Mappy

Mappy Intelligence

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Visualize curriculum data

Mappy is a tool designed to help educators visualize and analyze curriculum data. It provides multiple visualization options including radar plots, binary heatmaps, and cumulative heatmaps to provide a programmatic lens on assessment design and gain insights into curriculum coverage.

Project Team

Project Lead

Fiacre Rougieux, UNSW Engineering

Core Team

1) Pedagogy

Diana Saragi Turnip, UNSW Medicine
Patsie Polly, UNSW Medicine
Jon Xiating Cai, UNSW Medicine
Priya Khanna Pathak, UNSW Medicine
Dhanushi Abeygunawardena, UNSW Science

2) Features

Robbie Keswick

3) ECLIPS data

Andrew Duncan

Disclaimer

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

The information provided by Mappy is for general informational and educational purposes only. Users are solely responsible for verifying all information and using the software at their own risk. The creators and contributors of Mappy make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content.

Mappy Help

Welcome to Mappy, a curriculum visualization and analysis platform designed to help educators map competencies across courses, explore live program structures, and identify coverage patterns.

1. Data Sources

ECLIPS Integration

Mappy connects directly to ECLIPS, the institutional academic graph, giving you live access to program structures, courses, CLOs, PLOs, and assessment data:

Search for any program or specialisation using the top search bar
Browse by faculty using the treemap on the home screen
ECLIPS data includes course relationships, prerequisite chains, and CLO-to-PLO mappings
Version history is available where multiple handbook years exist

Custom Data (Excel)

You can also load your own mapping spreadsheets:

Select Open File to import an Excel (.xlsx) file
Use Pre-filled to start from a template framework
Required columns: aspect, course_code
Optional columns: term, year
Save File to export in Excel, JSON, or CSV formats

2. Visualization Options

Radar Charts: Competency distribution with weighted analysis and adaptive scaling.
Binary Heatmaps: Presence/absence matrix showing which courses cover which competencies.
Cumulative Heatmaps: Progressive coverage across curriculum with adaptive margins.
Program Structure: Treemap and hierarchy views of containers, courses, and elective sets drawn from ECLIPS.
Assessment Profile: Breakdown of assessment types, weights, and security classifications per course or program.
Educational Taxonomies:
- Miller's Pyramid (Clinical skills)
- CDIO Framework (Engineering)
- Dreyfus Model (Skill acquisition)
Elective Path: Progression tracking over time.

3. Editing & Custom Mappings

Direct Editing: Click any cell in heatmap visualizations to open the editing dialog.
Spreadsheet View: Use the sidebar "Edit Data" button for bulk changes and search.
Framework Management: Create custom competency templates and standards.
New Mapping: Add a custom mapping sheet to any program loaded from ECLIPS.

Remember to use Save File after editing to persist your changes.

4. Advanced Features

Export: Download all plots as images or generate PDF reports.
Settings: Customize theme, colors, and analysis thresholds via the status bar.
Analysis: Weighted analysis toggles to factor in assessment weightings.

Key terms used throughout Mappy, explained for new users.

Visualizations

Binary Heatmap: A grid that shows yes or no: whether each course covers each competency. A filled cell means the course addresses that competency; an empty cell means it doesn't.
Cumulative Heatmap: Like the binary heatmap, but each row shows the running total of coverage up to that point in the curriculum, useful for spotting when competencies are first introduced and how they build up.
Radar Chart: A spider-web chart where each axis is a competency. The shape shows how evenly coverage is distributed: a balanced polygon means broad coverage; spikes indicate over-emphasis in a few areas.
Elective Path: A timeline visualization showing how competencies accumulate as a student moves through a sequence of elective choices.
Assessment Profile: A breakdown of assessment types and their weightings across a course or program, e.g., how much of the grade comes from exams vs. assignments.

