A Novel Curriculum Visualization Method Using a Combination of Competencies, Cosine Similarity, Multidimensional Scaling Methods, and Scatter Plotting

Abstract

This article outlines a new way of visualizing curricula (sets of courses for students) using competencies via a combination of cosine similarity, multidimensional scaling methods, and scatter plotting. We have already published a report analyzing syllabi (summary texts that explain the main points of courses or the contents of curricula) with the same methods. In this report, we show that using competencies is more useful than using syllabi. Usually, students are only interested in the course content when they select courses; this new visualization of curricula using competencies gives students a new perspective on their courses.