Techniques for Data-Driven Curriculum Analysis

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Five techniques to understand the data that could help to re-design Curriculum

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Techniques for Data-Driven Curriculum Analysis

Gonzalo Mendez, Xavier Ochoa & Katherine Chiluiza

Siemens, George, and Phil Long. "Penetrating the fog: Analytics in learning and education." Educause Review 46.5 (2011): 30-32.

Siemens, George, and Phil Long. "Penetrating the fog: Analytics in learning and education." Educause Review 46.5 (2011): 30-32.

Which are the hardest/more difficult courses?

What lead our students to success/failure?

How courses are related?

Are there courses that could be eliminated?

Is the work-load adequate for our students? ??

How can Learning Analytics help?

Which tools could it provide to curriculum-designers?

Our goals

Use readily available data

Grades are always collected and historically stored

Create discussion starters

Metrics for evaluation are evil, butmetrics for insight could be useful

Easy to apply and understand

Could be integrated into a Learning Analytics toolbox

Eat your own dog-food

Apply them to our own data to obtain insight

(12-year historical data on CS program)

Let’s start

(1) Difficulty Estimation

How difficult a course is, not how good the students are

Technique

Difficulty metrics

Two estimation metrics

GPA - Course grade

Course grade > GPA

Course grade < GPA

0

Course grade = GPA

Three scenarios:

Differences betweenGPA and course grade

> 0< 0

Real examples

But…

They are not normal!

Three Two estimation metrics

Difficult Classes (Top 10)

Perceived

Estimated (first 5)Algorithms Analysis

Operating Systems

Physics A

Differential Equations

Linear Algebra

Programming Fundamentals

Object-Oriented Programming

Differential Calculus

Data Structures

Statistics

Operating Systems

Statistics

Differential Equations

Linear Algebra

Programming Languages

Electrical Networks I

Artificial Intelligence

Programming Fundamentals

Data Structures

Hardware Architecture and Organization

Perception != Estimation

What makes a course difficult then?

(2) Dependance Estimation

How well I do a student does in a course affects how well he/she does

in another

CORE - CS CURRICULUMBasic Physics

Integral Calculus

Multivariate Calculus

Electrical Networks

Digital Systems I

Hardware Architectures

Operative Systems

General Chemistry

ProgrammingFundamentals

Object-orientedProgramming

Data Structures

ProgrammingLanguages

Database Systems I

Software Engineering I

Software Engineering II

Oral and WrittenCommunication Techniques

Computing and Society

Discrete Mathematics

Algorithms Analysis

Human-computerInteraction

Differential Calculus

Linear Algebra

Differential Equations

Ecology andEnvironmental Education

Statistics

Economic Engineering I

Artificial Intelligence

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING HUMANITIES BASIC SCIENCE

Technique

Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient

(A lot of it)

DEPENDANCE ESTIMATIONProgrammingFundamentals

Data Structures(0.321)

Object Oriented Programming

(0.309)

DEPENDANCE ESTIMATION

Computingand Society

Operating Systems(0.582)

Discrete Mathematics(0.614)

Human-Computer Interaction(0.6226)

Maybe we should rethink our prerequisites

Why Programming Fundamentals does not correlates?Why Computers and Society correlates with a lot of

courses?

(3) Curriculum Coherence

How courses group together

CORE - CS CURRICULUMBasic Physics

Integral Calculus

Multivariate Calculus

Electrical Networks

Digital Systems I

Hardware Architectures

Operative Systems

General Chemistry

ProgrammingFundamentals

Object-orientedProgramming

Data Structures

ProgrammingLanguages

Database Systems I

Software Engineering I

Software Engineering II

Oral and WrittenCommunication

Techniques

Computing and Society

Discrete Mathematics

Algorithms Analysis

Human-computerInteraction

Differential Calculus

Linear Algebra

Differential Equations

Ecology andEnvironmental Education

Statistics

Economic Engineering I

Artificial Intelligence

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING HUMANITIES BASIC SCIENCE

Technique

Exploratory Factor Analysis

(EFA)

31

UNDERLYING STRUCTURE

Electrical Networks

Differential Equations

Software Engineering II

Software Engineering I

HCI

Oral and Written

Communication

Techniques

General Chemistry

Programming Languages

Object-Oriented Programming

Data Structures

Artificial Intelligence

Operative Systems

Software Engineering

Object-Oriented Programming

Economic Engineering

Hardware Architectures

Database Systems

Digital Systems I

HCI

Differential and Integral CalculusLinear Algebra

Multivariate CalculusDigital Systems I

Basic PhysicsProgramming Fundamentals

Discrete MathematicsGeneral Chemistry

StatisticsData Structures

Computing and SocietyAlgorithms Analysis

Differential EquationsEcology and Environmental Education

Object-Oriented Programming

FACTOR 1: The basic training factor

FACTOR 2: The advanced CS topics factor

FACTOR 3: The client interaction factor

FACTOR 4: The programming

factor

FACTOR 5: The ? factor

Grouping is also off

Fundamental Programming is not in the Programming factor?What to do with Electrical Networks and Differential Equations?

(4) Drop-out Paths

What courses lead the students to drop-out

DROPOUT AND ENROLLING PATHSTime

(semesters)

0

1

2

3

4

Dropout

They are all happy, but as time goes by…

Technique

Sequence Mining (Sequential PAttern Discovery using

Equivalence classes - SPADE)

DROPOUT PATHS

Sequence Support<Physics A, Dropout> 0.6081967

21

<Differential Calculus , Dropout> 0.570491803

<Programming Fundamentals , Dropout> 0.532786885

<Integral Calculus , Dropout> 0.496721311

<Physics A, Differential Calculus , Dropout> 0.43442623

<Linear Algebra , Dropout> 0.432786885

<Differential Calculus, Integral Calculus , Dropout>

0.385245902

<Physics C , Dropout> 0.347540984

<Physics A, Integral Calculus , Dropout> 0.327868852

<General Chemistry , Dropout> 0.319672131

<Differential Equations , Dropout> 0.31147541

Most drop-outs fail basic courses

Should students start with CS topics?Too much pressure in engineering courses?

(5) Load/Performance Graph

What students think they can manage vs. what they can actually manage

Technique

Simple Visualisation:Density Plot of

Difficulty taken vs. Difficulty approved

LOAD/PERFORMANCE GRAPH

LOAD/PERFORMANCE GRAPH

LOAD/PERFORMANCE GRAPH

Unrealistic Suggested Load

How to the present the Curriculum in a better way?How we can recommend students the right load?

Our goals?

Which are the hardest/more difficult courses?

What lead our students to success/failure?

How courses are related?

Are there courses that could be eliminated?

Is the work-load adequate for our students? ??

??What makes a course difficult then?

Why Programming Fundamentals does not correlates?

Why Computers and Society correlates with a lot of courses?Fundamental Programming is not in the Programming

factor?

Should students start with CS topics?Too much pressure in engineering

courses?How to the present the Curriculum in a better way?How we can recommend students the right

load?

What to do with Electrical Networks and Differential Equations?

Our ambitious goal?

Apply these techniques at your own data in your own institution

Our more ambitious goal?

Make you think about LA techniques that can be easily transferred to

practitioners

Gracias / Thank you

Xavier Ochoaxavier@cti.espol.edu.echttp://ariadne.cti.espol.edu.ec/xavierTwitter: @xaoch

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