curriculum mapping

http://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk

Simon CotterillFaculty of Medical SciencesNewcastle Universty

Curriculum Mapping: linking outcomes, assessment and more

Curriculum Maps: Potential role in Monitoring & QA

Declaredcurriculum

Taughtcurriculum

Learning &development

‘Constructive Alignment’(curriculum – T&L – assessment)

Better insight into learning outside the curriculum

External resources Prior learning ‘Life-wide’ learning

Identify popularexternal resources(QA + peer review)

Map to otherCurricula(widens learningopportunities)

Identify ‘gaps’in teaching

Identifyduplication

Monitor access & equality of learning opportunities

Maps: levels of detail

Curriculum strands Module maps Session maps

Key curriculum drivers for the project:

1: Modular courses - promoting cross-modular learning- mapping to transferable graduate skills / careers

2: Medicine: Communicating Complex Curricula

Dynamic Learning Maps

Understanding linkageswithin the spiral curriculum(students & teachers)

Occasional Teachers-some unintended duplication in teaching

Part of the CurriculumDelivery Programme

Choice of views

Text-based interface

Mind-map style interface

n=193 (student response system)

I Prefer:

Diversity and strong polarisation ofpersonal preferences for visual, text or other views

Further evaluation results:https://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk/

utilises ‘semantic’ connections madebetween topics and with resources

Search over the curriculum

Case Study: DentistryDentistry at Newcastle

All course leaders were invited to a ‘hands-on’ workshop • Brief demo of how to use DLM • Brief instructions (2 pages with screenshots)• Clear task to enter their course outcomes and map them to the GDC

Stepwise Strategy: Course outcomes were later mapped to assessments.

• 1,616 course outcomes mapped over the 5 yr programme • 3,741 linkages between course outcomes and 173 GDC outcomes. • 2,747 linkages between course outcomes and 51 assessments. • DLM extrapolates how GDC outcomes are assessed.

Course outcomes mapped to Graduate Skills Frameworkby a final year student• 1,834 links between outcomes & skills/attributes• Identified 2 areas with relatively thin coverage• Presented at NU Learning & Teaching conf. 2013

Knowing how a teaching session relates to the rest of the curriculum is important to me


“Will increase relevance of Phase I lectures to clinical presentations/experience”

From a students point of view, one could be much clearer on ‘the big picture’, as you have a curriculum map laid out in front of you...”

77% Agreed

Stage 4 Medical Students- Focus groups

Having the map will be useful for revision


? “Any way of ticking off lectures revised?”

“Excellent revision tool”

“Helpful revision tool”

Stage 4 Medical Students

Clinical Teacher

91% Agreed

It would be useful to add notes and reflections to teaching sessions and other parts of the map

“[liked] linking the portfolio (which mayappear otherwise abstract) with the rest of a student’s education”.

“link to portfolio may increase its usage!”

Stage 4 Medical Students(Focus Group)

73% of students agree

But clinical teaching staff skeptical:


“Can this really be used for portfolio (if voluntary) ?“

“How to engage student with e-portfolios – won’t work without their engagement”

Challenges for Curriculum Mapping ♯1

Stage 5

Stage 4

Stage 3

Stage 2

Stage 1

2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12

Student journeythrough thecurriculum

‘here and now’teaching focus

Between major restructuring of the MBBS curriculum (aprox. every 5-7yrs): stable: units (modules), programme outcomes minor adjustments: sessions, cases, unit outcomes (responsive to evaluation / QA)

more variation in assessment & differences in delivery by 4 ‘Base Units’ (stages 3 & 5)

The curriculum changes over time

Challenges for Curriculum Mapping ♯2

• Staff time / Staff engagement

• Level of Granularity

• Consistency

Developing a Mapping Strategy

• Stepwise mappingCourse OutcomesProfessional OutcomesAssessment

• Involve Staff early (including Admin team)

• Roll out to students later?

RIDLR & SupOERGlue (2 x JISC funded OER Rapid Innovation projects)

Return Paradata

LR Node

DLM

Harvest OERs /Paradata

PublishOER (HEA/JISC UKOER Phase 3 project)

• Investigating new business models for embedding publishers content in OERs• Partnership with Elsevier, JISC Collections, Rightscom and education providers • Some DLM-related activities

Open Educational Resources

Project blog posts at: : http://www.medev.ac.uk/

OER Bookmarking (JISC-CETIS Rapid Innovation project)

http://www.medev.ac.uk/

Co-CurateDLM ‘lite’ with visual resource system

Project funded by

Further information & Public Demonstrator:

http://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk

Thank You