A Qualitative Analysis of Student-constructed Concept Maps in a Foundational Undergraduate Engineering Course

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.