Dynamic Learning Maps Elluminate session

Project funded by

Dynamic Learning Maps

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

John Peterson(Project Officer)

Paul Horner(Snr roject Officer)

Simon Cotterill(PI & Project Manager)

Gordon Skelly(Project Manager)

Tony McDonald(Project Advisor)

Steve Ball(Project Director)

About DLMFunded as part of the JISC programme: Transforming curriculum delivery through technology

Running from April 2009 to March 2011

Piloting in Medicine, Psychology & Speech Therapy

OverviewIntended Outcomes

• Understand the role of curriculum maps for different stakeholders• Be able to identify key barriers and challenges to developing

curriculum maps• Become familiar with ways in which technology can enhance

curriculum maps

Structure

• Overview (Intro / Rationale) 5 mins

• What are Curriculum Maps? What do they do? 10 mins

• Technologies / Demonstration15 mins

• Evaluation10 mins

• Discussion / Questions (throughout) 10 mins


What's your preference for organising information?

A. I prefer visual maps (mind maps, concept maps etc).

B. I prefer hierarchical lists (text).

Please vote:

I'm interested in today’s session mostly in relation to:

A. curriculum delivery

B. curriculum design

C. both design & delivery

D. learning about the technical approach

E. All of the above (added retrospectively!)

Please vote:

What's your / your institutions current use of curriculum maps ?

A. We have a paper-based curriculum map

B. We have an online curriculum map

C. We are or plan to develop an online curriculum map

D. No plan to use a curriculum map

Please vote:

Background: Communicating Complex Curricula

Modular courses: ‘Compartmentalisation’

Need to promote cross-modular learning

Background: Web 2.0 and changing expectations of learners

“The Net Generation has grown up with information technology. The aptitudes, attitudes, expectations, and learning styles of Net Gen students reflect the environment in which they were raised—one that is decidedly different from that which existed when faculty and administrators were growing up.”

Educating the Net Generation http://www.educause.edu/

“although young people demonstrate an ease and familiarity with computers, they rely on the most basic search tools and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to assess the information that they find on the web. Higher education, therefore, continues to have a unique role in providing learners with the higher-order skills of evaluation, critical analysis and reflection, synthesis, problem-solving, creativity and thinking across discipline boundaries.”

Widespread uptake of social networking and other Web 2.0= changing expectations and technical literacies of many learners


Overview of Dynamic Learning maps

Interactive ‘Web 2.0Sharing , rating and reviewsHarvesting multiple sources (‘Mashups’ )Facilitating communities of interest

Curriculum MapsOverview , Prior learning, Current & Future learning

Personal LearningPersonalised, sharing , reflective notes and evidencing outcomes

Linking Learning ResourcesCurriculum & External Resources

What are Curriculum Maps?

What do they do?


Background: Curriculum Maps

A diagrammatic representation of the curriculum.Different ‘windows’ ontothe curriculum e.g.• Intended outcomes• Curriculum content

/subject areas• Learning opportunities• Assessment• Learning resources• People (students / staff)

Complexity

Labour intensive

Curriculum Maps: Potential role in Monitoring & QA

Declaredcurriculum

Taughtcurriculum

Learning &development As

sess

edCu

rricu

lum

‘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

What should be on a curriculum map?

Example of different interpretations / implementations

Maps as a Metaphor

Where have I been?

Where am I now?

Where am I going?

Stakeholders• Learners• Teachers (incl. occasional teachers)• Curriculum Managers• Administrators• External regulators

ReflectionRevision

Contextualisation

Preparation

What should the students already know?

Where is topic X taught in the curriculum ?

Career choices

Curriculum choices

Where is my specialty covered in the curriculum ?


Synthesis / Metacognition

Planning

DiscussionWho are the main stakeholders and what are

their needs in relation to curriculum maps ?

What elements should be included in

curriculum maps? How are/could curriculum maps

be useful in your programme?

How detailed should

curriculum maps be?


Developing Dynamic Learning Maps

Demonstration

Overview of Dynamic Learning maps





e-Learning

Technical approach

Curricula databases

Library databases

ePortfolio/ blog

Repositories

ExternalFeeds

LearningResources

Life-longLearningRecord

ID-MAPsproject

Student Information

Systems

reflection

evidencing

discussion

adding resources,rating & reviewing

Learning Maps

(topic-specific)

Curriculum map

Personal learning

Community


DLMs and LEAP2A

HTTP GET Request

HTTP Response- Leap2A XML

HTTP POST Request- Leap2A XML

Dynamic Learning

Maps

ePortfolio

https://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk/blog/category/eportfolio/

LEAP2A is used to connect Learning Maps to the learner’s ePortfolio using a simple web service developed as part of the PIOP3 project. This works in two ways – adding new records and retrieving those records so that they can be accessed inside the Map.

DLMs and XCRI

https://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk/blog/category/next-xcri-project/

HTTP RequestDynamic Learning

Maps

Course Database

HTTP Response

Our “NEXT” project looked at enhancing the support for XCRI-CAP in the North East. An outcome of that project was embedding XCRI feeds inside Learning Maps. This lets us show course related information relating to specific parts of the curriculum.

We needed to extend the standard to better support competencies in order to link the map to a course.

