 , the process  600  proceeds to step  607 , otherwise the process  600  returns to step  601 . In step  607 , criteria for acting on the mapping between the base standard set and the target standard is chosen or identified. The criteria can include, for example, all standards in the map, all standards in the connection, all alignments, all alignments in specific courses, all alignments in specific categories, all alignments in a section of an institution (e.g., department or school), alignments for specific content types, alignments on content stored in designated areas, alignments based on metadata (e.g., tags, categories, notes, or dates), and the metadata and location of the instructional content. 
     From step  607 , the process  600  may proceed along multiple routes. In step  608 , the alignments between the base standard set and the target standard are copied. In step  609 , the alignments between the base standard set and the target standard are replaced. In step  610 , the alignments between the base standard set and the target standard are set up for automatic re-alignment. In step  611 , the alignments between the base standard set and the target standard are copied and/or deleted. In step  612 , a report is provided on the current state of alignments based on the mapping between the base standard set and the target standard. The report can include a display of the proposed changes to the alignments before they are made. The process  600  proceeds from either steps  608 - 612  to step  613 , in which the process  600  ends. 
       FIG. 7  is a flow chart illustrating, in more detail, step  207  of  FIG. 2  using an exemplary process  700 . Although the process  700  illustrates an alignment between instructional content and standards, the same process  700  can, in certain embodiments, be used for mapping between standards. 
     The process  700  proceeds from beginning step  701  to step  702  in which alignment data of base instructional content, “A,” to base first educational standard, “B,” is obtained. In certain embodiments, this data (e.g., of alignments and mappings) is obtained from a data file, such as an XML file. Next, in step  703 , a mapping of base first educational standard B to target second educational standard C is either obtained (e.g., from memory  108 ) or generated (e.g., by a user). The mapping may also be obtained from another user, who may have stored it in memory  108 , or from outside the system  100 . In step  704 , alignment data is generated between base instructional content A to target second educational standard C based on the mapping of base first educational standard B to target second educational standard C. The process  700  proceeds from step  704  to step  705  in which the alignment of base instructional content A to target second educational standard C is displayed based on the mapping of base instructional content A to target second educational standard C. Next, in step  706 , any changes to the displayed alignment of base instructional content A to target second educational standard C are obtained. In decision step  707 , the process  700  waits for the alignment of steps  705  and  706  to optionally be confirmed. Once the alignment of steps  705  and  706  is confirmed in decision step  707 , the process  700  proceeds to step  708  in which the alignment between base instructional content A and target second educational standard C is generated/updated based on the displayed mapping and obtained changes that were confirmed in decision step  707 , otherwise, the process  700  returns to step  702 . In certain embodiments, the number of associations that were changed, updated, or otherwise applied is displayed. In certain embodiments, the number of associations that were not changed, not updated, or not otherwise applied is displayed. The generated alignment may optionally be recorded in a log. The process  700  then ends in step  709 . 
     Having set forth in  FIG. 7  a process  700  by which base instructional content is re-aligned to a target standard using the instructional content and standards alignment processing system  100  of  FIG. 1 , an example will now be presented using the process  700  of  FIG. 7 , instructional content titled “Review Broadway Musicals,” and educational standards “Maryland Arts: Music (2005)” and “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005).” 
     The process  700  proceeds from beginning step  701  to step  702  in which an alignment of instructional content, “Review Broadway Musicals,” (e.g., base instructional content A) to educational standard “Maryland Arts: Music (2005)” (e.g., base first educational standard B) is obtained.  FIG. 8A  is a sample screenshot, displayed by the display device  116  associated with the instructional content and standards alignment processing system  100  of  FIG. 1 , of base instructional content aligned to a base standard during the operation of  FIG. 7 . 