Data & Mapping

Competency: A skill, knowledge area, or learning outcome being mapped. Each column in your spreadsheet typically represents one competency.
Framework: A structured set of competencies used as a mapping template, e.g., Bloom's Taxonomy or the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
PLO (Program Learning Outcome): A high-level goal for the entire degree program: what graduates should know or be able to do upon completion.
CLO / SLO (Course / Subject Learning Outcome): Specific learning goals for a single course. CLOs map upward to PLOs to show how courses contribute to program-level outcomes.
I / D / A (Introduce · Develop · Assess): Three levels of engagement with a competency. Introduce = first exposure; Develop = practice and deepen; Assess = formally evaluate.
Aspect: A data dimension in Mappy's file format, essentially a column header representing a competency or outcome category.
Mapping: A single sheet linking one set of elements (e.g., courses) to one set of competencies. A workbook can contain multiple mappings for different frameworks.

Assessments & Program Structure

Secured (assessment type): An assessment classified as requiring controlled conditions based on a structured decision tree (covering supervision level, permitted materials, and environment). Typical examples include invigilated exams and timed online tests under lockdown. Whether a given task qualifies as Secured depends on the decision tree: contact Mappy for more information on the decision tree.
Assessment Weight: The percentage of the final grade contributed by a single assessment task. Weights across all tasks in a course should sum to 100%.
Weighted Analysis: An analysis mode that factors in assessment weights rather than treating all tasks equally: a 60% exam counts more than a 10% quiz.
UoC (Units of Credit): The credit-point value of a course, indicating its relative size and workload (e.g., most courses are 6 UoC; a thesis may be 24 UoC).
Container: A structural grouping in a program, e.g., a major, specialisation, or prescribed elective list. Containers can nest inside each other.
Elective: A course selected from a defined set of options (rather than a fixed requirement). Mappy can visualize how different elective combinations affect competency coverage.
Threshold: A minimum coverage level used in analysis, e.g., a competency is considered "met" only if it appears in at least 2 courses or reaches a set weighted total.

Educational Frameworks & Taxonomies

Bloom's Taxonomy: A six-level cognitive framework: Remember → Understand → Apply → Analyze → Evaluate → Create. Widely used to classify the depth of learning outcomes.
Miller's Pyramid: A four-level framework for clinical skills: Knows → Knows How → Shows How → Does. Used in health and medical education to gauge practical competence.
CDIO Framework: An engineering education framework standing for Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate, mapping how students engage with the full product lifecycle.
Dreyfus Model: A five-stage skill acquisition model: Novice → Advanced Beginner → Competent → Proficient → Expert. Useful for tracking professional skill development.
Krathwohl's Affective Domain: A taxonomy for attitudinal and emotional learning: Receiving → Responding → Valuing → Organizing → Characterizing. Complements Bloom's cognitive domain.
Fink's Taxonomy: Six interrelated dimensions of significant learning: Foundational Knowledge, Application, Integration, Human Dimension, Caring, and Learning How to Learn.

Settings

Theme

Release Notes

Example Template

Load a sample curriculum map with pre-populated data

Open File

Select a local Excel file from your computer

Walkthrough

Take a quick tour of the features

Mapping name

I want to map

to

Source items will be loaded automatically.

Target items will be loaded automatically.

Scheme

Binary (mapped / unmapped) I / D / A

Export Report (Beta)

Format

Excel (.xlsx) — multi-tab with coverage matrix, tidy data & dictionary PDF

Scope

Include sections

Coverage matrix (courses × outcomes, colour-coded I/D/M)

Tidy data (one row per CLO–outcome link, xlsx only)

Dictionary (PLO/SLO/CLO codes + descriptions) At-risk analysis (outcomes with sole-course coverage flagged)

Include provenance (timestamp, data source)

From To

Dashboard

Edit Spreadsheet

Add Course

Mappy Intelligence

Project Team

Project Lead

Core Team

Disclaimer

Mappy Help

1. Data Sources

ECLIPS Integration

Custom Data (Excel)

2. Visualization Options

3. Editing & Custom Mappings

4. Advanced Features

Visualizations

Data & Mapping

Assessments & Program Structure

Educational Frameworks & Taxonomies

Settings

Change Password

Release Notes

Login

Example Template

Open File

Walkthrough

Program Browser

Edit Spreadsheet

Add Course

Release Notes

Program Browser

New Mapping

Export Report (Beta)

Impact Analysis

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