Personal Blogs

Reading Multi modality

SDK228 The Science of Mind employs a ‘Map’ of the sequential and domain Structure of the module in order to locate within this map, the Learning Activities on the module.

This Map offers access and structure to those activities:

·       ACCESS because icons representing activities are one way of accessing them;

·       STRUCTURE because the activities are multiply coded;

o    By spatial location and letter code as equal segments of a four segment circular structure. Each of 3 segments relate to a sequential discussion of three mental health diagnoses, with an introductory segment introducing concepts common to all 3.

o   By spatial location within 3 colour-coded 2-dimensional levels of a concentric ‘doughnut’ rings. The colour code has a key indicating the conceptual domain represented by each coloured ring.

The illustration above shows the result of a learner choosing the ‘free roam’ version of the map. Alternatively the learner can choose to restrict their access for the time being to one of the segment areas. They can be chosen without regard to the sequence in the module.

Above is segment 3. All Activities are coded as ‘A’ (for Addictions). Roaming the mouse cursor over each activity (numbered 1 to 4) raises a simple explanation of the activity’s contents, which also justifies its colour-coded domain location. The number of activities roughly follows a path from the inner ring (yellow for ‘Symptoms’) to the outer one (blue for ‘Treatment’), with the orange ring (for Biology) always (IF ACTIVITIES ARE PERFORMED IN NUMERICAL ORDER) intermediary between ‘symptoms’ and ‘treatments’ domains. It could be considered that sequencing of activities privileges biological explanations of biopsychosocial material in the other domains. The figure also shows the manner in which activities are explained in pop-ups – provided the Activity is not selected by a mouse or key click.

Activities can also be selected for access from the drop-down menu shown as open above, as well as outside the MultiMedia Map from the Sequential Course Outline web page, organised by recommended week of study order.

Choosing the ‘Interactive Brain/ label and icon shown in the upper right of the picture above accesses a rotational animation offering the illusion of a 3-dimensional tour of the brain and its classic means of division (hemispheres, gross anatomy, cortical lobes and various ‘sections’). The picture shows the brain highlighted by colour codes for he lobes. The rotational aspects and feature highlights are contained in a spoken narrative synchronously accompanying the progress of the animation. The animation narrative can be paused and the temporal location of any screenshot opportunity noted. File tabs take learners from a general tour, to animations on external and then internal 3-D cartography of the brain and thence to demonstrations of neural pathways associated with particular neurochemical messengers and their functions.