scholarly journals Molecular Orbital Theory—Teaching a Difficult Chemistry Topic Using a CSCL Approach in a First-Year University Course

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 485
Author(s):  
David Johannes Hauck ◽  
Insa Melle
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Group Processes ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
First Year ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Orbital Theory ◽  
Mapping Process ◽  
Mo Theory

Collaboration is regarded as one of the core competences of the 21st century when it comes to complex problem solving. In response to high dropout rates among STEM students, we developed a digital-collaborative intervention on a difficult topic, MO theory, for first-year chemistry students. First, students work independently in a Digital Learning Environment (DLE). Afterwards, they collaborate in small groups and create Concept Maps on MO theory. We evaluate this intervention through knowledge tests, tests of attractiveness, cognitive load, and usability during the DLE and concept mapping process, as well as audio and screen recordings during the collaborative group processes. This paper presents the detailed study design together with results from a first study in January 2021, focusing on the practicability of the intervention and students’ feedback. Overall, each small group succeeded in creating a Concept Map. Students rated all phases of the intervention as attractive, with high usability and low cognitive load, although the interactive videos scored better for attractiveness and usability than the concept mapping process. On that basis, first adjustments for a second cycle of the intervention, which will be conducted in January 2022, were derived.

Concept Mapping and Formative Assessment

2010 ◽  
pp. 449-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Beaudry ◽  
Polly Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
High School Science ◽  
Coastal Zones ◽  
Understanding Of Science ◽  
Definition Of

From the authors observations and those of Kinchin (2001) teachers may know about concept mapping but they do not seem to use it as a consistent, effective strategy. The authors argue that the concept mapping may be better understood by using an expanded definition of traditional literacy, listening, speaking, reading and writing; to include visualizing, visual representation, and technological literacy Sinatra (1986). This ethnographic case study examines the use of concept mapping and collaborative learning strategies in the content area of marine ecology in high school science classrooms. To support students’ understanding of science concept and the improvement of writing students began with a field trip to study inter-coastal zones and follow-up laboratory activities, use of digital image analysis, and collaborative group work. Key vocabulary were identified to begin concept maps, and more vocabulary was added to support multiple revisions of concept maps with concept map software, and culminated with students’ writing. Concept mapping integrated with collaborative learning was used to engage students to construct and re-construct their understanding of a complex scientific concept, the energy cycle. The results showed that students benefited from the combination of collaborative learning and concept maps to focus their writing on key ideas, to organize their ideas, and include specific details. However, the interpretation and integration of quantitative data and laboratory results was not as consistent. Most importantly, initial concept maps and revisions provided the teacher with evidence of student learning in the form of formative assessment products, to guide teachers’ focused feedback and clarify specific ideas for re-teaching, as well as students’ self-assessment. The authors provide examples of concept maps and graphic organizers as formative assessment of students’ knowledge, what Novak (1998) calls heuristic or “facilitative tools,” and as visual representations and structures to provide flexible ways supporting learners’ meaningful learning through speaking, writing and in visual forms (Sinatra, 2000; Mintzes, Wandersee, and Novak, 2004).

scholarly journals Enhancing Collaborative Group Processes to Promote Academic Literacy and Content Learning for Diverse Learners Through Video Reflection

SAGE Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824401986148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brooke Moore ◽  
Alison G. Boardman ◽  
Clara Smith ◽  
Amy Ferrell
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Group Work ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Academic Literacy ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Group Processes ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
Exceptional Students ◽  
Video Reflection

Research indicates the benefits of collaborative learning for supporting academic literacy in content classrooms, especially for diverse and exceptional students such as students with learning disabilities or English learners (ELs) who can become disengaged in content classrooms if they struggle to access complex, content-related texts. Drawing from Cognitive Load Theory, we argue that collaborative group structures support students in sharing the load of processing these texts across all members, thus ensuring better comprehension of the content. Yet, collaborative structures may not be beneficial to diverse and exceptional learners in the group, particularly if students are not supported in how to engage successfully in collaborative work. Using a mixed-methods approach, we explored the use of video reflection and guided discussions with students using collaborative strategic reading (CSR) in heterogeneous collaborative groups in one seventh-grade general education, social studies class in an urban middle school. Students’ collaborative group work was video recorded pre- and post-reflection sessions to determine change in engagement in shared learning. The reflection session included students watching the video recording of their group work during CSR, discussing their collaboration using guided prompts, and setting goals for improvement. Following the reflection session, findings revealed an overall increase in time on task for all students, with increased participation of diverse and exceptional students in richer content-related discussions. When all students understand how the collaborative group shares the cognitive load and supports each other through discussing and elaborating on ideas, academic literacy and richer understanding of the content can occur.

scholarly journals Drawing as an Academic Dialogue Tool for Developing Digital Learning Designs in Higher Education

