Transferring Knowledge Between Courses

Tools: Plectica and Thortspace

In a previous article, I discussed the use of Plectica for building fluency in Data Analytics concepts. Another key benefit of Plectica is the ability to transfer knowledge across courses.

Today, our son completed the Introduction to Tidyverse course. He will be starting Introduction to R tomorrow. I prepared a Plectica map for him. Prior knowledge is tagged in the map (light blue for Datacamp courses, blue for prior experience).

It is also easy to transfer knowledge across maps. I had already built a map for Introduction to R because I use it in my graduate course. I transferred the card and made some changes for our setting.

Map, Activate, Check

We use the Map, Activate, Check (MAC) process to design effective learning experiences.

Map it!

We create a learning map using Plectica. As we progress with Datacamp courses, our Plectica map expands. For example, the map below shows cards for three courses.

Activate it!

We have systematic activities for using the maps. We can review prior knowledge and relate it to new concepts and skills. We can review the maps and talk about them regularly to build fluency in explanations. We can practice the skills in the maps to build fluency in coding.

We can also move ideas around and relate them to discuss inter-relationships between concepts.

Check it!

The chunking in Plectica is useful for quickly checking understanding of concepts.

Tracking our journey with Thortspace

I am also encouraging my son to build a Thortspace map of his journey. The map below shows courses completed. There is a link to the Datacamp certificate for completed courses as well as a link to a Plectica map for the course. In the future, he may include additional documentation (e.g., R Notebooks).

Documenting and Sharing Journeys

We are documenting our journey with tools such as Plectica and Thortspace for multiple reasons. First, we have an organized record of what we are learning. We have a record that is easy to access and review. Second, we can share our journey with others. While a variety of courses and resources are available, it is difficult to figure out what resources to use and when to use certain resources. By sharing our journey, we hope to provide a resource to others setting out on their Data Analytics journey. Finally, by collecting data as we are immersed in learning experiences, we can create a portfolio as needed in the future.