What is concept mapping in what ways can it be used as an assessment strategy?

How does it align with the module learning outcomes? Does it assess  skills and knowledge that are key to the discipline?

It can align with learning outcomes which focus on foundational knowledge and understanding of core concepts. It can also be used to assess understanding of connections /relationships between ideas and applications of ideas.

Will it be formative or summative? If summative, how will I give opportunities for practice? When will it occur in the term/module?

If used as summative assessment, it can assess the learners’ understanding of a unit. You could ask students to create a concept map at the beginning of a module or unit as diagnostic assessment. At the end of the module, they create a new concept map of the same knowledge for comparison.  Providing some formative practice can easily be done at any point in the module online or in class.

If used as formative assessment, you can be more creative. You can have students create new concept maps at certain points throughout the module (or add to their existing one from the start of the module) to see how their knowledge is developing.

How will I mark it? Will I grade it? What criteria will I use? How will I give feedback?

You should decide on a focus (e.g. a question) for the concept map to scaffold students. For example, in War Studies, Defence Studies or International Relations, students can create a concept map of causes and impacts of a particular course of action in conflict situations.

Generic college criteria are unlikely to be useful so you can devise new criteria. Jennings (2014) provides an example rubric developed from Novak and Gowin (1984) page 13-14

Ruiz-Primo (2004) page 4 gives a more comprehensive but much more complex example of a framework for assessing concept maps.

Here is a simplified version:

 

Ensure grading does not stymy creative processes. Try to ensure you separate accuracy of concepts from the way students represent the ideas, because the latter is very subjective.

 What technology can students use to create concept maps?

You can use very low-tech concept maps with paper and post-it notes. Students can also draw them on the board if you are using it as an in-class activity.

However, technology has allowed the creation of concept maps to be much more sophisticated and their permanence aids their use as assessment tools, because you and the students have a record of their work.

CMAP  is free, easy to download and install on a home PC or mobile device (although you may require admin rights to do this on KCL computers). They allow for sharing so students can use peer evaluation or can submit to you. They provide training videos on how to use the software.

Other software that creates concept maps:

• Prezi;
• Xmind;
• Google drawing.

How will I address potential challenges?

Do I need to make any modifications for accessibility/inclusivity? Can I build these into the design?

Consider screen reader software for visually impaired students. You can contact Disability Support for help and advice with this.

Concept mapping as an assessment tool can support or scaffold more diffident students or those on the autism spectrum. Because concept map represents an individual cognitive process, students work alone to create it and only share with their peers only when/if they are comfortable doing so. If you do use it as a collaborative tool, consider giving students some time to work individually before sharing ideas.

Do I need to make any modifications for large cohort sizes?

It may be more time-consuming to grade or give feedback on many individual maps. As stated above, software allows for students to share their maps with each other for peer feedback which you can also monitor online.

Collaborative concept maps can easily be done online using Cmap tools, and can be graded as a group, although considerations need to be taken into account for assessing team and group work (in this resource). Again, using concept maps as formative tools in class reduces logistical issues and can be a way for students to gain almost instant feedback in-class.

How can I introduce it to students?

As with all new assessment methods, ensure students are given a clear idea of what to do. There are many models to be found online with a simple Google search.

If you are assessing their creativity, it is much better to do this formatively, at least at first, as students are more likely to want to take risks in their representations.

Making Thinking Visible

Concept maps are visual representations of linkages/connections between a major concept and other knowledge students have learned. Concept maps are excellent tools to provide instructors with diagnostic pre-assessment prior to beginning a unit and formative assessments during learning activities. Concept maps also provide immediate visual data to geoscience instructors on student misconceptions and their level of understanding. Angelo and Cross (1993) indicate that concept maps develop student abilities in certain critical areas. Among these are:

• The ability to draw reasonable inferences from observations
• The ability to synthesize and integrate information and ideas
• The ability to learn concepts and theories in the subject area

Getting Started With Concept Mapping

Students may not be familiar with concept maps and it is suggested that they practice with familiar concepts. Michael Zeilik's website Concept Maps provides step by step directions on the construction and use of concept maps in the college classroom. Concept maps can provide a springboard for classroom discussions of systems and relationships among major and sub-concepts in the geosciences. They can be used to focus learning if concept maps are developed by the instructor, or may be used as pre-diagnostic assessment tools or formative assesments as concepts are developed.