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. pp321-335
Author(s):  
Heidi Hautopp ◽  
Mie Buhl
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Group Processes ◽  
Digital Design ◽  
Collaborative Group ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Visual Methods ◽  
Learning Design ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Master's Students

This paper reports on how drawing as an academic dialogue tool was explored as a crucial actor for driving design processes among humanistic master’s students targeting their digital learning designs for online and blended learning contexts. The paper builds on a previous study that investigated students’ use of self-produced visualisations during the digital design process. Although the study did not deal with visualisation and students were not trained to draw, the participants made extensive but unacknowledged use of visualisations. In the present study, a new group of students from the same master’s programme were taught how to draw as a central component of the design process in order to investigate how this might expand their use of visual facilitation and drawing techniques to drive collaborative processes, design decisions and theoretical reflections. As design practices enter new interdisciplinary domains, in this case digital learning design, the aim was to explore how humanistic students can act as digital designers by adapting different design approaches and visual methods in particular. Likewise, the study offers an investigation of how students perceive these ways of working in an academic context. The empirical data, including teaching observations, students’ visual productions and interviews with 27 students from nine groups after completing the course, were drawn primarily from an explorative case study in which master’s students developed digital learning designs to solve a problem framed by an external stakeholder. Students’ ways of producing visualisations in the different phases of their design process were analysed in terms of four design genres (explorative, investigative, explanatory and persuasive). The sociomaterial analysis traced how drawings and drawing activities unfolded during collaborative group processes which supported the development of digital learning designs. The findings confirmed the potential of drawing as a means for developing ideas, collaborating in different design phases and presenting and discussing design ideas with peers, target groups and external stakeholders. Furthermore, the findings revealed that drawing activities became a significant pedagogical consideration in the students’ digital learning design and data collection process, where students balanced the interplay between initial analogue drawings and digital prototyping, testing their design concepts with target groups. The findings also showed that students perceived drawing and visual facilitation as practical tools but lacked an academic terminology for articulating these processes. The study suggests a need for substantial change to fully acknowledge the potential of drawing as an academic dialogue tool on the level with academic reading and writing when developing digital artefacts.

Explicit teaching of problem categorization using concept mapping, and an exploratory study of its effect on student achievement and on conceptual understanding – the case of chemical equilibrium problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonios Bakolis ◽  
Dimitrios Stamovlasis ◽  
Georgios Tsaparlis
Keyword(s):  
Student Achievement ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Conceptual Understanding ◽  
Chemical Equilibrium ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Equilibrium Problems ◽  
Solution Process ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Long Term Memory

Abstract A crucial step in problem solving is the retrieval of already learned schemata from long-term memory, a process which may be facilitated by categorization of the problem. The way knowledge is organized affects its availability, and, at the same time, it constitutes the important difference between experts and novices. The present study employed concept maps in a novel way, as a categorization tool for chemical equilibrium problems. The objective was to determine whether providing specific practice in problem categorization improves student achievement in problem solving and in conceptual understanding. Two groups of eleventh-grade students from two special private seminars in Corfu island, Greece, were used: the treatment group (N = 19) and the control group (N = 21). Results showed that the categorization helped students to improve their achievement, but the improvement was not always statistically significant. Students at lower (Piagetian) developmental level (in our sample, students at the transitional stage) had a larger improvement, which was statistically significant with a high effect size. Finally, Nakhleh’s categorization scheme, distinguishing algorithmic versus conceptual subproblems in the solution process, was studied. Dependency of problem solving on an organized knowledge base and the significance of concept mapping on student achievement were the conclusion.

scholarly journals Remote OSCE Experience: What First Year Pharmacy Students Liked, Learned, and Suggested for Future Implementations

Pharmacy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Savage ◽  
Lana M. Minshew ◽  
Heidi N. Anksorus ◽  
Jacqueline E. McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Concept Maps ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Pharmacy Students ◽  
Objective Structured Clinical Examination ◽  
First Year ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Assessment Strategies ◽  
Frequency Counts

During the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools quickly transitioned their teaching and assessment strategies to online formats. In Spring 2020, a 3-station remote Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) was implemented for first-year pharmacy students. The day following the remote OSCEs students answered three open-text prompts about the remote OSCE experience: (1) “I liked...”, (2) “I learned…”, and (3) “I suggest…”. Responses were open-coded and frequency counts were calculated to determine the most prevalent codes. Concept maps were created to visualize and explore connections between the codes. Out of 157 students, 156 students completed the reflection assignment, a 99.36% response rate. The three major themes in the Liked data were: Logistics (n = 65, 41.7%), Differences In-person Versus Remote (n = 59, 37.8%), and Skill Development (n = 43, 27.6%). The three major themes in the Learned data were: Technology (n = 66, 42.3%), Communication (n = 58, 37.2%), and Skill Development (n = 56, 35.9%). The three major themes in the Suggest data were: Logistics (n = 89, 57.1%), Technology (n = 31, 19.9%), and Continuation of Remote OSCE (n = 31, 19.9%). Overall, the remote OSCE experience was well-received, and students described it as applicable to their future pharmacy practice. Future work should explore the design, implementation, and outcomes of remote OSCEs.

