Concept Maps and Open Learner Models in a Computer Networking Course

Contribution: We explored the effects of using concept maps for the instruction of a college-level telecommunications course, as both the “backbone” structure of the traditional lectures and a navigational support feature within an online independent practice support system, on students’ final learning gains and engagement with the learning content.

Background: The usage of concept maps as an instructional aid has proved beneficial across a range of disciplines; however, studies that support this in a computer science education context and by combining holistic data coming from both online activity logs and the physical classroom are scarce.

Research Question: How do students use concept maps to support their learning in a Telecommunications class and how do usage patterns correlate with their final learning and their perception of the usefulness of this educational tool?

Methodology: We ran a three-year classroom experiment where we collected data from 1) interactions with the online concept map system and 2) their perceptions of the concept maps’ usefulness and understandability. Regarding the experiment design, during lectures, the instructor used concept maps to highlight course concepts and their relationships. In the independent practice context, interactive concept maps helped students choose relevant practice content to work on and served as an open learner model to visualize individual- and class-level progress in mastering course concepts.

Findings: We found that having access to concept maps that present a holistic view of course concepts in both study contexts improved students’ ability to answer questions that required the application of conceptual knowledge. We also found that the use of the concept map system was correlated with an increase in students’ positive perceptions of the usefulness of the intervention, both at a lecture level and at a practice level, but also with their actual engagement with working with the educational content offered by the learning platform.