Event Title

A case study in collaborative mind-mapping with LucidChart

Presenter Information

Beth J. Hundey, Western UniversityFollow

Session Title

Poster Session

Location

Althouse College, London Canada

Event Website

http://www.ties-at-western.com/

Description

This two-day event on March 27 & March 28 featured:

• research paper presentations,
• lightning rounds,
• hands-on workshops,
• posters and demonstrations, and
• a student panel on the uses of instructional technology.

TIES 2.0 is open to faculty, librarians, staff, postgrads, and graduate students from across all disciplines at Western and its affiliates.

Participants heard and saw how instructors and others employ technology to engage students and enrich learning, and to connect with others from across the campus who are exploring the potential of instructional technology and online education.

Comments

Abstract:

I used the on-line mind-mapping software, LucidChart, as an alternative to a traditional lecture-based lesson on Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Combatting Climate Change. During lecture, each student brainstormed and researched strategies and jotted their findings on a mind-map, as their colleagues did the same. The result, after less than an hour, was a complex display of the interests and research of all twenty students in one place. This lively and innovative use of online mind-mapping tools allowed my class to achieve several learning goals that would be difficult to achieve using a traditional lecture style. The session had several strengths from my perspective: 1) I explored a constantly-evolving topic into a two-hour lecture; 2) I avoided deciding for my students what strategies are "important" enough to learn; 3) I allowed my students to focus on topics that interested them; and 4) the students still obtained a broad background on the subject because the on-line format ensures there is very little duplication of ideas. A similar activity could be effectively used in cases where learning objectives require students to identify examples and link ideas.