CoUML

Draft

Definition

coUML is a UML-based educational modeling language that can be used in any stage of the course design and development process where visual models and structured descriptions of the current and planned design are useful to the design team.

coUML is a learning design language.

The language

(this may include wrong information, didn't have time yet to look at things in detail - Daniel K. Schneider 12:18, 8 July 2008 (UTC))

A course may firstly described with a tabular fact sheet: Course name, summary, structure, presence mode, online support, participants, teaching staff, instructional strategy, and a list of included coUML models (the CPM).

The Course Package Model (CPM) includes:

• Roles, described similar to use case diagrams
• Learning goals, described with elements of UML class diagram
• Course Structure Model (CSM), describes dependencies with arrows (like in a UML class diagram
• Course Activity Model (CAM), uses UML activity diagrams

In addition to typical UML drawings, tabular overviews for each element (roles, goals, etc) are used.

Links

• Beauty and Precision in Instructional Design (slides). Derntl, Michael; Pat Parrish & Luca Botturi, EdMedia 2008.

• The Person-Centered e-Learning Pattern Repository. If you browser through this site, you will find several kinds of diagrams, in particular UML activity diagrams that describe various kinds of pedagogical scenarios. Since the first publication about coUML is more recent, some of these diagrams may not be fully coUML compatible, but I don't know. Anyhow, look at this website if you are interested in modeling various kinds of educational scenarios and teaching models - Daniel K. Schneider 11:11, 16 January 2009 (UTC)

Bibliography

• Derntl Michael & Renate Motschnig (2007). coUML - A Visual Language for Modeling Cooperative Environments. in L. Botturi & T. Stubbs, Handbook of Visual Languages for Instructional Design: Theories and Practices, Information Science Reference, 155-184. ISBN 1599047292. (This handbook is fairly expensive and there don't seem to be alternatives for the moment to learn about coUML, except looking at somewhat older publications and the The Person-Centered e-Learning Pattern Repository we site.

• Botturi, Luca; Daniel Burgos, Manuel Caeiro, Michael Derntl, Rob Koper, Patrick Parrish, Tim Sodhi, Colin Tattersal (2007). Comparing Visual Instructional Design Languages, A Case Study, in L. Botturi & T. Stubbs, Handbook of Visual Languages for Instructional Design: Theories and Practices, Information Science Reference, 155-184. ISBN 1599047292

• Derntl, M. & Botturi, L. (2006). Essential Use Cases for Pedagogical Patterns. Computer Science Education, 16 (2), 137-156

• Derntl, M. & Motschnig-Pitrik, R. (2005). The Role of Structure, Patterns, and People in Blended Learning. The Internet and Higher Education, 8 (2), 111-130

• Derntl, M., & Motschnig-Pitrik, R. (2003). Employing Patterns for Web-Based, Person-Centered Learning: Concept and First Experiences. Proceedings of ED-MEDIA 2003 - World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications, Honolulu, HI, USA.

• Motschnig-Pitrik, R., & Derntl, M. (2005). Learning Process Models as Mediators between Didactical Practice and Web Support. Proceedings of Conceptual Modeling - ER 2005: 24th International Conference on Conceptual Modeling, Klagenfurt, Austria, LNCS 3716, Springer Verlag, pp. 112-127.

Acknowledgement: This article or part of this article has been written during a collaboration with the EducTice group of INRP, which attributed a visiting grant to DKS in january 2009.