P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: P ime a, R. C., Blan o d, J. I., Lemmens, R. L., & Ronzhin,
S. (2025). A Seman ic App oach o Cu iculum De elopmen & Managemen :
In eg a ing a 5-Phased Redesign, ABC Lea ning Design, and GeoCou seHub
On ology o Mul i-Modal Geospa ial Educa ion. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G.,
Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence. Eu opean
Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17631391.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
A SEMANTIC APPROACH TO CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT &
MANAGEMENT: INTEGRATING A 5-PHASED REDESIGN, ABC
LEARNING DESIGN, AND GEO COURSE HUB ONTOLOGY FOR
MULTI-MODAL GEOSPATIAL EDUCATION
Roseidys C.M. P ime a
1
Uni e si y o Twen e
Enschede, he Ne he lands
h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0007-2129-7455
Jus ine I. Blan o d
Uni e si y o Twen e
Enschede, he Ne he lands
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-0844-9390
Rob L.G. Lemmens
Uni e si y o Twen e
Enschede, he Ne he lands
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-5269-6343
S anisla Ronzhin
Uni e si y o Twen e
Enschede, he Ne he lands
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-0339-3017
Con e ence Key A eas: Cu iculum de elopmen and eme ging cu iculum models in
enginee ing, Con inuing educa ion and li e-long lea ning in enginee ing
Keywo ds: cu iculum de elopmen , cu iculum managemen , eusable educa ion, body
o knowledge/knowledge g aphs, lea ning pa hs
1
R.C.M. P ime a
os.c.m.p ime [email protected]
ABSTRACT
Highe educa ion ins i u ions ace inc easing p essu e o adap cu icula o lexible and
online lea ning en i onmen s while ensu ing alignmen wi h e ol ing indus y and
lea ning needs. This p ac ice pape p esen s a holis ic amewo k o cu iculum
inno a ion, in eg a ing h ee key componen s: a s uc u ed app oach o cu iculum
edesign, a collabo a i e cou se design me hodology, and seman ic web echnologies
o cu iculum managemen and de elopmen . This in eg a ed app oach p o ides a
obus and scalable solu ion o o ches a ing cu iculum inno a ion, ensu ing ha
educa ional p og ams emain ele an , engaging, and adap able in he ace o apidly
changing echnological and socie al demands. By combining s a egic ision wi h
p ac ical me hods and echnological suppo , his amewo k empowe s ins i u ions o
build a FAIR educa ion. The amewo k p esen ed he e is applicable o BSc and MSc
enginee ing p og ammes in need o managing, de eloping and e alua ing cu icula.
1. INTRODUCTION
The landscape o highe educa ion is unde going a signi ican ans o ma ion, d i en by
he inc easing demand o online and blended lea ning op ions and he apid e olu ion
o echnology and indus y needs while s ill being able o deli e engaging ace- o- ace
educa ional expe iences. Educa ional ins i u ions a e challenged o c ea e lexible, mul i-
modal cu icula ha no only accommoda e di e se s uden needs bu also equip
g adua es wi h he skills and compe encies equi ed o h i e in a apidly changing wo ld
(Blan o d and Ve planke, 2023). Success ully na iga ing his ans o ma ion equi es a
holis ic app oach ha enables educa ional p og ammes o manage, de elop and
e alua e cu icula. To achie e his, a comp ehensi e amewo k o cu iculum
inno a ion is p oposed ha in eg a es s a egic cu iculum edesign and collabo a i e
cou se design wi h seman ic echnology.
The amewo k consis s o h ee key elemen s:
• A s uc u ed, 5-phased app oach o cu iculum edesign ha enables ins i u ions
o sys ema ically analyse, e alua e, and upda e hei educa ional p og ams o
add ess gaps and edundancies and align wi h e ol ing indus y needs (Blan o d
and Ve planke, 2023).
• An adap ed ABC Lea ning Design me hod which is a collabo a i e, hands-on
app oach o cou se ( e)design ha p omo es ac i e lea ning, cons uc i e
alignmen , and s uden engagemen (King e al., 2024).
• The Geo Cou se Hub on ology, a seman ic web echnology-based pla o m o
managing cu iculum me ada a, acili a ing pe sonalized lea ning pa hs, and
enhancing he accessibili y and eusabili y o cou se con en (Ronzhin e
al.,2024).
Fig 1:
In eg a ed
amewo k: 5-
phased
app oach,
adap ed ABC
lea ning design
& Geo Cou se
Hub on ology
echnologies.