Formative Assessment Using Concept Mapping: A Geoscience Application

At the beginning of an Introductory Metroeorology unit on Moisture in the Atmosphere the instructor passes out copies of a concept map (Acrobat (PDF) PRIVATE FILE 450kB May2 05) to her students. The major concepts are identified, but detail is missing. As the unit progresses the instructor asks students to add to the original concept map. For example the students could add:

• the types of reservoirs that occur on land
• different types of precipitation
• additional mechanisms such as transpiration

As the unit progresses the students continue to see the major concepts repeatedly, and the instructor can track student understandings of the relationships of parts to the whole (or misconceptions) as they arise by collecting and reviewing the concept maps.

Resources

• Classroom Assessment Techniques: A Handbook for College Teachers (Second Edition). Angelo and Cross, 1993 This book by Thomas Angelo and K. Patricia Cross provides a practical guide to help faculty develop a better understanding of the learning process in their own classrooms and assess the impact of their teaching upon it. The authors offer detailed how-to advice on classroom assessment - from what it is and how it works to how to plan, implement, and analyze assessment projects. Their approach is illustrated through numerous case studies. The book features fifty Classroom Assessment Techniques, each presented in a format that provides an estimate of the ease of use, a concise description, step-by-step procedures for adapting and administering the technique, practical advice on how to analyze the data and other useful information. (citation and description)
  
• Classroom Assessment Techniques: Concept Mapping. This page describes concept maps, one of a series of Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) provided by the Field-tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG) website. The CATs of FLAG were constructed as a resource for science, technology, engineering and mathematics instructors to emphasize deeper levels of learning and to give instructors valuable feedback during a course. A concept map is a diagram of nodes adjoined by directional lines and organized in hierarchical levels that move from general to specific concepts. Concept maps are used to assess how well students see the big picture, and to illustrate students' conceptual knowledge. This site provides an overview of this assessment instrument that includes information about how to use them. This site is also is linked to a set of discipline-specific tools that can be downloaded for immediate use, as well as supplementary links and sources to further explore this assessment tool. (more info)
  
• Assessment and Active Learning Strategies for Introductory Geology Courses. McConnell et al. (2003) This article describes several techniques to promote active learning in the classroom and compares classes taught using these with those using traditional lectures. General education Earth Science classes was evaluated using formative assessment exercises conducted by students in groups. (Full Text Online)
  
• Using Concept Maps to Plan an Introductory Structural Geology Course. [Clark and James, 2004] This article in the Journal of Geoscience Education describes a method of designing a structural geology course by using concept mapping. A detailed description of concept mapping is provided as well as an explanation as to why this approach is used and effective in planning a structural geology course. Also included in this article are examples of concept maps referring to structural geology topics. (Full Text Online)
  
• Concept Map Assessment of Classroom Learning: Reliability, Validity, and Logistical Practicality. [McClure and Sonak, 1999] This article in the Journal of Research in Science Teaching evaluates the characteristics and practicality of concept mapping as a technique for classroom assessment. Results indicate that the time required to provide training in concept mapping, have students produce maps, and then score them justifies the use of concept mapping as an effective and efficient classroom assessment technique. (citation and description)
  
• Assessing Science Understanding: A Human Constructivist View. [Novak, Mintzes and Wandersee, 2000] This book by Joel J. Novak, James H. Mintzes, and Joseph D. Wandersee describes different kinds of assessments for measuring student understanding of science concepts. The book explores many assessment types and how they can be used in the classroom to improve instruction and learning. Topics include assessment concept maps, structured interviews, observations, portfolios and written products. The book also provides useful examples, data, and extensive references to the literature. (citation and description)
  
• Comparison of the Reliability and Validity of Scores From Two Concept Mapping Techniques. [Ruiz-Primo et al., 2001] This paper from the Journal of Research in Science Teaching reports the results of a study that compared two concept-mapping techniques; one high-directed, �fill-in-the-map,� and one low-directed, �construct-a-map-from-scratch.� The article examines whether skeleton map scores were influenced by the sample of nodes or linking lines to be filled in; if the two types of skeleton maps were equivalent; and if the two mapping techniques provided similar information about students' understanding. The authors conclude that the construct-a-map technique better reflects differences among students' knowledge structure. (citation and description)
  
• Novel Assessments: Detecting Success in Student Learning. [Williams et al., 2004] This journal article from Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment illustrates how multiple methods can be used to assess student understanding. The authors describe four assessment techniques, including a knowledge probe, paired questions, concept mapping and experimental problems, and suggest that these methods will engage students in diverse ways to demonstrate their understanding. (citation and description)
  

What is Concept Mapping and what is it used for?

What is concept mapping strategy?

How can concept mapping be used in the classroom?

Can a concept map be used as a summative assessment?