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University of Missouri-Columbia University of Missouri  

Educational Technologies at Missouri
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Concept Mapping in the Virtual Classroom

What is a concept map?

A concept map is a visual representation of the knowledge structures in people’s mind. Concept maps contain a subject where related people, places, concepts, ideas, and facts are hierarchically arranged about the subject. It is a useful tool to brainstorm a topic, issue, or idea and document related information, subtopics, and interrelationships.

Activities where concept maps are useful

  • To help you assess student understanding of concepts or progress in understanding concepts
  • As a kind of diary in a classroom, which can keep track of student progress and understanding over a period of time
  • Guiding classroom discussions
  • Assist in the construction of lectures, discussions, and review sessions

How to develop a concept map?

Concept maps can be created using paper and pencil or a software program such as Inspiration.

  1. Begin with a central topic or idea. This can be a name, place, date, abstract concept such as democracy, etc.
  2. Branching out from the center, identify key subtopics and surround the central topic. These subtopics are meant to illustrate understanding of the main topic
  3. These subtopics may have additional related ideas
  4. Finally, draw links or connections from related topics. These links may need to be labeled to describe the nature or intention of the link

Evaluation criteria

There are 3 main areas in evaluating a concept map. Depending on the nature and purpose of the concept map, additional criteria may be needed.

  • Concepts:
    – Are the concepts correctly expressed?
    – Are the concepts concise?
  • Inter-relations (links between concepts):
    – Are the inter-relations meaningful?
    – Are the inter-relations complete? (Are they criss-crossing?)
  • Organizations:
    – Is the entire concept map in hierarchical order?
    – Are the concepts in different levels?

Sample Rubric

 
Exemplary
4 pts.
Standard
3 pts.
Adequate
2 pts.
Unsatisfactory
1 pts.
Concept and Links Main ideas and supporting concepts are well documented and illustrate the concept in full detail. Linking words demonstrate superior conceptual understanding; Links are precisely labeled Main ideas are not well described with some key concepts missing. Linking words easy to follow but at times ideas unclear; Links are not precisely labeled Main ideas are not well described with many key concepts missing. Linking words are clear but present a flawed rationale; Links are not labeled There are no supporting concepts. Difficult to follow; No links
Organization Well organized; Logical format; Contains main concepts; Contains a appropriate number of concepts; Map is “treelike” and not stringy; Follows standard map conventions Thoughtfully organized; Easy to follow most of the time; Contains most of the main concepts; Contains an adequate number of concepts; Follows the standard map conventions Somewhat organized; Somewhat incoherent; Contains only a few of the main concepts Choppy and confusing; Contains a limited number of concepts

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