Ask AI to describe what a comprehensive, best-in-class course on your topic would include, then compare that benchmark to your own curriculum to identify what you have covered well and what deserves more attention.
Why Benchmarking Against Best-in-Class Matters
You probably know your topic deeply, but you may not know every well-regarded course that covers it. Benchmarking your curriculum against a best-in-class standard helps you spot gaps you did not know existed and confirm that your coverage of high-priority areas is solid. It also helps you make conscious choices about what to include versus what to deliberately leave out — which is very different from simply forgetting to cover something.
This is like having a senior colleague in your field review your table of contents and say “most strong programs in this area also cover X — did you decide to leave it out intentionally?”
How to Run a Benchmark Comparison with AI
Start with a prompting approach that separates the benchmark from the comparison. First, ask Claude: “What would a comprehensive, high-quality course on [your topic] for [your audience] typically include? Give me a structured overview of the major topic areas and subtopics a strong course should cover.” Review that output before sharing your own curriculum. Then paste in your curriculum and ask: “Compare my curriculum to the benchmark you just described. What have I covered well? What is missing or underrepresented? What have I included that goes beyond the standard benchmark?”
The separation matters — if you share your curriculum first, AI tends to justify what you have rather than benchmark independently. Generating the benchmark first gives you an honest reference point.
What This Means for Educators
Benchmark comparisons often surface one of two outcomes. Either you discover genuine gaps — topics that strong courses on your subject consistently cover that you have missed — or you confirm that your curriculum is deliberately narrower or deeper than average, which is a valid strategic choice. Both outcomes are valuable. The dangerous scenario is the gap you did not know was there.
The Simple Rule
Generate the benchmark before you share your curriculum, not after. The order of those two steps determines whether you get honest competitive intelligence or AI-assisted rationalisation of what you have already built.