Which steps comprise a course audit to ensure compliance with standards and guidelines?

• A. Review objectives, materials, assessments, and safety protocols; verify alignment with standards and update as needed; document findings and actions.
• B. Skip the audit if standards are known; rely on memory.
• C. Audit only the safety protocols.
• D. Update standards without documenting actions.

Answer: (A)

Conducting a course audit means systematically checking every piece of the curriculum against standards: objectives, materials, assessments, and safety protocols must all align. By reviewing each element, you confirm that the learning goals are clear, the content matches what students are expected to learn, the assessments accurately measure those goals, and safety protocols are in place and compliant. After verifying alignment, you update any element that’s out of date or noncompliant to keep the course current with standards. Documenting findings and actions creates a traceable record of what was reviewed, what gaps were found, and what changes were made, with dates and responsible parties. This documentation supports accountability and ongoing quality improvement, and it makes audits repeatable.

Skipping the audit relies on memory and assumptions, which can miss gaps and leaves no record of what was reviewed or changed. Auditing only safety protocols ignores objectives, materials, and assessments, so misalignment in core learning components can go unnoticed. Updating standards without documenting actions breaks traceability and accountability; there’s no way to show what was updated or why.