     Certain steps in the flow charts of  FIGS. 2-7  may be performed by, or otherwise restricted to, user accounts having different user roles (or access privileges) in the system  100 . For example, with reference to  FIG. 7 , the step  707  of confirming an alignment may be limited to a user account having an administrator role or instructor role in the system  100 . As another example, a user account having an instructor role associated with a certain course can update alignments and mappings associated with that course, but not another course with which the user is not associated. As a further example, step  706 , which allows changes to an alignment to be made, may be restricted to a user based on the context of the user&#39;s role in the system  100 . The context includes, for example, a course associated with the user, a department associated with the user, and a school associated with the user. Other examples of role based access can be found in the learning management systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,988,138 and 7,493,396, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
     Specifically,  FIG. 8A  is a sample screenshot  800  of the alignment of “Review Broadway Musicals” to “Maryland Arts: Music (2005).” The “Review Broadway Musicals” instructional content is an assignment that includes certain requirements  801  to be completed. The “Review Broadway Musicals” instructional content has been aligned to two standards  802 , “1.1.a” and “1.1.b,” each from the educational standard “Maryland Arts: Music (2005).” The alignment could have been created by various types of user accounts, such as an instructor user account or an administrator user account. Similarly, the “Review Broadway Musicals” instructional content could have been uploaded to the content data store  120  of the system  100  by the instructor user account that created the instructional content. 
     Next, in step  703 , a mapping of the educational standard “Maryland Arts: Music (2005)” to the target educational standard “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” is obtained.  FIG. 8B  is a sample screenshot  810  of base standards (from the base standard of “Maryland Arts: Music (2005)”) mapped to target standards from “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005).” For example, base standard “1.0”  819  from the educational standard “Maryland Arts: Music (2005)” has been mapped to target standards “1.1” and “1.1.a”  820  from the target educational standard “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005).” This mapping can be edited  821 , as will be discussed below with reference to the screenshot  830  of  FIG. 8C . New target standards can also be added  822  and mapped to the base standards that are displayed. 
     Included in the user interface displayed in the screenshot  810  is information  822  indicating the last time the map and alignments were updated. Also included in the user interface displayed in the screenshot  810  is a filter module  811  for selecting filters to remove from the list  812  of base and mapped standards. The filter module  811  allows a user to filter the list  812  according to connection  813 , confirmation status  814 , alignment type  815 , learning level  816 , standard type  817 , and keyword  818 . Connection types include a 1:1 connection, split connection, or merge connection. A 1:1 connection is a mapping from one educational standard to another educational standard. A split connection is a mapping from one educational standard to a plurality of other educational standards. A merge connection is a mapping from multiple educational standards to one educational standard. In certain embodiments, a merge connection cannot be filtered. The confirmation status  814  indicates whether the mapping of one educational standard to another educational standard has been confirmed by a user account. The alignment type  815  indicates whether instructional content aligned to a base standard will be automatically re-aligned to an appropriate target standard by the system  100 , or whether some manual intervention is required (e.g., by a user) for the re-alignment. In certain embodiments, automatic alignments, once re-aligned, automatically re-align to any future updated mappings. For example, if an institution creates a custom standard, and maps the custom standard to several available standards, then instructional content, once aligned to the custom standard, will be automatically aligned to the several available standards. The learning level  816  indicates the learning level associated with the base educational standard (e.g., prekindergarten, kindergarten, Grade 1, etc.), and the standard type  817  indicates the type of standard (e.g., a custom standard generated by a user). The keyword box allows a user to search the list  812  of base and mapped standards according to a keyword provided by the user. In certain embodiments, a user can search for instructional content aligned to a selected standard based on any association of the instructional content with the selected standard, and similarly find another standard aligned to the selected standard based on any association of the instructional content with the selected standard. 
       FIG. 8C  is a sample screenshot  830  of a user interface for modifying the mapping of  FIG. 8B . Specifically,  FIG. 8C  is a sample screenshot  830  of a user interface for editing a portion of the mapping from the educational standard “Maryland Arts: Music (2005)” to the target educational standard “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005).” A user can find additional standards to map to the base standard  819  by clicking on the “find” button  831 , which will take the user to the user interface shown in  FIG. 8D , discussed in further detail below. A user can also delete (e.g., by clicking on the delete icon)  832  standards that are currently mapped to the base standard  819 , and select  833  whether the alignment to the base standard can be automatic or must be manually generated (e.g., by a user). A user can further confirm  834  the current mappings and optionally add notes  835  to the mappings, for example, explaining why the user has chosen to map two standards from “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” to base standard “1.0” from “Maryland Arts: Music (2005).” 
