Mind and Concept Mapping Prevalence of Online Mapping Tools Allows Students Winter 2014 and Teachers to Share and Create Maps Together
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facilitates both learning processes. Further, the Mind and Concept Mapping prevalence of online mapping tools allows students Winter 2014 and teachers to share and create maps together, By Karen Beavers and supports higher education’s increasing emphasis on collaborative learning. Overview and Definition Current Applications in Academic Mind mapping and concept mapping are ways to visually represent information and ideas. Though Libraries and Higher Education often used interchangeably, educators define them Instructors in many disciplines have used maps as in distinct ways. A mind map is a spontaneous way visual aids in classroom and online teaching. Maps of showing the association between ideas. A have been used to illustrate the relationships concept map is a more deliberate and structured between disciplinary concepts, the developments of way of representing the relationship between ideas theories over time, and steps in the academic (Davies 2011, 280). Maps usually contain several research process (Novak 1991; Kandiko, Hay, and ideas articulated in words and images: a mind map Weller 2012). Maps have also been included in contains arrows drawn between associated ideas syllabi to show how topics covered during the term (see example from Char Booth’s Info-mational relate to one another (Clark 2007). This concept blog) while a concept map typically labels arrows map at McGill University, for example, maps with descriptions of how those ideas relate to each learning outcomes to assignments in a political other (see example from IHMC CmapTools). The science course. visual, non-linear nature of both mapping techniques makes them useful tools for educators Maps help students visualize their learning. Concept who want to help students think through complex maps, in particular are recognized as constructivist ideas and processes in accessible ways. While tools that facilitate active, reflective and meaningful mapping can be achieved with pen and paper, learning (Hay 2008, 309). Students have been there are a range of mapping programs that allow taught to utilize mapping for note taking, project teachers and students to easily create and share planning, and exam review. Some instructors use maps. digital mapping tools to facilitate group brainstorming and discussion (Novak and Canas Basis for Current Interest 2007). Maps have also been used to assess student learning. Students can be asked to make maps at Educators looking for new ways to make their strategic times in a course, “at the start to establish teaching engaging, active, and student centered what students know about a topic before can use mapping tools to achieve their teaching instruction begins, during instruction to and learning goals. Teachers can visually engage demonstrate learning progress, and at the end of students by making maps that complement or take instruction as an indication of what the student has the place of auditory and written information. They learned” (Daugherty, Custer, and Dixon 2012, 12). can also have their students participate in the tactile activity of making maps. Active learning Maps are also used in administrative work. Char occurs when “students are doing things and Booth, for example, has documented the thinking about what they are doing” and organizational usefulness of maps as meaningful learning happens when students communication and collaboration tools, “applicable integrate new information into what they already to presentations, outreach, and teaching as well as know (Stalheim-Smith 1998, 1; Novak 2007). small-group or solo brainstorming, planning, Mapping, which requires students to express their strategic thinking, and non-linear documentation” understanding of concepts in words and images (Booth 2011). Curriculum mapping is widely and then draw and label links between those ideas, practiced but, because maps can compactly capture Tips and Trends, written by Instructional Technologies Committee members, introduces and discusses new, emerging, or even familiar technology which can be applied in the library instruction setting. Issues are published 4 times a year. Tips and Trends ● Winter 2014 the key points of lengthy documents and example, uses the Mindomo platform to provide a discussions, they are useful in completing many vehicle for librarians to visualize how a multitude of other administrative tasks (Colosimo and classes, course sequences, and degree programs Fitzgibbons 2012, 8). relate to library resources and services. Free and low cost software programs for digital Sophisticated mapping software (rather than pen, mapping and information visualization include paper, sticky notes, and whiteboards) enables CmapTools, Mindomo, FreeMind, Visual librarians to clearly illustrate and organize the many Understanding Environment (VUE), Visual inputs to be considered in planning library Thesaurus, XMind, Popplet, Bubbl.us, Inspiration, programs and creating instruction tools. For MindMeister, and Prezi. All are available on the example, mapping the information architecture of Web; some can be downloaded to desktops; many instructional websites can help librarians visualize allow the creation of images that can be copied the different paths students might take to get to into lecture slides and/or included in online course instructional content. Digital maps also have the modules; and several allow sharing and advantage of being more easily created, shared, collaboration among groups of users. and revised with groups of people, thus fostering collaboration among librarians and faculty across Applications in Academic Library different spaces and times. Instruction Potential Value Academic librarians commonly use maps as visual aids to teach library research processes and Many examples in the library literature attest to the information literacy skills. Maps that show the steps value of having students visualize their research in the library research process or the stages of and brainstorm keywords and topic ideas with academic publishing can make those complex mapping tools (Colosimo and Fitzgibbons 2012, 3). processes more understandable to students. A mapping exercise designed by Cynthia Tysick is Rutgers University Libraries’ Developing a Research notable because it combines the commonly used Strategy map, for example, captures the many free association techniques of mind mapping with stages of the non-linear process in one clear image, the more structured process of concept mapping. and the University of Washington, “Scientific She describes a two step library instruction process Publication Cycle” map situates scientific publishing in which she has students begin by brainstorming a in layers of concepts that, when understood, will map of their research topic and then revisit that help students choose information sources map to “arrange their brainstorming work into a appropriate for their topics. concept map” which identifies particular keywords and relationships to focus on in their library Mapping has also been employed as an active research work (Tysick 2004, 2.2). learning exercise in instruction sessions. Librarians have used mind mapping and concept mapping to Mapping can be used in a number of research and facilitate students’ hands-on work in different information seeking activities and thus could stages of library research including: brainstorming become more central to library instruction. For for topic ideas, thinking up keyword search terms, example, maps could be used more fully in online and creating research strategies (Burkhardt and teaching and learning. In addition to using maps to MacDonald 2010, 27-30; Tysick 2004). Though illustrate specific information literacy concepts, many articles describe students taking pen to librarians could use conceptual maps to structure paper, digital mapping tools have been used to student navigation through information literacy facilitate collaborative thinking, group tutorials and student quizzes could be constructed brainstorming, and project planning (Whicker, around having students correctly fill in labels that Shields, and Chadwell 2012, 14-15). represent accurate relationships among concepts (Edwards and Cooper 2010; Eppler 2006; Pinto, Digital tools strengthen the curriculum mapping Doucet, and Fernandez-Ramos 2010). processes that have long been a staple of library information literacy planning. The Claremont Maps are powerful assessment tools. Students can Colleges Library curriculum mapping template, for be asked to make concept maps in different stages Tips and Trends ● Winter 2014 of an information literacy course to capture how labor involved with typing text and uploading well they are integrating class concepts into their images can inhibit the free flowing creativity that is pre-existing research and information seeking unleashed by using more informal, low-tech knowledge. Concept mapping exercises can be processes like pen, paper, and/or sticky notes challenging to assess because students will produce (Anderson-Inman and Horney 1996; Tucker, a range of maps that are very particular to the way Armstrong, and Massad 2010). they think. However, some librarians have proposed questions and rubrics to guide systematic Finally, while there are plenty of free and low-cost evaluation (Radcliff 2007, 107; Colosimo and mapping technologies available, most don’t interact Fitzgibbons 2012). with one another. Some software allows users to export and print images of maps, however the Finally, librarians could support student and faculty ability to collaborate and revise