The amewo k combines a 5-phased cu iculum edesign p ocess, an adap ed ABC
Lea ning Design me hod, and he Geo Cou se Hub on ology (Fig.1). The goal o his
amewo k is o c ea e sus ainable, lexible, mul i-modal cou ses. This amewo k is
being applied o a mas e 's p og amme in Geo-In o ma ion Science and Ea h
Obse a ion (M-GEO) a he Uni e si y o Twen e wi hin he Facul y o Geo-In o ma ion
Science and Ea h Obse a ion.
1.1. Cu iculum Redesign (5-Phased App oach) (Blan o d & Ve planke, 2023)
The cu iculum edesign p ocess consis s o i e phases: In en o y, Analysis,
E alua ion, Design, and Implemen a ion. The In en o y phase cap u es eaching and
lea ning elemen s like cou se in o ma ion, lea ning ou comes, assessmen me hods,
lea ning ac i i ies, and opics. Du ing he Analysis phase, he s a in ol ed (p og amme
managemen and educa ional suppo s a ) analysed collec ed da a o iden i y didac ic
me hods, assessmen ypes, and opics augh , using desc ip i e s a is ics and ex
analysis o examine cu iculum ela ionships and gaps. The E alua ion phase assesses
he educa ion p og am using in en o y and analysis indings, combined wi h ex e nal
inpu s om ad iso y boa ds, su eys, wo kshops, and collabo a i e sessions. The
Design phase concep ualizes (design a d a plan o ) he cu iculum o mul i-modal
lea ning en i onmen s, using s o yboa ding echniques o isualize cou ses. Finally, he
Implemen a ion phase in oduces new cou ses and cu icula, conside ing he impac on
s uden s in mul i-yea p og ams.
1.2. Collabo a i e Cou se (Re)Design (Adap ed ABC Lea ning Design Me hod)
(King e al., 2024)
The Collabo a i e Cou se (Re)Design p ocess uses he ABC Lea ning Design me hod
in a se ies o wo kshops o collabo a i ely design o edesign cou ses wi h an ac i e
lea ning app oach (Young and Pe o ić, 2016). Key s eps include iceb eake s o p omo e
discussion, c ea ing a s o yboa d using lea ning ypes, selec ing lea ning ac i i ies, and
e alua ing he s o yboa d. Modi ica ions o he s o yboa d in ol e inco po a ing, a
Cou se P o ile, Cou se Lea ning Ou comes (CLOs) and assessmen s o cons uc i e
alignmen , using a e ical layou o easie checking, assessing s uden wo kload
based on ECTS c edi s, and using digi al ools like MS Excel o da a managemen . The
ABC Lea ning Design me hod has been adap ed om Uni e si y College London (UCL).
1.3. Cu iculum Managemen (Geo Cou se Hub On ology) (Lemmens e al.,2023;
Ronzhin e al., 2024) The Geo Cou se Hub (GCH) is a pla o m de eloped o manage
cu iculum me ada a. The GCH pla o m is based on seman ic web echnologies and
aims o imp o e lexibili y in building and upda ing cou ses, enable managemen o
educa ion o e ings, suppo pe sonalized lea ning pa hs, acili a e collabo a i e cou se
c ea ion, and p o ide a single poin o access o cu iculum in o ma ion. I uses linked
da a as a backbone o c ea e links be ween any o he me ada a elemen s o he
cou ses, such as lea ning ou comes, cou se ac i i ies, cou se opics, e c. (Fig.2a). The
Geo Cou se Hub a chi ec u e decouples da a om i s applica ions. The me ada a is
s o ed as linked da a in a iple s o e (Fig.2b). I s laye ed a chi ec u e acili a es:
• Seman ic Web Technology S ack: The Seman ic Web echnology s ack is used o
ep esen and cap u e cu iculum in o ma ion, enabling he ealiza ion o FAIR
p inciples (Wilkinson e al., 2016). The FAIR p inciples a e: Findabili y ( o be able
o ind), Accessibili y ( o be able o access), In e ope abili y ( o be able o
in eg a e da a om mul iple esou ces), and Reusabili y ( o be able o euse).
• En ichmen o In ended Lea ning Ou comes (ILOs): ILOs a e en iched wi h links
o ele an domain concep s and Bloom's le el indica ion (Bloom e al., 1956).
This app oach allows o a nuanced unde s anding o lea ning ou comes and
os e s seman ic modelling o cou se con en (Fig.2a).
