Curriculum Maps began as an accessibility solution when we discovered that academic units across the School were creating well-intentioned but often inaccessible flowcharts and spreadsheets to help students understand degree requirements. Inspired by a presentation at DigiCol 2025 by U Chicago's School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice Administration's, we set out to create a standardized, accessible alternative.

   Working within our Drupal platform, we developed a flexible component that displays year-by-year sample academic journeys for undergraduate and graduate students. These visual maps show quarter-by-quarter recommendations, from first-year survey courses to junior-year honors program applications, with customizable requirement types and color-coding that make complex information both visually engaging and fully accessible.

   The response has been extremely positive: of the 50 academic units we support, every unit we've approached has expressed interest in adopting Curriculum Maps—whether to showcase different concentrations, compare BA versus BS tracks, or clarify PhD program milestones. This session will share our discovery process, technical implementation, and lessons learned from turning a compliance challenge into a student success tool.

Audience: All Track(s): Accessibility, Content Strategy, Site Building, UX / Design