Concept Mapping as an Instructional Tool in Community College Introductory Geology Courses

Introductory Physical Geology courses cover a wide range of subjects, including astronomy, oceanography, and environmental geology along with Earth materials.  Because the modular nature of undergraduate lectures and laboratory activities often focuses on building subject–specific vocabulary and concepts, instructional activities often lack scaffolding to integrate and make connections among seemingly disparate course content. For this reason, we use three concept-mapping activities, aligned with course instructional goals, to enhance student learning of the “big picture” relationships among topics in geology. Students are asked to construct organized, graphical representations of the connections among concepts based on their understanding of the course material. These maps serve as a tool for students to assess their own learning progress, as well as to provide feedback for the instructor.

Concept maps are used three times over the course of the semester. Students work in groups and individually to organize 10 words or phrases, draw arrows connecting the concepts, and write brief explanations of the relationships. Concepts relating to plate tectonics, the rock cycle, and geological settings (such as coastal environments and volcanoes) are sequentially added to the word bank as course content is covered in lecture. The construction of the final map allows students to make connections among these three major topics in geology.  Maps are assessed based on the accuracy and completeness of the relationships defined. The maps can be used to structure classroom discussions and homework assignments, and support the development of independent study skills.  We will compare student achievement on summative course evaluations between classes that completed the concept maps and classes that were not introduced to concept mapping.