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Coherence Maps

A coherence map is the layered view of the graph for one domain. The graph itself is the whole set of outcomes and their prerequisites; the map lays a domain’s slice of it out in rows, so you can see where to start and how deep each concept sits. Nothing here is authored separately. It is derived from the outcomes, so it can never drift out of date.

  • Before: the prerequisites an outcome declares.
  • After: every outcome that lists this one as a prerequisite. This is computed, never written by hand, so there is one source of truth.
  • Layers: outcomes with no prerequisites form the first layer (“start here”). Each further layer is one step deeper. The Coherence Map page renders these layers for every domain, stubs included, so a gap is visible exactly where it sits.
  • Unlocks: the transitive set of outcomes that depend on a node. “What comes next” on an outcome’s page is ordered by it, so the concept that opens the most doors is listed first.

Rules

Section titled “Rules”
  1. Prerequisites must exist. A reference to an outcome that does not exist fails the site build with a message naming the file. Create a stub if the target is not written yet.
  2. The map must be acyclic. If outcome A requires B and B requires A, the build fails with a message naming the cycle.
  3. Prerequisites may cross domains. A data literacy outcome may require a mathematics outcome. Per-domain maps show only prerequisites inside the domain; an outcome’s own page shows all of them.
  4. Prefer the minimal set. Declare the immediate prerequisites, not everything transitively required.
  5. A stub may be a prerequisite. Reaching for a concept that is not written is how the graph grows; declaring it as a prerequisite is allowed and encouraged.
  6. A deprecated outcome keeps its place. It stays in the graph with supersededBy pointing at its replacement, so old links and old credentials still resolve. New prerequisites should point at the replacement.

Why this matters

Section titled “Why this matters”

Coherence is what makes a graph more than a pile of statements. A learner on any platform can finish a node, ask “what next?”, and get the same answer. A teacher can see where a student’s gap begins. An employer can see that a credential sits on a foundation, not in isolation. And because “after” is computed, the map already shows the next concepts, whether or not anyone has written them yet.