scholarly journals A theoretical view on concept mapping

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray McAleese
Keyword(s):  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Theoretical View ◽  
Concept Representations

Auto-monitoring is the pivotal concept in understanding the operation of concept maps, which have been used to help learners make sense of their study and plan learning activities. Central to auto-monitoring is the idea of a 'learning arena' where individuals can manipulate concept representations and engage in the processes of checking, resolving and confirming understandings. The learner is assisted by familiar metaphors (for example, networks) and the possibility of thinking 'on action' while 'in action'. This paper discusses these concepts, and concludes by arguing that maps are part of the process of learning rather than a manifestation of learning itself. Auto-monitoring is suggested as an appropriate term to describe the process of engaging in the learning arena.DOI:10.1080/0968776940020105

scholarly journals REPERTORY GRID ANALYSIS AND CONCEPT MAPPING: PROBLEMS AND ISSUES

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-106
Author(s):  
Thomas J.J. McCloughlin ◽  
Philip S. C. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Repertory Grid ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Traditional Concept ◽  
Grid Analysis ◽  
Common Structure ◽  
Living Things ◽  
Work Concept

'Repertory grid analysis' was used as a way of constructing representations of learners conceptions of living things; and finding a common structure or understanding; this was described in previous work. 'Concept mapping' has been stated as an appropriate assessment procedure in science curricula in a number of countries. Previous relevant published work describing the benefits of 'concept mapping' as a learning, teaching, and assessing tool is large. However, the existence of a large literature is not justification in itself, and in this work we provide a critique of the current literature. Problems with 'concept mapping' are simply ignored. However, it is thought that 'repertory grid analysis' does overcome some of the recognized problems of 'concept mapping' such as: i) comparison of concept maps between students or between students and educators: in repertory grid this becomes not only possible but a reliable method - this has proven to be one of the more problematic areas in traditional 'concept mapping'; ii) quantification of concept mapping - integer scoring of whole concept maps in 'repertory grid analysis' is eliminated since the arranged structure of the graph produced holds significance for the conceptual structure. More research needs to be done in repertory grid analysis and its implications and applications in curricular research have yet to be fully explored. Key words: concept mapping, conceptual frameworks, repertory grid analysis.

scholarly journals Analyzing the use of linking words in concept maps designed for pathophysiology learning in medicine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuno Neuparth ◽  
Marta Fonseca ◽  
Beatriz Oliveira ◽  
Inês Canha ◽  
Hélder Dores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Concept Mapping ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Clinical Case ◽  
Visual Display ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Clinical Vignettes ◽  
Signed Rank ◽  
Signed Rank Test ◽  
The Difference

Pathophysiology at NOVA Medical School adopted the concept mapping methodology to promote the visual display of pathophysiological reasoning and learning, based on clinical vignettes. The objective of this project is to identify and label the linking words, in order to study their role in the structure and organization of the concept maps constructed by the students. We used an adopted classification of linking words, categorized in 5 groups: dynamic, static, illustrative, definition and clinical case information. At the end of the semester the concept maps related to the respiratory (mid-semester) and endocrine systems (end of semester) were analyzed and compared. We found linking words not included in any of the five categories, thus a group named “other” has been created. Statistically significant differences were found in dynamic and “other” categories (p=0,049 and p= 0,011, respectively; Wilcoxon signed-rank test). The dynamic words were the most commonly used, probably reflecting students’ need to better describe pathophysiological mechanisms, and the difference found was probably due an improvement in the learning process and concept maps building technic. It would be interesting next year to conduct a more detailed analysis, increasing the sample and ensuring a more robust dataset. 

An assessment of information literacy skills among first-year postgraduate students at Sokoine University of Agriculture Tanzania

2016 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mugyabuso J. F. Lwehabura
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Search ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Independent Learning ◽  
First Year ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Literacy Knowledge ◽  
Information Literacy Skills

This study was set to examine and identify some aspects of information literacy skills among postgraduate students at Sokoine University of Agriculture and determine challenges and problems facing them in terms of searching and use of various information resources. Systematic probability sampling and questionnaires were used to collect data from175 students out of 314 first-year postgraduate students registered. The findings showed that although information literacy exists among students, a good number of students demonstrated significant deficiency in their information literacy knowledge and skills in key aspects including searching for information from electronic sources, application of various information search techniques such as Boolean operators, use of truncation, synonyms and concept maps. Based on the findings, the paper recommends addressing the shortcomings found by introducing a mandatory information literacy course for both postgraduate and undergraduate students to ensure effective independent learning among students.

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