Concept Dependency & Co-dependency App — User Guide






Concept Dependency & Co-dependency App — Instruction File (User Guide)





Instruction File — Prepared by Dr. Vignon Oussa — October 15, 2025

Concept Dependency & Co-dependency App — User Guide


Purpose of the App

This application helps you model conceptual relationships within a course, visualize those relationships,
and export the data to Excel for further analysis. It computes curricular analytics
(e.g., gateway score, centrality measures, bottleneck score) to help identify critical concepts and potential bottlenecks.

Quick Start

  1. Select a course from the top dropdown labeled Course (code, title).
  2. Choose the number of concepts (between 5 and 10).
  3. Click Build Form to generate a workspace with three sections:
    • Concepts Table
    • Dependency Matrix
    • Analytics & Graph Visualization
  4. Enter your concepts, optional descriptions, and optional weights.
  5. Populate the Dependency Matrix using the dropdown values.
  6. Review the Analytics and Graph.
  7. Save Draft (optional) and then Export to download an Excel workbook.

Concepts Table

Concepts: List the key ideas taught in your course (e.g., Limits & Continuity, Derivative, Implicit Differentiation, Definite Integral & Area, Curve Sketching, etc.).

Short Description (optional): A brief note clarifying the scope or emphasis of each concept.

Weight (optional): Indicates emphasis or curricular importance:

  • 1 = Supporting
  • 2 = Important
  • 3 = Central (often a gateway concept)

Recommendation. Including short descriptions improves downstream interpretation and review.

Dependency Matrix (Core of the App)

The matrix captures prerequisite structure at the concept level.

  • Rows = Concepts taught in this course.
  • Columns = Concepts required beforehand (knowledge students should already control before tackling the row concept).
Value Meaning
1 Dependency (row concept requires column concept)
0.5 Co-dependency (mutually supportive / often learned together)
0 No dependency
? Unsure (flag for review)
Illustrative Example (Non-prescriptive).

  • Derivative depends on Function and Limits & Continuity → mark 1 under those columns for the Derivative row.
  • Implicit Differentiation typically depends on Derivative → mark 1 accordingly.
  • Applications of the Derivative depends on Derivative (and possibly Functions, Limits) → mark 1 as appropriate.
  • Curve Sketching often depends on Derivative (and sometimes Functions, Limits) → mark 1.
  • Definite Integral & Area may require Functions and Limits → mark 1 where appropriate.

Important. Fill the matrix carefully. The example above is illustrative and not prescriptive.

Analytics & Graph Visualization

After populating the matrix, scroll to Curricular Analytics. The app computes metrics for each concept, such as:

  • Gateway Score: Indicates how strongly a concept functions as an entry-point for others (often related to how many downstream concepts depend on it and how strongly).
  • In-Degree: Count/weight of prerequisites a concept depends on.
  • Reachability: Number of concepts downstream (directly or indirectly) dependent on a concept.
  • Centrality Measures:
    • Betweenness: How often a concept lies on shortest paths between other concepts (bridge/traffic potential).
    • PageRank: A recursive importance measure based on dependency structure.
  • Bottleneck Score: Composite indicator (incorporating several metrics) highlighting concepts whose weakness or failure would strongly disrupt learning across the course.
Interpretation Example. If analytics identify Derivative, Definite Integral & Area, and Limits & Continuity as top bottlenecks, consider reinforcing these with additional materials, prerequisite checks, or redesigned sequencing.

Saving and Exporting

Save Draft: Stores your current work within the app (when available).

Export: Click Export to download an Excel workbook with four tabs:

  1. Instructions — A brief guide to the workbook.
  2. Concepts — The concepts you entered, including optional descriptions and weights.
  3. Matrix — The dependency/co-dependency matrix used for analytics.
  4. Analytics — Computed metrics for each concept (including bottleneck scores).

In the Analytics tab, look for the Bottleneck Score column and the corresponding Concept to identify top risk areas.

Good Practice Recommendations

  • Be systematic: Agree on definitions for dependency vs. co-dependency within your team before filling the matrix.
  • Document assumptions: Use short descriptions to clarify the intended scope of each concept.
  • Validate: Have at least two instructors independently fill the matrix, then reconcile differences.
  • Close gaps: For concepts with high in-degree, ensure prerequisite review materials are available.
  • Support bottlenecks: For concepts with high bottleneck or betweenness scores, consider
    • scaffolded practice and targeted exemplars,
    • early diagnostic checks,
    • supplemental modules or flipped-classroom segments,
    • alternative remediation pathways.

Troubleshooting & Notes

  • If a dropdown value seems ambiguous, use ? to flag it for later discussion.
  • If the graph looks overly dense, revisit co-dependencies (0.5) to ensure they are justified.
  • If export does not prompt a download, check your browser’s pop-up/download settings.

Version Status (Beta)

The app is currently in beta. If you encounter bugs, please document them (include reproduction steps and, if possible, screenshots) and send them to the maintainer. A running log of issues is maintained, and fixes will be incorporated into the final release.

Acknowledgments

Thank you for contributing your course knowledge—your careful modeling improves the quality of curricular insights and supports student success.

© 2025 — V. Oussa. Instruction File for the Concept Dependency & Co-dependency App.