Content alignments are simply relationships between course content and goals (objectives) proposed at the institutional level. The process of relating or aligning content with these objectives involves several steps, starting with the creation of institutional goals from the administration environment. Instructors cannot create goals, nor can goals be created at the course level.

The first step, therefore, is for the administrator to add the goals to the system. Once this step is completed, the administrator will associate the sets of goals with each course, making the goals visible within them.

From that moment on, we can align our content and activities with the goals contained in that association. Some of the elements within a course that can be aligned with the goals include documents, learning modules, discussions, journals, exams, questions, or activities.

As the course progresses and students have worked with those materials aligned to objectives, both the administrator and the instructor can generate reports that show student performance according to those objectives. A tab can also be activated in the gradebook that displays progress in achieving the goals.