Running from April 2009 to March 2011 http ://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk
description
Transcript of Running from April 2009 to March 2011 http ://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk
Running from April 2009 to March 2011
http://learning-maps.ncl.ac.uk
Funded as part of the JISC programme: Transforming curriculum delivery through technology
Project funded by
Dynamic Learning Maps
Stephen Ball (Project Director)
Simon Cotterill & Gordon Skelly (Project Managers)
John Peterson & Paul Horner (Project Officers)
Project funded by
Dynamic Learning Maps
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
e-Learning
Technical Overview (Newcastle)
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
Aims and objectives
• Core objective: to develop navigable curriculum maps, which will:– Support learners, teachers & curriculum managers by enhancing
understanding of complex curriculua and connections between different elements of the curriculum.
– support personal learning (mapping, making connections, reflection & portfolio learning)
– be interactive/participative(appropriate to the changing experience & expectations of modern learners)
– support extra-curicula opportunities & transferable skills (e.g. Graduate Skills Framework)
– provide an extra source of data to enhance curriculum management/QA (longer term)
• Technical objectives include:– Draw on existing curricula data and learning resources (where available)
– Use established standards & specifications, including life-long learning– Produce a ‘generic’ tool that will support different curricula/curriculum
elements, & be available to the JISC community
ProgressBaseline description and 5 user scenarios
Short review of Web-based mind mapping and other graphical information mapping tools
Engagement with JISC programme activities
Pilot evaluation with MBBS stage 1(n=69) and stage 2(n=124)
Technical developments:- initial developments based on a ‘connected nodes’ approach- interface (text and ‘mind-map’ views)- tool for curriculum managers to map programme outcomes to modules - initial links with portfolio (latest UK specifications for LLL)
CorePresentations
CasesCoreConditions
Units
Sessions
LearningOutcomes
Assessment
Learning maps:- interconnected nodes- strength of connections- types of ‘nodes’
PersonalLearningRecords
Curriculum Map(Medicine)
Diseases&
Conditions Anatomy&
Physiology
Community Maps
Mapping MBBS
MBBS CoreConditions
An individual student’s encounters
including rotations, electives & SSCs -diverse experience
Diseases & Conditions-reflects broader student experience-’gaps’ to map: curiosity / exploratory
-gateway to additional sources of reference
Curriculum Map-core conditions
Community Map-diseases and conditions
Why Community Maps as well as Curriculum Maps?
Ability to filtermaps to show onlycurriculum content
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.”
and related information mapping softwareShort review of Web-based mind maps
Buzan style mind maps
Simple mind maps
Concept maps
Organisational diagrams
Image-richmind maps
3D topicscapes
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
• Refining the Learning Maps application• Student input, focus groups• Input from curriculum leaders & support staff• Populating the curriculum maps
• Focus Groups, late 2009 / early 2010• Psychology• Medicine• Speech Therapy
• Initial Piloting and evaluation (curriculum maps for a single academic year)• Piloting in Medicine in Semester 2, 2009• Piloting in Psychology & speech & language sciences?
• Evaluation• Questionnaires based in goals & baseline + focus groups• BOS approval , ethics approval
• Sustainability Review• Larger piloting from Sept. 2010 (Medicine, psychology, speech & language sciences)
Next steps
Baseline & Challenges
Curriculum Maps: elsewhere…Willett T.G. Current status of curriculum mapping in Canada and the UK. Medical
Education, 2008, 42, 786-93
• survey of Canadian and UK medical schools to determine the current status, characteristics, and challenging and successful aspects of their efforts in curriculum mapping.
• 31 Medical schools responded to a questionnaire:• the majority of schools are in the process of building maps • only 20% of schools have managed to complete them
• Great variation amongst Schools:
• software used to construct the maps• educational elements included in the
maps• variety of educational outcome
frameworks are employed for curriculum evaluation.
• Major challenges include:• complexity • human resource demands • use of medical ontologies, • faculty development• interface design
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
e.g MBBS: between major restructuring of the 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)
Challenge: the curriculum changes over time
Challenges for Curriculum Mapping ♯2Stepped 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.
Challenges for Curriculum Mapping ♯3VLE / curriculum 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
Fit for purpose, but raise challenges for online curriculum maps:
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
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
Demonstration:• Mapping outcomes to modules• Contextualising language
Challenge: Key data is in the form of non-standardised text
Challenge: overview of the curriculum – connecting it all together
Demonstration:• connecting different elements of the curriculum
• Challenge: where is x taught in the curriculum?Occasional teachers: quick overview of where a given topic in the curriculum• better contextualisation & appropriate level• reduced duplication (unintended)
Curriculum Managers: QA + External inspections
Example of what a list could look like:
Challenge: personal learning
Challenge: cross modular learning
Challenge: graduate skills framework / transferable skills
Challenge: community & changing nature and expectations of modern learners
-sharing, rating and commenting on external resources
Add, rate andcomment / review resources
Search High volumeof resultsmixed relevance
Saturation (too many Connections – ‘hairball’)
e.g. MBBS: 50+ learning outcomesper module. High-level outcomespresent in virtually every module.
Challenge: Getting the right balance
AutomationSpecificity & Granularity
Initially reliant on manually making connections(curriculum & community)
Maintenance costs as the curriculum changes
Refine relevancescoring
Data on connected topics used to improve future automation/specificity(related keywords / strength of connections)
Stakeholders & diversity of requirements
Differences in perception of what curriculum maps are/should be
Group work
1. Individually read handout of ‘high-level’ educational objectives-rate in accordance of their relative importance to you (5 mins)
In groups:
2. Discuss the objectives and importance to stakeholder groupsPick 5 to ‘unpack’ and discuss in detail
Feedback key points to the
49%51%
Tree based lists Mind maps
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?
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neutral
Somewhat
Disa...
Disagre
e
Strongly
Disagre
e
30%32%
20%
8%6%
0%
5%
Knowing how a teaching session relates to the rest of the curriculum is important to me?
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neutral
Somewhat
Disa...
Disagre
e
Strongly
Disagre
e
26%
41%
10%
15%
3% 3%1%
Having the map will be useful for preparation before a teaching session?
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neutral
Somewhat
Disa...
Disagre
e
Strongly
Disagre
e
15%
22%
19%18%
7%9%
10%
Having the map will be useful for reviewing and reflecting after a session?
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neutral
Somewhat
Disa...
Disagre
e
Strongly
Disagre
e
22%
31%
27%
9%
3% 3%4%
Having the map will be useful for revision?
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neutral
Somewhat
Disa...
Disagre
e
Strongly
Disagre
e
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?
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neutral
Somewhat
Disa...
Disagre
e
Strongly
Disagre
e
37%
18% 18%
12%
3%6%
5%
I only want information and resources provided by teaching staff ?
Strongly
Agree
Agree
Somewhat
Agree
Neutral
Somewhat
Disa...
Disagre
e
Strongly
Disagre
e
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%