Quality v1

1
Quality v1

• Dave Carroll, Damian Gordon, Deirdre Lawless,
  Matt Hussey, Ciarán OLeary, Fred Mtenzi, Michael
  Collins

School of Computing, Dublin Institute of
Technology
Wednesday, March 7th 2007
2
Emersion Project

• Education to MEet the Requirements of the
  Software Industry and BeyONd Establishing and
  Implementing and Evaluating and Industry-Oriented
  Education Model in China
• Support sustainable industry-oriented IT
  education in China
• 2003 2006
• EU Asia-Link funding

3
Asia-Link
Asia-Link Partnership Areas
Institutional and Systems Development
Curriculum Development
Human Resource Development
4
Asia-Link - Emersion Mapping

• Emersion
• Lecturing Team with Industry-Oriented Ethos
• Curriculum for Industry-Oriented IT Education 3D
  Aligned
• Quality Assurance System supporting the
  Industry-Oriented Model

• Asia-Link
• Human Resource Development area
• Curriculum Development area
• Institutional and Systems Development area

5
3D Alignment

• Constructive alignment
• Module teaching, learning and assessment
  strategies aligned with module learning outcomes.
  
• Horizontal alignment
• Curriculum elements arranged so that the student
  transfers problem solving knowledge between
  domains at the same stage of the programme.
• Vertical alignment
• Curriculum elements arranged to build on
  foundational knowledge and provide a platform for
  future elements.

6
3D Aligned Curriculum
Vertical Alignment
3D Alignment Space
Horizontal Alignment
Constructive Alignment
(Source OLeary et al, 2006)
7
3D Alignment Space

• All curricula fit into 3D alignment space
• Horizontal-Vertical-Constructive dimensions
• Successful curricula positioned away from the
  origin
• Distance from origin to position in 3D alignment
  space provides a measure of effectiveness of
  curriculum

8
Alignment Drift

• Curriculum is a dynamic entity
• May get misaligned along any three dimensions or
  along a combination any of the three
• Position in 3D alignment space changes signaling
  misalignment
• Such misalignment is a quality issue and needs to
  be monitored
• Quality assurance system is main monitoring
  mechanism of an academic programme

9
Annual Monitoring Report
Syllabus Changes
Quality Evaluation
Improvements
Staff/Student Feedback
Key alignment messages?
Prepared by Programme Team
Annual Monitoring Report
Externals Comments
Evaluation of current implementation
Summary or Exam Results
Recent modifications
10
3D Aligned Quality Assurance Main Actors Roles
Quality is never an accident?
11
Lecturer - Constructive alignment

• Monitor how successfully the module was
  constructively aligned
• Misalignment
• Between module LOs teaching, learning
  assessment process
• Annual Monitoring Report
• Look at Teaching Assessment
• Emergent learning outcomes?
• improve future programme cycles.

12
Year Mentor - Horizontal alignment

• Identify potential linkages between modules in a
  stage
• Make module lecturers are aware of such linkages
  how they aid transfer of problem solving
  knowledge.
• Explicit linkages built through co-requisite
  modules
• Implicit linkages depend on the co-operation
  between individual lecturers
• Annual Monitoring Report
• Look at student and staff feedback on the
  teaching process Look for evidence of staff
  cooperation - enhances horizontal alignment.

13
Stream Leader - Vertical alignment

• Identify potential linkages between similar
  modules in different stages
• Make lecturers are aware of such linkages.
• Explicit linkages built through pre-requisite
  modules
• Co-operation between lecturers needed to
  operationalise implicit linkages.
• Ensures the learning outcomes of individual
  modules and of the overall programme are
  achieved.
• Annual Monitoring Report
• Look for evidence of successful co-operation
  necessary for vertical alignment.

14
Programme Co-ordinator 3D alignment

• Determine the degree of 3D Alignment existing in
  a given course
• Generate a complete picture such alignment
• Annual Monitoring Report
• alignment information provided by the Lecturer,
  Year Mentor and Stream Leader 3D alignment.

15
Effect of Modularisation on 3D alignment

• Non-modularised programme
• All the modules in each stage to be passed before
  progression
• Significant degree of 3D alignment possible
• Horizontal alignment e.g. a module in the first
  stage may be aligned with all or many of the
  other modules in that stage
• High horizontal alignment
• Vertical alignment e.g. modules align in
  successive stages (a stream)
• High vertical alignment
• Constructive alignment e.g. module learning
  outcomes match assessment and learning and
  teaching for the constructive alignment,
• High constructive alignment

16
Effect of Modularisation on 3D alignment

• Modularised programme
• Modules done independently, in any order
• Low vertical horizontal alignment
• Changes however with pre-requisites
  co-requisites
• High degree of constructive alignment important

17
Effect of Modularisation on 3D alignment

• Non-modularised vs. modularised
• Ideal situation Highly degree of alignment
• Incremental improvements until a threshold
  reached where further alignment not desirable
• Aim get to an optimum position in 3D alignment
  space.

18
Integration of 3D Model with Quality Assurance
System

• Staff Education
• Requirements of the 3D model
• Seminars, Reports, workshops
• Range of uses for the data including program
  revalidation

19
Summary

• 3D Aligned curriculum
• 3D Alignment Space
• Alignment Drift
• Annual Monitoring Report
• Main Actors Roles
• Effect of Modularisation
• Integration of 3D model QA

20
Further Information

• Paper
• Webhttp//software.hit.edu.cn/emersion/index.html
  
• Book An Industry-Oriented Model for Software
  Education in China Adapting and Irish Model to
  Chinese Conditions Lawless, Deirdre Wu, Bing
  Carroll, Dave, Gordon, Damian Hussey, Matt
  O'Leary, Ciarán O'Shea, Brendan Xiaofei, Xu
  (Eds.)Blackhall Publishing, 2007
• EmailDave.Carroll_at_dit.ie

21
References

• O'LEARY, Ciarán., LAWLESS, Deirdre, GORDON,
  Damian, CARROLL, Dave, MTENZI, Fred and COLLINS,
  Michael, 3D Alignment in the Adaptive Software
  Engineering Curriculum, 36th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers
  in Education Conference, October 28 31, 2006,
  San Diego, CA.

22
Thank You!

• Go Raibh Maith Agat
• Xie Xie

23
Emersion Main Data Collection Mechanisms
24
Emersion Key Quality Indicators (General)
25
Emersion Key Quality Indicators (Exams)