Interface Design for Credit Bank System and Level-Cross Curriculum system

Abstract

Author designs credits accumulation and exchange model, the corresponding curriculum system, and the interface for them. This 3 parts form a credit bank system serving for lifelong learning. The innovation points are courses supermarket structure, level-cross curriculum system, course depreciation, and smart reminder for exchange. Introduction Credit bank provides learning account for all learners, and builds up a lifelong learning overpass. Learners can accumulate credits and exchange outcomes with the account. Credit bank in China is still in a start stage. And there are no uniformed standard, model, management system, and curriculum system serve for it. Base on lifelong learning idea, author designs a credits accumulation and exchange model, a corresponding curriculum system and test pattern, and an interface for both above. 1. Frame and Characteristics of Credit Bank Accumulation and Exchange System Credit bank admits, accumulates and exchanges credits for learners. This is frame of credit bank: 1.1 Create an account for every learner. The account is lifelong valid, with the learner’s credits, scores, and outcomes in it. Learners can withdraw credits to exchange diplomas according to graduation rules. Scores of used courses still stored in the account. 1.2 Choose learning target. At every beginning of study, learner should determine which course and level to learn, then, accomplish learning procedure according the uniformed course standard and pass the corresponding level test. By this step, learner can win the credits of the course. There are several levels such as vocational high school, college, undergraduate, postgraduate, and so on. Different levels of one course have different requirements of contents and test. 1.3 Credits are stored in the bank account. If a learner accomplishes learning procedure and pass the corresponding level test of a course, the credits and score were stored in the bank. And his credits will grow up. There is a progressive relationship between different levels of a course, and learners can upgrade the level of one course by learning. So, the grow up including 2 sides: amount and grade. 1.4 Learner can exchange diploma (or professional certificate) by credits. When the credits in one account growing up to a certain amount and degree, a diploma (or professional certificate) can be exchanged. At the same time, the diploma (or professional Choose target in Courses Supermarket Create an Account Credits earned store in Credit Bank Exchange Certificates by Credits as outcomes Fig.1 Credit bank framework 2nd International Conference on Management Science and Industrial Engineering (MSIE 2013) © 2013. The authors Published by Atlantis Press 726 certificate) was stored into the account, and all of the credits still keep in the account to exchange for other diploma (or professional certificate). Credit bank has characteristics that lifelong credits accumulation, flexible outcomes exchanging, and outcomes lifelong validity. It is convenient for learners choose appropriate courses and levels to learn, and upgrade levels at anytime according actual situation, cause the credit bank. The lifelong climbing learning pattern was come into being that can serve time and energy for learners by avoiding repeated learning. This is a convenient knowledge and skill promotion channels for all people. 2. Some Problems with Currently Situation for Credit Bank Credit bank is a huge system. Some educational institutions in China start to build the system. And some of them have built up the embryo. But it is still a long distance way from perfect yet. The course system, test pattern, and manage system should be adjusted to achieve the credit bank system. 2.1 There is no uniformed course standard. Every university has his own course requirement, management system and credit rules, and course naming and course ID are different. This is difficult for courses stored into credit bank and level link authenticated. To solve this, uniform courses standard and course ID rules should be set down. 2.2 There are 2 contradictions. One is between the lifelong learning idea and learner’s name on roll term of validity. The other is between knowledge renew and lifelong learning outcomes validity. Normally, it is incomplete credits system in most university in China. They set a limit to the validity of student’s name in roll, 4-8years. If student haven’t obtained all credits required in the limited years, they will get associate degree or be winded up passively. This is contradict with the rule in credit bank that learning account is lifelong valid. However, if the system set down a rule that the credits obtained by learner are everlasting, it brings another problem. Science and knowledge are developing, and the course content and requirement are changing accordingly. The learner with everlasting credits will not match the need of science and knowledge development at one day. 2.3 Isolated curriculum system could not satisfy the lifelong level link up education mode Credit bank provides link up pattern between all levels of higher education. At present time, universities in China have their own curriculum system and rules of graduation, one curriculum system for one level, without link up channel. In this pattern, if student want elevate his degree level, he have to do a lot of useless repeated study. 3. Solutions: Level-cross Curriculum System and Credits Accumulate and Exchange System To building up a perfect credit bank system, a reasonable credit accumulation and exchange system and logical link up curriculum system are necessary. The demand of social and knowledge development and the learner’s learning experience and outcomes should be taken into consideration at the same time. In this part, author proposes solution for problems mentioned above. 3.1 Level-cross curriculum system model 3.1.1 Courses supermarket and course ID Course is single element. Courses supermarket is the total collection of courses, with all credit bank’s courses contained in it. Courses supermarket is the foundation of credit bank. Base on course, learners choose learning target, credit bank refine credits, the account accumulate and exchange credits. Course ID is the unique tag (major key) of a course in the supermarket. For accessing into the credit bank, the MOE (ministry of education) should set down a set of course ID for universities. And universities must use this set of ID for their course management. Setting the efficient course ID rule is the data structure 2 3 4 3 2 level bits course random bits super code of subject category sub code of subject category 14 Fig.2 Course code compile rule coefficient of depreciation 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13