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Concept Dependencies Graph

Run the Concept Dependencies MicroSim Fullscreen

Description

This interactive visualization demonstrates how concepts in a learning domain depend on each other. The directed acyclic graph (DAG) shows both hard prerequisites (REQUIRES) and soft prerequisites (SUPPORTS) between concepts.

Interactive Features

  • Click on any concept node to highlight its complete dependency chain
  • Green nodes show prerequisites (concepts you should learn first)
  • Pink nodes show downstream concepts (what this concept leads to)
  • Orange highlights the selected concept
  • Hover over nodes to see concept descriptions

Edge Types

Edge Type Visual Style Meaning
REQUIRES Solid arrow Hard prerequisite - must learn before proceeding
SUPPORTS Dashed arrow Soft prerequisite - helpful but not strictly required

Understanding the Graph

The graph shows 12 programming concepts arranged by their dependencies:

Foundation Layer (Top) : Variables, Data Types, Operators - the building blocks

Control Structures (Middle) : Expressions, Conditionals, Loops, Functions - program flow

Data Organization (Lower) : Arrays, Objects, Recursion - working with data

Advanced Concepts (Bottom) : Algorithms, Data Structures - putting it all together

Example Exploration

  1. Click on "Loops" to see that it requires Variables, Data Types, Operators, and Expressions
  2. Notice that Conditionals "supports" Loops (helpful but not required)
  3. See that Loops leads to Functions and Algorithms

Learning Objectives

By exploring this diagram, students will be able to:

  1. Identify prerequisite relationships between concepts
  2. Distinguish between hard and soft dependencies
  3. Plan a learning path through a topic
  4. Understand how concepts build upon each other

Use Cases

This visualization pattern is useful for:

  • Course Design: Planning the sequence of topics
  • Student Guidance: Helping learners understand what to study first
  • Curriculum Mapping: Visualizing learning progressions
  • Competency Frameworks: Showing skill dependencies

Technical Details

  • Built with vis-network library
  • Physics disabled for stable fixed-position layout
  • Recursive traversal for dependency highlighting
  • Zoom/drag disabled for iframe embedding
  • Navigation buttons enabled for accessibility