• Loosely Coupled Sys em Design: A loosely coupled sys em is designed, elying
on a laye o p og ammable da a in e aces. The pla o m consis s o
independen so wa e applica ions ha use GCH da a ia SPARQL (linked da a
que y language)
2
, REST, and Elas ic Sea ch connec ions.
Fig 2: (a) B eakdown o cou se
elemen s o which me ada a is s o ed in Geo Cou se Hub. (b) Geo Cou se Hub sys em
a chi ec u e.
2. CONTEXT AND PRACTICAL WORK
2.1. De elopmen and Applica ions o Geo Cou se Hub
The Geo Cou se Hub pla o m co e componen s such as he GCH on ology, da a
pe sis ence laye , da a API laye , and B owse (Fig.1-2) we e de eloped.
The GCH pla o m was designed o acili a e he managemen o cu iculum me ada a
and o e s a a ie y o unc ions (Fig.1-2). The main unc ions he GCH applica ions can
be used o :
• B owse cou ses: The pla o m enables o use s o sea ch ma e ials on a speci ic
opic, skill o so wa e used.
• E alua e cu iculum: Enables o p og amme managemen o educa ion o e ings
o iden i y simila i ies be ween cou ses, iden i y o e laps as well as gaps.
• Designing lea ning pa hways and cou ses: Since he in o ma ion is p o ided as
indi idual uni s, hese can be used o de elop pe sonalized lea ning pa hways as
well as be able o combine uni s in o a single cou se.
2
SPARQL: h ps://www.w3.o g/TR/spa ql12-que y/
a
b
A websi e ha includes he GCH applica ions has been de eloped using he Linked
Da a Reac o F amewo k (Khalili and de G aa , 2017) o acili a e es ing by bo h
eaching s a and p og amme manage s (see Fig. 3).
Fig 3: Sc eensho o he websi e de eloped o showcase GCH applica ions
Fu he mo e, GCH has also been de eloped o collec da a o cou se o e ings ha a e
mul i-modal. All ypes o in o ma ion on deli e y modes o educa ion can be collec ed.
GCH is also in ended o be used o li e-long lea ning educa ion, oge he wi h ano he
acul y p ojec ocused on a geo-in o ma ion online academy pla o m o o e online
cou ses (mainly MOOCS) (Geo e si y, 2024).
2.2. In ended Technological Bene i s o Geo Cou se Hub
GCH oge he wi h he 5-phased cu iculum edesign app oach and he adap ed ABC
lea ning design me hod can ha e mul iple echnological bene i s:
• Imp o ing lexibili y in building new cou ses and upda ing exis ing ones.
• Que ying all da a in eg ally, allowing ede a ed (o e mul iple da a sou ces)
que ying wi h he SPARQL que y language.
• Managing and e ie ing da a ia ead-w i e SPARQL and REST in e aces. This
allows ex e nal applica ions o connec o he cou se me ada a ia a s anda dised
app oach.
• Suppo ing cou se opic explo a ion using linked da a s o age o cou se
me ada a, anno a ed wi h con en om domain on ologies, e.g. concep ually
ep esen ing he domain o geo-in o ma ion echnology ( he domain o M-GEO).
And possibili y o connec o mo e han one on ology.
2.3. Wo kshops & In e iews
Du ing 2023 and 2024 se e al wo kshops we e conduc ed o s o yboa d cou ses as
desc ibed in King e al. (2024). The ou pu o hese se ed as me ada a inpu o he Geo
Cou se Hub applica ions. Se e al applica ions and connec ions we e en isioned (Fig.
2b). The pilo s and use es ing mainly ocused on he B owse , Analyse and
Sugges e . Use es ing was conduc ed on he B owse o p o ide access and
explo a ion o he mas e cou ses o he acul y o Geo-In o ma ion Science and Ea h
Obse a ion, Uni e si y o Twen e, he Analyse o p o ide analysis and e alua ion o
he cu iculum o p og amme managemen , and he Sugges e o p o ide in o ma ion
abou he cu iculum o s uden s. Use es ing consis ed o h ee me hods, (1)
wo kshops and (2) in e iews wi h eaching s a and (3) in e iews wi h p og amme
managemen s a .
Du ing hese wo kshops and in e iews all cou se in o ma ion om he design o 2024-
2025 and he edesign 2025-2026 o he Mas e ’s p og amme in Geo-In o ma ion
Science and Ea h Obse a ion was collec ed. The ype o cou se in o ma ion collec ed
a e p og amme, specializa ion, lea ning ou comes, opics, bloom le el, cou se uni ,
cou se eache , cou se ma e ial (including so wa e) and cou se lea ning ac i i ies (Fig.
