'Curriculum mapping': objectives, instruction, and evaluation.

The objectives, instruction, and evaluation in a health professions course were studied by an evaluation approach which the author calls "curriculum mapping" to determine the degree of congruence among the three components. During the three years studied there were shifts in course content emphasis and yearly variations in the content tested. By the third year the objectives were no longer congruent with the instruction and test items used in evaluation. In addition, the test items were typically at lower cognitive levels than the related objectives. The application of this evaluation model may be useful to faculties in improving their courses.