Course Development

Classroom Assessment Techniques for Distance Education: Concept Maps

Karen Hallett
Instructional Consulting

Descriptions

Concept Maps are drawings or diagrams showing the mental connections that students make between a major concept the instructor focuses on and other concepts they have learned. This technique provides an observable and assessable record of the students' conceptual schemata - the patterns of associations they make in relation to a given focal concept. Concept maps allow the teacher to discover the web of relationships that learners bring to the task at hand - the students starting points.

Teaching Improvement

• better uses of available technology (effective uses)
• uses of appropriate strategies for distance education environment
• provide more contact with students, accessibility
• provide information about tailoring instructional activities to meet student's needs

Improving student learning

• improve opportunities to ask questions
• improve opportunities for input and feedback
• provide more contact with students accessibility

Criteria

• equally accessible from both sites
• immediacy of use
• adaptable to a wide range of learning situations
• require minimal time investment of students/instructor
• has continued use as learning tool for students, instructional resource for instructor.