Author:
Ning Fang
Affiliation:
Utah State Univesity, United States
Keyword(s):
Concept Maps, Qualitative Analysis, Learning Purposes, Undergraduate Engineering Course.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Computer-Supported Education
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
Abstract:
This work-in-progress report (Position Paper) presents a qualitative analysis of student-constructed concept
maps in engineering dynamics – a high-enrollment, high-impact, foundational undergraduate engineering
course. Using a computer software program called IHMC Cmap Tools, the students who participated in the
present study constructed their own concept maps to demonstrate their understanding of a variety of
concepts they had learned. The present study investigates students’ purposes when they construct their own
concept maps to learn. The results show that students construct their concept maps for five primary
purposes: to describe the relationships among relevant concepts, to connect important equations, to illustrate
the evolution of concepts, to incorporate figures into concept maps, and to integrate problem-solving
procedures into concepts. These research findings help develop a better understanding of how students
learn, and therefore may help instructors develop or adopt the
most appropriate instructional strategies to
improve student learning outcomes.
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