Frequently Asked Questions

WIDS (Worldwide Instructional Design System) pairs expert curriculum consultants with powerful curriculum design software to help organizations build, align, and manage comptency-based, learner-centered curriculum - from individual courses to full programs and apprenticeships. For over 30 years, our consultants have guided K-12 schools, colleges, businesses, and government agencies through DACUM facilitation, program and course design, apprenticeship development, and accreditation preparation.

WIDS and a learning management system (LMS) serve fundamentally different purposes. An LMS hosts course content, manages enrollments, and records student activity. WIDS is a curriculum design and documentation system - it is where the instructional architecture of a program or course is built before it ever reaches an LMS. WIDS works upstream. Once your curriculum is designed and documented in WIDS, it's ready to be delivered through your LMS.

WIDS curriculum software is a cloud-based platform for designing, aligning, and managing performance-based curriculum in one place. Core features include course and syllabus development, outcome mapping (institutional, program course, and exernal) assessment planning, performance assessment task creation, and teaching and learning plans. Explore WIDS Curriculum Software.

WIDS consultants work with colleges, workforce organizations, employers, and government agencies on a range of curriculum projects: DACUM facilitation, course development, program design and alignment, standards analysis and mapping, competency-based education, and apprenticeship development. Whether you need a single facilitated session or a multi-program redesign, we tailor the engagement to your goals and timeline. And if you don't see your specific need listed, reach out anyway - chances are good we can help. Explore WIDS Consulting Services.

The WIDS curriculum design process is a structured, data-driven approach that moves from occupational analysis through program design, course design, and ongoing quality review. Rather than starting with content and working backward, WIDS begins by identifying what people actually need to be able to do on the job - and builds the curriculum forward from there.

DACUM (Developing A CurriculUM) is structured occupational analysis process in which high-performing workers identify the duties and tasks that define a job. A trained WIDS facilitator guides the panel through the session producing a DACUM chart that becomes the foundation for curriculum, training, assessments, apprenticeships, job books, and workforce planning. Use DACUM when your're building a new program, updating existing curriculum or training, or designing credentials that need to reflect real workplace expectations. Learn more about WIDS DACUM Facilitation.

WIDS supports progam and course development from the first idea to a fully documented, ready-to-teach curriculum. Our consultants help you design new programs and courses or refresh existing ones, building learner-centered outcomes, performance assessments, and teaching and learning plans. We can deliver finished curriculum or build it directly in WIDS software for ongoing management. See how WIDS supports course development.

Comptency-based education focuses on what learners can actually do, not just the time they spent learning it. WIDS was built around CBE principles from the start - the software lets you define competencies, design performance assessments, and demonstrate alignment to industry standards. Our consultants help you design new CBE programs or transition existing ones to a competency-based model. Explore WIDS Competency-Based Education services.

Accreditation prep is one of the most documentation-heavy efforts an institution takes on - and WIDS is built to simplify it. Our software produces the curriculum maps and outcome reports accreditation agencies ask for during review cycles. Our consultants support you through self-studies, gap analyses, and program review processes. Learn more about WIDS Standards Analysis and Mapping.

Workforce-aligned programs only work when the curriculum reflects what the job actually requires - and that's where WIDS specializes. Our DACUM facilitators bring workers together to identify the real duties, tasks, knowledge, and skills for a role, producing an occupational analysis that becomes that foundation for everything that follows. From there, our consultants help you translate that analysis into courses, programs, registered apprenticeship pathways, and stackable microcredentials. Learn more about WIDS Program Design and Alignment.

WIDS consultants partner with educational institutions, employers, and apprenticeship bureaus to build apprenticeship programs from the ground up. We start with a DACUM to capture the real duties and tasks of the role, then design the courses and on-the-job training that connect classroom and workplace. A job book gives managers and field trainers a practical tool to check off apprentice progress as each task is mastered. Whether you're launching a new registered apprenticeship or modernizing an existing one, WIDS facilitates the education-industry collaboration that makes apprenticeships work. Explore WIDS Apprenticeship Development services.

Most engagements begin with a discovery conversation so we understand your goals, timeline, and constraints. From there, software clients receive onboarding sessions, training for their core users, and access to our support resources; consulting clients move into a scoped project plan with defined milestones. Either way, you're paired with a WIDS team member who knows your account and can connect you with additional expertise when you need it. Request a WIDS Demo.