Forking a combined course as topics diverge

Question

My first goal is to ask this question clearly. If I haven't, any help on that front would be appreciated.

I'm an instructor/designer. I teach a computer literacy course that for enrollment purposes combines two similar computer literacy courses. They are identical for the first half of the courses. However, they diverge in content for the second half.

My goal is to cleanly fork the class at the point at which they diverge. Ideally each group would only see the content associated with that group to avoid cluttering up the course; they are frosh students so confusion is more of an issue than it might be otherwise.

I'd like to figure out the best, cleanest, cleanest "official" way to do this as I may be using this course as a work sample for application to other schools. I'm comfortable with light coding.

If I were to use Mastery Paths, would students only see the modules relevant to their paths? I could set up a quiz in when students could choose true/false that they were in a specific part of the class?

Thanks so much!

TrishaMeyer1 · Accepted Answer

Hi @zvsmedia ,

I haven't used Mastery Paths myself, but it is my understanding that what you describe is exactly how it would work. I do think you might have to set up the "choice" quiz for each subsequent Module path unless the second part of the course was contained in one Module (one per path, that is), but I'm not sure about that.

Kristin Lundstrum · Accepted Answer

Hi @zvsmedia -

I think Mastery Paths would be perfect for this approach. Paired with modules, you'll create an awesome learning experience for your students! 🎉

How do I use Mastery Paths in course modules?

How do I add conditional content to a Mastery Path source item?

How do I use modules to view the progress of students in a course?

Like @TrishaMeyer1 mentioned, you would need to create your modules and then use a quiz with minimal points to determine the "path" for the next phases of the class. When I taught, I used this with my upper-level art students, and it provided them with the opportunity to customize their learning experience. (They really enjoyed it, and they never worried if the content on their To Do list was theirs or not.) When I set up the Mastery Path quizzes, I created an Assignment Group worth 0% of the overall course grade...just in case someone was worried if a choice would influence their course grade.

From the teacher's perspective, the Gradebook will feel heavy. While students will ONLY see the content that is assigned to them, you'll see everything. The only thing that you'll need to double-check once the paths have been chosen are the due dates. When creating a Mastery Path, an item can be assigned to Mastery Paths. However, even after assigned, the original due dates don't copy to the people who need to follow the path. This has been a known request since 2017 -- [MasteryPaths] Mastery Paths: Automatically Set Conditional Item Due Dates. And while it's not ideal, once you know about the required step, it's simple to add to your workflow. (And it's definitely worthwhile!)

@kona has a wonderful blog that uses Mastery Paths in this way also -- Hacking Mastery Paths

I hope this helps! Feel free to reply with follow-up questions. I'd be happy to collaborate.