Curriculum Design & Module Allocation

Summary

Curriculum design in skillSYMS is where you connect official modules to the learners who must complete them. The curriculum workspace lists your programmes with their Knowledge, Practical and Workplace modules, lets you open a programme to manage module allocations per learner, and helps you sequence delivery. This guide walks through that workflow.

Who This Guide Is For

• Training providers planning how modules are delivered to a cohort
• Administrators allocating modules to enrolled learners
• Curriculum coordinators sequencing KM/PM/WM delivery

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• An SDP login with curriculum-management access
• A programme linked to a catalogue qualification (so modules load)
• Learners enrolled into the programme or cohort

Step 1: Open the Curriculum Workspace

Navigate to Curriculum (/sdp/curriculum).

The workspace has two panes:

• A searchable programme list with a state filter (Has modules / No modules)
• A detail panel that opens when you select a programme, showing its modules and learner allocations

Tip: If a programme shows “No modules”, it likely isn’t linked to a catalogue qualification yet — link it first via the QCTO Catalogue.

Step 2: Select a Programme

Use the search box to filter by qualification title, code or cohort code, then click a programme.

The detail panel loads the official KM / PM / WM modules for that programme, labelled Knowledge, Practical and Workplace.

Step 3: Allocate Modules to Learners

In the detail panel, open an enrolled learner to manage their module allocations. Allocating a module marks it as part of that learner’s planned curriculum, so progress, assessment and evidence can be tracked against it.

Tip: Module allocation is what drives per-learner progress — allocate the full KM/PM/WM set at enrolment so nothing is missed later.

Step 4: Refresh Curriculum (where permitted)

Owners, admins, managers and superadmins can refresh a programme’s curriculum to pull the latest official module set. Use this after a catalogue update so cohorts reflect current modules.

Tip: Refreshing keeps modules current but won’t remove allocations already in progress — review allocations after a refresh.

Step 5: Sequence Delivery

Plan the order modules are delivered in. A common pattern is to front-load Knowledge Modules, run Practical Skill Modules alongside them, and schedule Work Experience Modules once foundational knowledge and practical skills are in place. Use the curriculum view to confirm every learner has the modules they need for the next phase.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Allocating modules before enrolling learners — enrol first so allocations have a learner to attach to.
2. Forgetting WM modules — workplace modules are easy to overlook but are required for completion.
3. Working on an unlinked programme — modules won’t load until the programme is linked.
4. Skipping a curriculum refresh after catalogue changes — cohorts can drift from the official set.

Verification Checklist

Before proceeding, verify:

• The selected programme shows KM, PM and WM modules
• Enrolled learners appear in the detail panel
• Each learner has the required modules allocated
• The curriculum reflects the latest catalogue module set
• A delivery sequence is agreed for the cohort

Next Steps

• Modules & Outcomes — Review outcomes and evidence per module
• Enrolments — Enrol learners before allocating
• Attendance & Sessions — Schedule the delivery you sequenced