2).
Fu he mo e, du ing he in e iews we asked eaching s a and p og amme
managemen s a se e al ques ions ocusing on he FAIR componen s; (1) could hey
ind he in o ma ion hey we e looking o , (2) is he in o ma ion easily accessible? And
(3) could hey euse his in o ma ion o de eloping a new cou se o example?.
3. RESULTS
The esul s o he in o ma ion ga he ed du ing he wo kshops and in e iews highligh ed
some main posi i e aspec s and some aspec s ha should be imp o ed.
Posi i e aspec s men ioned we e ha i acili a ed he indabili y and accessibili y o he
in o ma ion wi hin he M-GEO p og amme, including be able o ind opics ha mul iple
cou ses a e co e ing. Mos pa icipan s saw added alue in explo ing h ough he
in o ma ion a ailable in he B owse , as inpu be o e hey s a designing a cou se o
du ing he design o a cou se. P og amme managemen exp essed ha i would be
good o ha e a single poin o con ac o collec ing in o ma ion ela ed o he
p og amme.
The esul s o he pilo and use es ing also highligh ed some aspec s ha should be
imp o ed: (1) A change o cul u e and p ocesses: mos academic s a a e used o hei
way-o -wo king. In oducing new ways and mo e applica ions in o an al eady highly
complex ecosys em o applica ions a ailable, is no ideal. So, o make his in eg a ed
app oach be e embedded in an ins i u ion, i should be clea and easy o use. (2)
G anula i y o me a-da a: he e is a lo o da a ha can be collec ed. Du ing he pilo s
and use - es ing i was clea ha he amoun o me ada a ga he ed has o be limi ed o
he mos impo an and needed componen s.
4. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The expe iences a he Facul y o Geo-In o ma ion Science and Ea h Obse a ion a
he Uni e si y o Twen e, inco po a ing a 5-phased cu iculum edesign p ocess, he
adap ed ABC Lea ning Design me hod, and he Geo Cou se Hub on ology, o e
aluable conclusions and implica ions o highe educa ion ins i u ions seeking o
inno a e and adap hei cu icula o he mul i-modal age.
The in eg a ed amewo k suppo s ocused on he use o GCH:
• FAIR P inciples in Cu iculum Managemen : Implemen ing Seman ic Web
echnologies and FAIR p inciples in cu iculum managemen enhances he
indabili y, accessibili y, in e ope abili y, and eusabili y o educa ional esou ces.
• Po en ial o Cen alized Cu iculum Me ada a: The Geo Cou se Hub (GCH)
pla o m's cen alized, seman ically ich cu iculum me ada a can imp o e
lexibili y in building and upda ing cou ses. This enhanced sea ch and disco e y
o lea ning esou ces can acili a e he c ea ion o indi idualized lea ning pa hs.
• Impo ance o Add essing Change Managemen : The p ocess o cu iculum
inno a ion equi es e ec i e change managemen s a egies, including upskilling
s a , add essing esis ance o change, and p o iding ongoing suppo and
esou ces.
• S uc u ed Da a o Con inual Imp o emen : Wi h all cou se in o ma ion a ailable
in a s uc u ed o ma , ins i u ions can easily sea ch o cou ses and opics,
isualize and analyse con en , e alua e lea ning ac i i ies, and c ea e
pe sonalized lea ning pa hways. This s uc u ed app oach allows o con inual
and g adual imp o emen s o he cu iculum.
In summa y, he in eg a ion o he 5-phased cu iculum edesign p ocess, he adap ed
ABC Lea ning Design me hod, and he Geo Cou se Hub on ology o e s a obus
amewo k o highe educa ion ins i u ions seeking o ans o m hei cu icula o he
mul i-modal age.
5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This s udy was pa ially unded by he Sma e Academic Yea and he Ingenui y
p og am o he Facul y o Geo-In o ma ion Science and Ea h Obse a ion, Uni e si y o
Twen e.
Fu he mo e, I would also like o hank Jane King, e-lea ning specialis and ins uc ional
designe which was e y much in ol ed in acili a ing he cou se design wo kshops and
played a key pa wi hin he p ojec s men ioned in his p ac ice pape .
And las ly, I would also like o hank all my colleagues wi hin he educa ion and e-
lea ning uni o he o he Facul y o Geo-In o ma ion Science and Ea h Obse a ion,
Uni e si y o Twen e.
