Abstract:

Concept maps are being frequently used in education, in many different ways, usually traditionally structured by pen and paper. Easily accessible and apprehensible concept mapping software offers the capability to be structured in a computer supported environment that enhances collaborative learning among students and simplifies matters related to classroom time restrictions.

In a constructivistic frame we focus on student’s conceptual representations and on studying the knowledge structure process during and after teaching. Concept maps can be proved useful to reveal prior student knowledge, to identify gaps and as an assessment tool to determine the extent and quality of new connections students are able to make after instruction.

Concept maps are able to enlighten aspects of learning which conventional tests do not measure, as students’ misconceptions. Moreover, traditional assessment tools are usually applied after teaching offering information of student’s knowledge structure in a given time, after the end of a course. Thus they aren’t able to give evidence about the structure process before reaching its final form, at the moment of the assessment. The following paper presents the use of computer based concept mapping as an instructional and assessment tool through the design, the materialization and the evaluation of a course that took place in real class conditions, with nine years old students.

Keywords:

concept maps, concept mapping software, computer supported learning, collaborative learning.