Making Connections

Initial interfaces & user preferences

Text-based interface

Mind-map style interface

Forthcoming focus groups:explore options e.g. colour codingterminology e.g. ‘nodes’ or topics

>1,000 external resources: 389 from 5 key sites (above)

Careers

Search

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


Stepped availability of study guides, cases and timetable data

Semester 2Available

Semester 1Available

Sept 2008 Jan 2009 Sept 2009 Jan 2010

i.e. a fully detailed / data-driven curriculum map for the current academic year would not be available until Semester 2.

A partial map would be no good at all! (Needs to be a semi-persistent map but drawing on latest information as it becomes available).

Resources (presentations etc) are uploaded into the VLE on a ‘just in time’ basis.


MBBS study guide databases (baseline) designed to support complex curricula with large number of contributors using familiar Word documents (well formatted ‘portal documents’) these populate databases and structure the VLE when they are uploaded supports changing curriculum with views by multiple academic years

Module Database (baseline)• outcomes are blocks of free text: variable formats and amount of detail

Fit for purpose, but raise challenges for online curriculum maps:

Key data is in the form of non-standardised text e.g. learning outcomes, core presentations / conditions etc. language is inconsistent between study guides (modified for context) hard to differentiate between unit-specific and programme outcomes & content

Codes used in VLE and timetable are not persistent e.g. ‘PPD2.15’ may referrer to completely different teaching sessions from

one academic year to the next Problematic as resources are linked to these non-persistent codes

Existing data may not be in a readily usable

Getting the right balance

Automation Specificity & Granularity

Initially reliant on manually makingconnections (curriculum & community)

Maintenance cost as curriculum changes

Search – High volumeof resultsmixed relevance

Saturation (too manyConnections – ‘hairball’)

e.g. MBBS: 60+ learning outcomesper module. High-level outcomespresent in virtually every module.

Refine relevancescoring

Data on connected topics used to improve future automation/specificity(related keywords / strength of connections)

Recap: Summary of DLM





Initial Evaluation


Initial Focus Group(following viewing concept demonstrator)

Informal focus group: year 4 medical students:• Very keen on concept• Would need training, especially for those less confident with IT• Could it be used as additional feedback from students to lecturers?

“This idea has engaged me from the outset and has potential, I believe, to revolutionise the MBBS course (as well as other courses) in many ways.”

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, it is simpler and easier to find out curriculum content, learning outcomes and formal resources, all linked together, and also seeing how similar topics are interlinked throughout the course.”

“It seems a really good idea but it important that we get training on how to use it.”

Evaluation: Focus Groups December 2009

Focus Group: Psychology (n=2)

Focus Groups: Speech Therapy BSc (9), MSc (7)

Staff Meeting: Speech Therapy ~15

Module Choices

Liked concept / layout

Perceived duplication

Importance of personal preferences

Visual vs. Text ViewsIntegration with

Blackboard?

49%51%

Tree based lists Mind maps

Phase 1 MBBS feedback I prefer ?

The map will help me better understand the MBBS curriculum?

18%

30%

25%

15%

7%

3%1%

It is easy to use?

8%

32%

38%

8%

11%

3%2%

The map would benefit my learning?

13%

33%34%

12%

3%1%

3%

I understand the concept of Learning Maps?

Stro

ngly Agre

e Agre

e

Somewhat

Agree

Neutral

Somewhat

Disa...

Disagre

e

Stro

ngly Disa

gree

30%32%

20%

8%6%

0%

5%

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

Stro

ngly Agre

e Agre

e

Somewhat

Agree

Neutral

Somewhat

Disa...

Disagre

e

Stro

ngly Disa

gree

26%

41%

10%

15%

3% 3%1%

Having the map will be useful for preparation before a teaching session?

Stro

ngly Agre

e Agre

e

Somewhat

Agree

Neutral

Somewhat

Disa...

Disagre

e

Stro

ngly Disa

gree

15%

22%

19%18%

7%9%

10%

Having the map will be useful for reviewing and reflecting after a session?

Stro

ngly Agre

e Agre

e

Somewhat

Agree

Neutral

Somewhat

Disa...

Disagre

e

Stro

ngly Disa

gree

22%

31%

27%

9%

3% 3%4%

Having the map will be useful for revision?

Stro

ngly Agre

e Agre

e

Somewhat

Agree

Neutral

Somewhat

Disa...

Disagre

e

Stro

ngly Disa

gree

40%39%

12%

4%

0% 0%

4%

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

Stro

ngly Agre

e Agre

e

Somewhat

Agree

Neutral

Somewhat

Disa...

Disagre

e

Stro

ngly Disa

gree

37%

18% 18%

12%

3%

6%5%

I only want information and resources provided by teaching staff ?

Stro

ngly Agre

e Agre

e

Somewhat

Agree

Neutral

Somewhat

Disa...

Disagre

e

Stro

ngly Disa

gree

7%

12%

7%

10%

19%

25%

18%

I frequently supplement my learning with external resources on the web ?

34%

18%19%

6% 6%

9%7%

How often would you envisage using the map (once complete) ?

11%

48%

32%

10%

• Current status• >750 people have accessed DLM• Initial student input, focus groups • Input from curriculum leaders & support staff• Ongoing populating the curriculum maps• Integration with learning and teaching environments

• Larger-scale Piloting / Evaluation 2010/11• Medicine• Psychology• Speech Therapy (Jan 2011)

• Public Demonstrator (soon)• Looking to Pilot in other contexts

Next steps

Recap: Summary of DLM





Project funded by

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

Thank You

Dynamic Learning Maps Elluminate session

Education

Transcript of Dynamic Learning Maps Elluminate session