Create Your Own Framework
Build custom competency or curriculum frameworks tailored to your specific educational needs. Full control over structure, content, and AI generation.
Overview
UALS allows you to create custom educational frameworks from scratch. Choose the type that fits your needs:
Competency Framework (DSC)
Define skills with proficiency levels (Acquire, Deepen, Create). Best for professional development and skill mastery.
Create DSCCurriculum Framework
Organize content by domains, subdomains, and concepts. Best for academic courses and structured learning.
Create Curriculumframeworks/teacher/{your-email}/{type}/{framework-id}.json
Create Competency Framework (DSC)
A Domain-Specific Competency (DSC) framework defines measurable skills with three proficiency levels.
Define Your Framework Metadata
Start with the basic information about your competency framework:
{
"framework": {
"id": "dsc-comp-your-topic",
"title": "Your Competency Framework Title",
"description": "A brief description of what this framework covers",
"meta_category": "STEM", // STEM, Social Sciences, Humanities, etc.
"field_of_study": "Your Field"
}
}
Define Competencies with Proficiency Levels
Each competency needs three proficiency levels aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy:
{
"competencies": [
{
"id": 1,
"name": "Your First Competency",
"description": "What learners will be able to do",
"levels": {
"acquire": "Foundation: Remember and understand basics",
"deepen": "Application: Apply and analyze in context",
"create": "Mastery: Evaluate and create new solutions"
}
}
]
}
Add AI Notes for Content Generation
Guide the AI to generate appropriate content for each level:
{
"competencies": [
{
"id": 1,
"name": "Your First Competency",
"levels": { ... },
"aiNotes": {
"acquire": "Use simple examples, focus on recognition",
"deepen": "Include scenarios requiring analysis",
"create": "Challenge with open-ended problems"
}
}
]
}
Complete Framework Example
Here's a complete DSC framework you can use as a template:
{
"framework": {
"id": "dsc-comp-data-literacy",
"title": "Data Literacy for Professionals",
"description": "Essential data skills for modern workplace",
"meta_category": "STEM",
"field_of_study": "Data Science",
"competencies": [
{
"id": 1,
"name": "Data Interpretation",
"description": "Reading and understanding data visualizations",
"levels": {
"acquire": "Identifies chart types and reads basic values",
"deepen": "Interprets trends, patterns, and outliers",
"create": "Selects appropriate visualizations for data types"
},
"aiNotes": {
"acquire": "Use common chart types: bar, line, pie",
"deepen": "Include misleading visualizations to analyze",
"create": "Present raw data requiring visualization choice"
}
},
{
"id": 2,
"name": "Statistical Reasoning",
"description": "Applying statistical concepts to real problems",
"levels": {
"acquire": "Understands mean, median, mode, and range",
"deepen": "Applies statistical measures to datasets",
"create": "Designs data collection and analysis plans"
},
"aiNotes": {
"acquire": "Focus on intuitive understanding, not formulas",
"deepen": "Use real-world business or science scenarios",
"create": "Present ambiguous problems requiring methodology choice"
}
},
{
"id": 3,
"name": "Data Ethics",
"description": "Ethical considerations in data use",
"levels": {
"acquire": "Recognizes privacy and consent concerns",
"deepen": "Evaluates ethical implications of data practices",
"create": "Develops ethical guidelines for data projects"
}
}
]
}
}
Proficiency Level Guidelines
Verbs: identify, recognize, describe, explain, define
Verbs: apply, analyze, compare, evaluate, solve
Verbs: design, develop, synthesize, propose, create
Create Curriculum Framework
A curriculum framework organizes content hierarchically from domains to specific concepts.
Define Your Curriculum Metadata
Start with the basic information about your curriculum:
{
"framework": {
"id": "dsc-curr-your-topic",
"title": "Your Curriculum Title",
"description": "A brief description of what this curriculum covers",
"philosophy": "curriculum"
}
}
Define Domains and Subdomains
Organize content into a hierarchy:
{
"domains": [
{
"name": "Your Domain",
"subdomains": [
{
"name": "Subdomain A",
"concepts": ["Concept 1", "Concept 2", "Concept 3"]
},
{
"name": "Subdomain B",
"concepts": ["Concept 4", "Concept 5"]
}
]
}
]
}
Add Module Details with AI Notes
Provide detailed information for each module:
{
"modules": [
{
"id": 1,
"domain": "Your Domain",
"subdomain": "Subdomain A",
"concept": "Concept 1",
"description": "What this concept covers",
"aiNotes": "Focus on real-world examples. Use visual aids."
}
]
}
Complete Curriculum Example
{
"framework": {
"id": "dsc-curr-web-development",
"title": "Web Development Fundamentals",
"description": "Introduction to modern web development",
"philosophy": "curriculum",
"modules": [
{
"id": 1,
"domain": "Frontend Development",
"subdomain": "HTML & CSS",
"concept": "HTML Document Structure",
"description": "Understanding HTML elements and document structure",
"aiNotes": "Use practical examples, show browser output"
},
{
"id": 2,
"domain": "Frontend Development",
"subdomain": "HTML & CSS",
"concept": "CSS Selectors and Properties",
"description": "Styling web pages with CSS",
"aiNotes": "Interactive examples with before/after styling"
},
{
"id": 3,
"domain": "Frontend Development",
"subdomain": "JavaScript",
"concept": "Variables and Data Types",
"description": "JavaScript fundamentals",
"aiNotes": "Start with let/const, avoid var confusion"
},
{
"id": 4,
"domain": "Backend Development",
"subdomain": "Server Basics",
"concept": "HTTP and REST",
"description": "Understanding web protocols",
"aiNotes": "Use real API examples, show request/response"
}
]
}
}
Best Practices
Be Specific with Outcomes
Write clear, measurable competency/concept definitions. "Understands databases" is vague; "Writes SQL queries to retrieve and filter data" is specific.
Progressive Difficulty
For competency frameworks, ensure clear progression from Acquire → Deepen → Create. Each level should build on the previous.
Effective AI Notes
Guide content generation with specific instructions: preferred examples, tone, complexity level, and what to avoid.
Right-Size Your Framework
Start with 3-7 competencies or 5-15 modules. You can always expand later. Too many items overwhelm learners.
Align with Learning Goals
Every competency or module should connect to a clear learning outcome. Ask: "What will learners be able to do?"
Test and Iterate
Generate content for a few items first. Review quality, adjust AI notes, then complete the framework.
Writing Good AI Notes
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| "Use healthcare industry examples for all scenarios" | "Make it relevant" (too vague) |
| "Avoid complex jargon, target high school reading level" | "Keep it simple" (unclear standard) |
| "Include 3-4 real-world applications in each explanation" | "Be practical" (not actionable) |
| "For Create level, require learners to propose novel solutions" | "Make it challenging" (undefined) |
Using Your Framework
Upload to Your Teacher Account
In the Teacher Dashboard, go to "My Frameworks" and upload your JSON file, or use the framework editor to create it directly.
Create a Class with Your Framework
When creating a new class, select your custom framework from "My Frameworks" instead of the school catalog.
Generate Content
Use Knowledge Explorer, Socratic Playground, or SBCAT to generate content. The AI will use your framework structure and AI notes.
Review and Edit
Review generated content in the Content Editor. Refine AI notes based on the quality of generated content.
dsc-comp-{name}- Competency-based frameworksdsc-curr-{name}- Curriculum-based frameworks