Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article reflect my personal experiences and do not necessarily represent the views of Holland Hall School.
A Developer’s Perspective
- Over the past seven years, I’ve built a lot of software. Much of this has been related to rowing software or apps created to work with the Concept2 rowing machine.
I’ve also built strength and conditioning management software for the school where I have been employed for the past twenty-two years.
My curriculum mapping software developer’s story started in January of 2022.
I asked Jane Beckwith, our Director of Teaching and Learning at the school where I am employed (Tulsa, OK), to brainstorm with me what curriculum mapping software might be at our school. By the end of our brainstorming session we had drawn out on the whiteboard in my classroom a rough schematic.
We wanted to create a system that was a living, breathing, searchable system of the curriculum at our school.
Brainstorming Solutions
We quickly identified several pain points that our existing methods—primarily Google Spreadsheets—couldn’t address:
Disorganization: Curriculum documentation varied greatly across departments and was often recorded in incompatible formats.
Lack of Accessibility: Using spreadsheets made indexing, searching, and retrieving specific curriculum details cumbersome.
Outdated Frameworks: The existing systems weren’t designed to easily integrate modern educational strategies, especially competency-based learning (CBL).
Missed Opportunities: Without proper indexing, it was challenging to identify areas for curriculum development and innovation.
We needed a system that addressed these pain points, was easy to use, and would be supported in the future.
Building Software During Quarantine
I started coding the software in July 2022. Shortly after returning from presenting my RowingSTEM curriculum at a conference in Michigan, I contracted COVID-19. I discovered I had COVID-19 the evening before our scheduled visit to see my family in the UK.
So, we had to postpone the trip, and I was quarantined in my office. Luckily, COVID had not hit me too badly, so I passed the time watching Wimbledon and started to code the beginnings of some Competency-Based Learning software.
Integrating Competency-Based Learning
A couple of years ago, I learned about competency-based learning through some professional development I did with GOA that the school provided.
The software allows for the creation of learning progression rubrics. For more information about the implementation of competency-based learning, which was published in Holland Hall magazine last fall, please visit this link.
On and off, over the next year and a half, I spent time developing our curriculum software. I mainly used the time on vacations and weekends to build the system. The discipline I created as a rower has helped me develop the skill set and perseverance to return to this project. I had a vision of what we wanted to achieve; however, the discipline of building one piece at a time was built with my experience training and preparing for rowing competitions.
As the software development continued, I learned many new techniques to help bring the system to life.
One of the features was a Gantt chart style of visualization that allowed a user to select various classes from PreK up to 12th grade. The software would produce a visual timeline of all units in a class, ordering them from top to bottom. The graphical approach allowed us to escape loads of text on the screen. Users can click on any units, and then pop-ups appear with the competencies and skills, learning objectives, and formative and summative assessments. I am proud of this feature, which has the potential to help us see places for growth in our curriculum.
You can see what this feature looks like in the photo below of my presentation of the software to the faculty in August, 2024.
One Step at a Time
Throughout the following eighteen months, I steadily built out the platform piece by piece—or as we say in rowing, stroke by stroke. This gradual approach allowed me to iteratively test and refine my ideas. Occasionally, I invited administrators to preview the software, gathering valuable insights that shaped its evolution.
Launching the New Platform
By August 2024, the software was ready for its initial rollout to faculty. I recall vividly the nervous excitement of launch day. Questions raced through my mind: Would the software withstand simultaneous access by dozens of faculty members? Had I overlooked critical bugs?
My introductory remark to the faculty captured my apprehension humorously yet sincerely: “I know I’m definitely going to learn something today.”
Overcoming Curriculum Mapping Challenges at Launch
Sure enough, challenges arose quickly. Within an hour, twenty support tickets appeared. Issues ranged from minor login mishaps to more significant misunderstandings about user permissions. Thankfully, I swiftly identified and resolved these problems—some required only minor code adjustments.
I had to change a couple of lines of code, which made all the difference regarding people’s access to classes. Logins were no problem and handled quickly by correcting email addresses or creating new accounts.
The biggest issue was that I had misunderstood how the primary school grade levels worked. I worked with a couple of faculty members in that branch who were amazingly patient with me as I learned how things worked in their area of campus.
I was learning.
Additionally, I did the only thing you can do when you make a mistake: own it, take responsibility, and then work as hard as possible to fix and address the issues.
Positive Feedback and Future Plans for Curriculum Mapping
Despite initial hiccups, feedback from faculty was overwhelmingly positive. The intuitive interface and straightforward navigation significantly eased curriculum documentation.
Now, in March 2025, I reflect on the progress with pride. Soon, an accreditation committee will visit our campus, and I’m optimistic they’ll appreciate the functionality and thoroughness of our curriculum mapping system. Our school has embraced a meaningful shift toward collaborative curriculum development, rooted in transparency, clarity, and alignment with modern educational practice.
Photo by niko photos on Unsplash
Expanding the Curriculum Mapping Network
Looking forward, the software’s next phase will deepen collaboration among our faculty, enabling us to see connections and opportunities in real-time. Just as platforms like Uber become valuable through widespread adoption, our curriculum mapping tool will increasingly benefit our school community as more educators contribute. For more reading on this, I suggest you check out the “Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects” by Andrew Chen.
Supporting Faculty in Curriculum Mapping
An essential aspect of our ongoing work involves supporting teachers effectively. Throughout development, I’ve prioritized creating intuitive administrative tools. These tools empower administrators to manage, maintain, and support faculty easily. By streamlining administrative tasks, we hope faculty members will spend less time on technical issues and more on enhancing their teaching practices.
Why Build Curriculum Mapping Software?
Ultimately, why did I create this curriculum mapping software? I thrive on the joy of solving problems through technology, creating tools that make a genuine difference. This software is more than just a system—it’s a catalyst for educational innovation and stronger community collaboration.
I also get an enormous kick out of building software. I enjoy solving problems, building something useful, and bringing people together. As much as we are underway, we are just getting started.
I look forward to the next few years of development as we continue to craft a system that serves us all.
It’s possible that doing curriculum documentation isn’t everyone’s favorite.
However, I see an incredible opportunity to build software that supports a faculty with sound pedagogical frameworks such as competency-based learning, and integrate this into curriculum documentation and mapping software. I am grateful to the school administration for trusting and supporting me on this critical project.
We are making an important shift in our school’s academic culture. We saw this software as a move to help mobilize this shift in our teaching and learning practices. Finally, and most importantly, this is the right move for our students’ growth and development. The world is rapidly changing. Our students must develop the habits of mind to help them thrive and navigate change and ambiguity.
We have just started this journey. However, we are headed in the right direction, and I am grateful for being a part of the incredible tapestry of work across our campus.
I’m grateful to the Holland Hall administration and especially to Jane Beckwith for their ongoing trust, support, and guidance throughout this journey. This project represents just the beginning of an exciting path forward, one that I eagerly anticipate traveling alongside my colleagues.
