lblascos iceri presentation

Curriculum visualizationbased on subject competences

Laia Blasco Soplon, Julià Minguillón, Javier Melenchón Maldonado

ICERI 2014 7th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation

Seville,17th-19th November 2014

Curriculum visualization based on subject competencesLaia Blasco Soplon, Julià Minguillón, Javier Melenchón Maldonado


Seville-17th-19th November 2014

Academic degrees curricula are usually presented with text or tables

Semester-by-semester structure

An observation




Academic degrees curricula are usually presented with text or tables

Typology structure

An observation




Since the new European Higher Education Area

from more content based courses

to activity and competences focus

Bologna process




Some questions

Can we present the curriculain a more visual way?

Can we show the connectionsamong the subjects and their competences?




E-learning context

UOC (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya)

- Since 1994- Completely online university- 15 official degrees- 18 official masters- 3 doctoral degrees- several graduate and post-graduate studies

50.000 students

4.000 workers (instructional designers, teachers, tutors, academic and technical staff)




E-learning context

Virtuality needs more interfaces and tools between users (students, teachers and managers)

The curricula as a tool

students academicdegree

curricula

managers

teachers




Analyzed degrees

European Higher Education Area degrees240 ECTS

A) Multimedia degree curriculum- 23 competences- 54 subjects

B) Computing Engineering degree curriculum- 20 competences- 57 subjects




The visualization process

Data collection

Calculating distances

Drawing the graph

1. 2. 3.




The visualization process1. Data collection

rows - subjectscolumns - competences

Multimedia degree





Data collection


Drawing the graph

1. 2. 3.

Multimedia degree




The visualization process2. Calculating distances

The more competences two different subjects share, the “closer” they are

NCS: Number of Shared Competences

The more competences differ between two different subjects, the more “distant” they are

NDC1: Number of Developed Competences on subject 1 and not developed on subject 2

NDC2: Number of Developed Competences on subject 2 and not developed on subject 1

Multimedia degree




The visualization process2. Calculating distances

Jaccard: NSC / (NSC + NDC1 + NDC2)

Dice: NSC / (2*NSC + NDC1 + NDC2)Kulzinsky: NSC / (NDC1 + NDC2)Sokal-Sneath-e: 0.5 * NSC * (1 / (NSC + NDC1) + 1 / (NSC + NDC2))Ochiai: NSC / (NSC + NDC1) * (NSC + NDC2)

NOTE:NCS: Number of Shared CompetencesNDC1: Number of Developed Competences on subject 1 and not developed on subject 2NDC2: Number of Developed Competences on subject 2 and not developed on subject 1

Multimedia degree





Data collection


Drawing the graph

1. 2. 3.

Jaccard distance

Multimedia degree




The visualization process3. Drawing the graph

Graph (using Gephi)Curriculum as a network

- Subjects are nodes- Common competences

are edges

Multimedia degree




The visualization process3. Drawing the graph

Graph (using Gephi)Curriculum as a network

- Subjects are nodes- Common competences

are edges

Modularity is used to find clusters

Multimedia degree





Data collection


Drawing the graph

1. 2. 3.

Multimedia degree

Jaccard distance





Data collection


Drawing the graph

1. 2. 3.

Computing Engineering degree

Jaccard distance




Results Computing Engineering degree

A. Information systems

B. Programming languages and compilers

C. Hardware and systems architecture

D. Foundations of computer science

E. English




Results

A. Management

B. Design

C. Technology

D. English

Multimedia degree




Discussion

The proposed visualization can:

Help to take snapshots of the degree during the design process

Work as a technique for analyzing the competence based implementation of an already developed degree

Provide students, teachers and management staff with a relational map of the curriculum




Future work

Use the proposed visualization to analyze other degrees data.

Draw the real paths and patterns of students’ enrollment along the semesters.

Collect user requirements (students, teachers and management staff) related to the visualization of the curriculum.

Build an open curriculum degree visual design tool/interface.

Thank you!

[email protected]@uoc.edu

[email protected]

lblascos iceri presentation

Education

juli minguilln

javier melenchn maldonadoiceri

academic degrees curricula

official degrees

doctoral degrees

elearning contextvirtuality

official masters

postgraduate studies50