> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.deandesk.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Curriculum maps > Plan reusable program structures with curriculum maps, course templates, and the DeanDesk Library. > [!NOTE] > > **School-level feature** — managed within your school portal at `yourschool.deandesk.com`.## Video walkthrough \ \[Download the video](/videos/tutorials/lms-curriculum-maps.mp4) · Download English captions > [!NOTE] > > This walkthrough uses the real DeanDesk interface with the fictional Northstar Academy demo school and a calm, AI-generated English voice. Payments and outside services are not connected in the demo.Screenshots use fictional Northstar demo data.Curriculum maps are your school's planning layer. A map describes the *structure* of a program — divisions, grades, subjects, and the course templates inside them — without creating any live courses. You design the map once, refine it over time, and instantiate templates into real courses whenever you run them. Maps and templates are reusable planning documents; live courses with students, schedules, and gradebooks stay separate.Admins manage curriculum maps; teachers can view them.## The Curriculum pageIn the Admin Dashboard, go to **Academics → Curriculum**. The page has two tabs:| Tab | What it contains | | - | - | | **School curriculum** | Your school's own curriculum maps — create, edit, and organize them here | | **DeanDesk Library** | A DeanDesk-published library of maps and course templates you can import |The **School curriculum** tab lists your maps. Each map's **⋯** menu offers **Edit details**, **Duplicate**, and **Archive**.![Northstar demo: Curriculum — School curriculum](https://mintcdn.com/deandesk/w4Aa5fKkcT4IMz-4/images/dashboard/school/curriculum--school-curriculum.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=w4Aa5fKkcT4IMz-4\&q=85\&s=ec4a48792375007fd01d5dfde2ba4731)Northstar demo — Curriculum — School curriculum[Open full-size screenshot](/images/dashboard/school/curriculum--school-curriculum.jpg)## Curriculum mapsA curriculum map carries:| Field | Description | | - | - | | **Name** and **Code** | How the map is identified | | **Description** | What the program covers | | **Status** | **Draft**, **Published**, or **Archived** | | **Version** | Track revisions of the map over time | | **Tags**, **Subjects**, **Grades or levels**, **Language** | Classification used for search and filtering |DeanDesk also records where a map came from — built by hand, created from a course, imported from the library, or duplicated from another map.### Starter templatesWhen creating a map, you can start from a **starter template** that pre-builds the hierarchy for you. Each preset is configurable before it's created:| Starter template | What it builds | | - | - | | **American school program** | Divisions — Elementary (K–5), Middle (6–8), High (9–12) — with optional Kindergarten | | **British school program** | Phases — Early years, Primary (Y1–6), Secondary (Y7–11), Sixth form (Y12–13) | | **International Baccalaureate** | Programmes — PYP, MYP, DP, CP | | **College departments** | Up to 20 department names of your choosing | | **Staged language mastery** | Progressive stages, with optional Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing, Grammar, and Vocabulary strands |You can also start from a blank map and build the hierarchy yourself.## Nodes: the map hierarchyInside a map, the structure is a tree of **nodes**. Each node has a name, an optional code and description, and a sort order. Node types include **program**, **department**, **subject**, **grade**, **level**, **stage**, **track**, and **category** — and you can use custom types. Course templates sit at the leaves of the tree.Open a map to edit it. The editor gives you:- A search box (**Search name, code, subject…**) to jump to any item - **Node** and **Course** buttons to add a node or course template - **Expand/Collapse all** controls and drag handles to reorder items - Actions on the selected item: **Add child**, **Add course**, **Move**, **Move up/down**, **Remove**, and **Edit node**### Outline and diagram viewsA **Map view** toggle switches between two ways of seeing the same map:- **Outline** — a collapsible tree with drag handles, in a resizable pane. - **Diagram** — a canvas of node cards you can pan and zoom (**Drag to pan · Scroll to zoom · Click to open · Hover to add**). Zoom in/out and **Fit** controls frame the map, and hovering a node reveals a **+** to add a child node or course beneath it.### Multiple placementsA node or course template can live in more than one place in the map — for example, one course template under both "Grade 9" and "Science Department". The **Placements** multi-select lets you choose multiple parents, or leave it empty to place the item at the map root. Use the **Update curriculum placements** dialog to change placements later.> [!NOTE] > > Items with multiple placements can't be drag-reordered in the outline — you'll see "Shared courses cannot be reordered". Removing a node only removes children that have no other remaining parent.## Course templatesCourse templates are the reusable building blocks at the leaves of a map. A template carries a name, code, description, **subject**, **grade or level**, **credits**, **instructional hours**, **version**, **status**, **prerequisites** (other templates), and a snapshot of curriculum content — units, modules, materials, and assessments. In the template editor, each module has a title, a **Visibility** setting (**Visible**, **Hidden**, or **Scheduled**), an objective, and a description.There are three ways templates connect to live courses:**Build from scratch**Click **Course** in the map editor to add a blank template, then fill in its details and curriculum content.**Import from an existing course**In the **Add course template** dialog, switch the **Template source** toggle from blank to import, then search for and select the **Existing course**. The course's curriculum is captured into the template, so a course you've already refined becomes a reusable blueprint.**Instantiate into a live course**When you're ready to run a template as a real offering, go to **Academics → Courses** and click **Create Course**. On the **Basics** step, set **Create course** to **Start from a course template**, optionally filter by **Curriculum map**, and choose the **Course template**. Choose which parts to copy — **Units & modules**, **Materials**, and **Assessments** — then finish the remaining steps. The new course gets an editable snapshot of the template's content and becomes a normal course — the template itself is unchanged and stays reusable. See [Courses](/lms/courses.md#creating-a-course).## The DeanDesk LibraryThe **DeanDesk Library** tab is a catalog of curriculum maps and course templates published by DeanDesk. Search across subjects, levels, programs, and tags to find something that fits your school.Library maps are marked with a **Read-only source** badge. To use one:* **Copy entire map** — imports the whole map into your school curriculum. * **Copy to map** — on any row in a library map's **Course templates** list, copies just that template into one of your own maps.> [!NOTE] > > Imported copies belong to your school. You can edit them freely, and they are unaffected if the library map is later unpublished.![Northstar demo: Curriculum — DeanDesk Library](https://mintcdn.com/deandesk/w4Aa5fKkcT4IMz-4/images/dashboard/school/curriculum--deandesk-library.jpg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=w4Aa5fKkcT4IMz-4\&q=85\&s=4660334a6e2fda1cb56f73135a15a5db)Northstar demo — Curriculum — DeanDesk Library[Open full-size screenshot](/images/dashboard/school/curriculum--deandesk-library.jpg)## Course groupsCourse groups are a simple, named grouping of live courses — a name, a description, a list of courses, and an active flag. Group names are unique within your school. Admins manage groups; teachers can view them.Manage groups under **Academics → Course Groups** — see [Course groups](/lms/course-groups.md). Groups also appear in [Bulk Enrollment](/lms/bulk-enrollment.md): on the **Enrollment** tab under **Select course groups**, and on the **Distribution** tab, where a **Course Groups** section lists each active group with its number of courses.## Template editor tabsSelect a course template in a map to open its editor. **Curriculum** organizes the reusable units, modules, learning materials, and assessments. **Class details** holds the template's identity and academic details, such as its title, code, description, subject, grade or level, credits, hours, status, and version. Save changes before closing the editor.Use the placement controls to change where the template appears in the map. Editing a template changes the reusable source; review and create a live course when you are ready to offer it to learners. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.