Mind tools for enhancing thinking and learning skills

Abstract

As early adopters of an emerging technology, the Tablet PC (TPC), certain University of Houston Information Systems Technology faculty began to integrate TPCs into the undergraduate curriculum in Fall 2003. Classroom experiences revealed the tool as particularly engaging to Information Systems Technology students. Thus, the authors now believe that TPCs have great potential to improve critical thinking skills of Information Systems Technology students if activities can be developed that capitalize on the inherent capability of the TPC to support visualization.We have just begun a formal investigation of the effectiveness of the TPC as an instructional tool that facilitates the development of critical thinking and learning skills in undergraduate Information Systems Technology students. The investigation extends previous work on the effectiveness of mind maps for improving critical thinking and problem solving skills by combining the visual learning technique of mindmapping with the emerging technology of the TPC and pen-enabled mindmapping software. The research question to be answered is: Do critical thinking skills of Information Systems Technology students improve when mindmapping activities are incorporated into the classroom and delivered via technology.In this paper, we first provide background information on the development of critical thinking and learning skills, the role of visual learning in the development of critical thinking and learning skills, and visual learning tools and techniques such as semantic networks, concept mapping, and mind mapping. We then describe the scope of the project we are undertaking and provide initial results of development efforts to create instructional modules and activities focused on mindmaps.