       FIG. 8D  is a sample screenshot  840  of a user interface for adding additional target standards to the mapping of  FIG. 8B . Using checkboxes  841  and filters  843 , a user can locate and select additional “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” standards from the list of displayed standards  842  to map to base standard “1.0” from “Maryland Arts: Music (2005).” 
     In step  704 , alignment data is generated between base “Review Broadway Musicals” to target “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” based on the mapping of “Maryland Arts: Music (2005)” to “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” displayed in  FIG. 8B . The process  700  proceeds from step  704  to step  705  in which the alignment of “Review Broadway Musicals” to “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” is displayed, as illustrated in  FIG. 8E , based on the mapping of “Review Broadway Musicals” to “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” of prior step  704 . 
       FIG. 8E  is a sample screenshot  850  of the displayed alignment between “Review Broadway Musicals (2005)” to “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005).” Specifically,  FIG. 8E  is an example of the results of executing a re-aligned map for the instructional content “Review Broadway Musicals” to a different base educational standard, the “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” standard, than the base educational standard “Review Broadway Musicals (2005)” illustrated in  FIG. 8C . As illustrated, instructional content “Review Broadway Musicals” is aligned  851  to both standards from the “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005),” and standards from “Maryland Arts: Music (2005)” as illustrated in  FIG. 8A . In certain embodiments, the pre-existing alignments with the “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” standard are maintained. In certain embodiments, the pre-existing alignments with the “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” standard are deleted upon user request. 
     In step  706 , a user is prompted to make changes to the displayed alignment between “Review Broadway Musicals” to “Maryland Arts: Theatre (2005)” illustrated in  FIG. 8E . The user makes no changes to the alignment, and in decision step  707 , the user confirms the alignment illustrated in  FIG. 8E . In step  708 , the alignment displayed in  FIG. 8E  is generated (e.g., stored in associations data store  122 ) based on the confirmation of decision step  707 . The process  700  then ends in step  709 . 
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computer system with which the instructional content and standards alignment processing system  100  of  FIG. 1  can be implemented. In certain embodiments, the computer system  900  may be implemented using software, hardware, or a combination of both, either in a dedicated server, or integrated into another entity, or distributed across multiple entities. 
     Computer system  900  includes a bus  908  (e.g., communications bus  120  from  FIG. 1 ) or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a processor  902  (e.g., processor  104  from  FIG. 1 ) coupled with bus  908  for processing information. By way of example, the computer system  900  may be implemented with one or more processors  902 . Processor  902  may be a general-purpose microprocessor, a microcontroller, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Programmable Logic Device (PLD), a controller, a state machine, gated logic, discrete hardware components, or any other suitable entity that can perform calculations or other manipulations of information. Computer system  900  also includes a memory  910  (e.g., memory  108  from  FIG. 1 ), such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), a flash memory, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), an Erasable PROM (EPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, a DVD, or any other suitable storage device, coupled to bus  908  for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor  902 . The instructions may be implemented according to any method well known to those of skill in the art, including computer languages such as system languages (e.g., C, C++, Assembly), architectural languages (e.g., Java), and application languages (e.g., PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python). Memory  910  may also be used for storing temporary variable or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor  902 . Computer system  900  further includes a data storage device  906 , such as a magnetic disk or optical disk, coupled to bus  908  for storing information and instructions. 
     Computer system  900  may be coupled via I/O module  904  to a display device (e.g., display device  116  from  FIG. 1 ), such as a CRT or LCD for displaying information to a computer user. An input device (e.g., input device  114  from  FIG. 1 ), such as, for example, a keyboard, or a mouse may also be coupled to computer system  900  via I/O module  904  for communicating information and command selections to processor  902 . 
