Student-constructed concept maps for active learning in a foundational undergraduate engineering course

Abstract

As a graphical pedagogical tool for knowledge organization, representation, and elicitation, concept mapping has been widely employed to improve student conceptual knowledge and understanding in a variety of academic disciplines. In the traditional approach to concept mapping, the instructor develops concept maps and then shows them in lectures. This work-in-progress study takes a non-traditional, active learning approach, in which students (rather than the instructor) construct their own concept maps in engineering dynamics, a foundational sophomore-year undergraduate engineering course. This paper provides representative examples of student-constructed concept maps. These maps were collected from a total of 165 engineering undergraduates who took an engineering dynamics course in one of two recent semesters: Semester A (94 students) and Semester B (71 students). Questionnaire surveys including both Likert-type and open-ended questions were administrated at the end of each semester. The results show that 37% of the students rated their experience with developing their own concept maps “positive” or “highly positive,” and that 44% of the students “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that developing their own concept maps improved their conceptual understanding. Representative student comments are also provided in this paper.