The Impact of Concept Mapping Software on Student Performance

Wednesday 3 July: 5:30pm – 7:00pm, poster session

Presenters

Dr Avni Pepe
Endeavour College of Natural Health, Australia
avni.pepe@endeavour.edu.au

Dr Vishnu Bhat
Endeavour College of Natural Health, Australia

Dr Sapha Shibeeb
Endeavour College of Natural Health, Australia

Overview

Concept mapping is a useful learning strategy to develop deep learning. Constructing concept maps help students grasp and understand fundamental concepts and how they are related. Advancements in technology have resulted in computer based concept mapping tools. Several studies have suggested that the use of computer based concept mapping tools enhance student learning and encourages collaborative skills. However, there are limited studies that have investigated the effectiveness of hand written concept maps and whether student learning and performance is influenced by the use of technology. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to assess whether computer based concept maps were associated with improved student performance when compared to concept maps constructed by hand. Forty-three participants across two cohorts assigned themselves into one of two groups; Software, or Hand-written. Participants were required to compile sophisticated concept maps from a range of biochemical terms. The data shows that concept maps constructed using computer based tools were associated with higher grades (M = 79.3 ± 4.06 (SEM), SD = 14.1) when compared to concept maps constructed by hand (M = 68.1 ± 2.46 (SEM), SD = 13.7) and this difference was significant t(41) = -2.38, p = 0.01. Therefore, our data suggests that concept maps are useful learning tools and can be associated with positive student outcomes when combined with computer based tools.

Presentation topic

Poster session