     According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a system for re-aligning instructional content can be implemented using a computer system  900  in response to processor  902  executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in memory  910 . Such instructions may be read into memory  910  from another machine-readable medium, such as data storage device  906 . Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory  910  causes processor  902  to perform the process steps described herein. One or more processors in a multi-processing arrangement may also be employed to execute the sequences of instructions contained in memory  910 . In alternative embodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software. 
     The term “machine-readable medium” as used herein refers to any medium or media that participates in providing instructions to processor  902  for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as data storage device  906 . Volatile media include dynamic memory, such as memory  906 . Transmission media include coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise bus  908 . Transmission media can also take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated during radio frequency and infrared data communications. Common forms of machine-readable media include, for example, floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer can read. 
     The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system in each alignment of curriculum content to a base standard can be automatically re-aligned to a target standard. Accordingly, a user does not manually re-align each alignment of the curriculum content between the base standard and target standard. 
     The systems described and incorporated above could be a single system or a composite of separate but integrated systems serving interrelated purposes. For example, the systems can be managed by, or hold data from, different units or departments within a single institution. The system can be managed by, or hold data from, different institutions, such as separate schools within a school district. The systems can be configured to process different types of data, such as outcomes and assessment data, educational resources and their metadata, and courses and their enrollments, including users with different roles in different courses. 
     The disclosed systems include business logic that can implement the processes described herein across multiple systems. For example, the disclosed systems are configured to include logic for data that is archived or exported from one system, stored, and later imported into a different system. The disclosed systems are also configured to include logic for data that is transferred back and forth between the systems (e.g., on demand or automatically updated). The disclosed systems are yet further configured to include logic for data that is shared (e.g., in a live fashion) across the systems, business logic determined by the data in one system that can impact the process in a different system, and decisions and confirmations by users in one system that can impact the process in a different system. 
     Any component of the examples above or of processes described herein could be performed on separate systems with different users, where the systems are integrated and transfer or share data to complete the process across the different systems. This separation of systems allows institutions to manage systems in different parts of the organization and integrate existing systems with new systems to further enable content and standards alignment processing. For example, tests that include questions aligned to standards are taken in courses in a course management system. The results of these tests are processed by an outcomes system. Based on those results, the outcomes system provides reports on which standards are or are not being adequately met. This data is transferred to an educational resources management system, where users can map additional content alignments to standards to further address these and other standards. These mappings can be pushed out to courses in the course management system, and the test cycle can be repeated until adequate results are achieved. 
     As another example, one office at an institution manages the system that stores standards. A different office at the institution manages the system that stores educational resources. Users across these two systems exchange data to align standards to educational resources and map additional standards to educational resources. These alignments and mappings must be confirmed by users in a third system where outcomes and assessment data is managed. The users involved in this process may or may not have access to the other separate systems, but the systems are integrated such that components of the process can occur on different systems and the process can be completed. 
     As another example, a publisher of educational resources may produce and store resources on a system external to the standards alignment processing system. These educational resources may be aligned to standards by the publisher. When the educational resources are selected for use in a course management system, the standards alignments that come with these resources can be automatically mapped to additional or replacement standards by the standards alignment processing system. The re-mapped alignments could be used internally to the standards alignment processing system, internally to the course management system, or they could be communicated back to the publisher&#39;s educational resources system. Additionally, the publisher may provide no standards aligned to their educational resources, but the standards alignments could be produced and stored on a system that is separate from the system that stores the educational resources. In either case, standards alignments could be mapped and re-aligned regardless of the storage location of the educational resources. 
     Those of skill in the art would appreciate that the various illustrative blocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms described herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Furthermore, these may be partitioned differently than what is described. To illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative blocks, modules, elements, components, methods, and algorithms have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application. 
     It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps or blocks in the processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps or blocks in the processes may be rearranged. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented. 
     The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g., his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and vice versa. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”