tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033397069939792494.post6588002609071801967..comments2023-10-08T02:52:44.771-07:00Comments on 13 Things for Curriculum Design: Thing 4 - Course Mapaewp2http://www.blogger.com/profile/05865087342440641011noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1033397069939792494.post-18043496231494300802011-09-26T03:14:01.938-07:002011-09-26T03:14:01.938-07:00Essentially some handbook-type headings arranged h...Essentially some handbook-type headings arranged handily on one page, I was wrongfooted again by this tool, which split opinion amongst our respondents. <br /><br />13things Blog Trial says of this (and the Pedagogy Profile Widget which follows) “Of the tools so far I think these are the ones I am most likely to revisit as I review courses this year”. They “are very simple to play with” and “act as prompts that are useful in ensuring a thorough overview of a course”, producing gains “without massive input of time to master the tools”. Reflections on Science Education and Communication also considers it useful. As “a checklist, a way of getting you to think about all of the aspects of learning for example communication, collaboration, group work, reflection and assessment types, content and method of delivery ... it is very useful”, encouraging one to re-examine any assumption that “the old method of lectures, examples classes, supervisions with essays and the three-hour exam is the only way to do things.” As a “very visual method [of representation] which does allow ready comparison” the course map is valuable when “working with a group of people so you can all see almost at a glance, what is where, when and how ... [although] some people may find the visual approach alienating.”<br /><br />This was immediately borne out by mrj10: “For me a map is a representation of a domain that helps you to trace a route. The Course Map seems more like a list of headings that might be relevant to curriculum design”. Socratic Investigations didn’t like the idea of a thematic breakdown at all: “it tacitly invites students to approach their course of studies as a digitally compartimentalized entity, rather than as a place for serious, "organic" thinking ... I see no reason to abandon the prose-style of a more traditional Course Outline.”<br /><br />In terms of its suitability for Cambridge course designers, Reflections on Science Education and Communication says “Course Map is assuming that you’re starting from scratch ... I make small changes each year within a large number of constraints ... this would be frustrating because there are so many points in there I would not be able to do anything about”. <br /><br />The headings used are not even the handbook-style headings mrj10 usually uses: topics, staff, assessment, teaching and learning approach. “The map ... seems to be focused much more on the ‘how’ of the course, rather than the ‘what’ (which is as much, if not more, of a challenge in course design for me).” The headings “do not immediately strike me as necessarily the right headings or the only ones that might be considered ... many of the categories in the course map do not seem particularly relevant e.g. how will students be supported physically and online, how will students communicate and collaborate?” Reflections on Science Education and Communication says “there are things I would include that are missing (eg duration and timescales)”.<br /><br />For me the take-away points from Course Map is that opinion can be split about overview/checklist tools. As long as the tool is simple and accessible users can assess its potential benefits and decide quickly whether to take it or leave it; no time need be wasted.aewp2https://www.blogger.com/profile/05865087342440641011noreply@blogger.com