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In this paper, the results of an explorative investigation conducted in two university courses proposed by the Department of Education Sciences of the University of Bologna are presented. Indeed, within these courses, special emphasis was given to the use of visual and audio-visual languages to elicit the creation of multiple and original points of view, through activities based on encounters and sharing.

A Concept Map provides a graphical, hierarchical, representation of a domain of knowledge, and can be used by teachers to define and organize the content of a course. The use of existing concept maps, possibly implemented by means of tested and suitable learning material, can be of great help for the teacher, while defining her/his own concept map. In this context, being able to establish the similarity between two concept maps is a significant asset, allowing to limit the analysis of other maps, and focus on those that can be of actual help for the teacher. This is true in a special way if the measure is computed 'according to one among many possible pedagogical criteria of similarity'. We are working on the definition of measures entailing similarity based on different pedagogical criteria. In this paper, we meet the problem of experimenting such with measures, and comparing them with baseline measures, while investigating the effectiveness of a new measure. To support this kind of analysis we propose here a web-based system. We show the characteristics of the system, and use it to compare the behaviour of three measures of similarity: the pre-requisite measure (also presented) computes the similarity of two maps with respect to a particular pedagogical aspect. The other two measures are used as a baseline. We conclude that the system has shown its usefulness and can be used for more extensive analysis of other measures.

Part 1: Building Information Modeling; International audience; Building Information Modeling (BIM) environments have a lot of potential to facilitate communication and support collective work, speeding construction times and increasing the overall quality of the project. A few ontologies creation efforts have been made by both academia and practitioners to foster the transmission of knowledge in BIM environments. This paper aims to add to the discussion by analyzing the notes of users of concept maps, knowledge structures similar to ontologies, and comparing them to BIM environment researchers’.

In this paper we analyze the effects of the type of collaborative task (elaboration of concept map vs elaboration of expository summary) on the performance and on the level of collaboration achieved by Mexican university students in the multimedia learning of a social sciences content (Communication Psychology). Likewise, the processes of social regulation that are put into play in these collaborative tasks are described. Forty-five students (17 women and 28 men) grouped in 15 triads participated in the study. Each triad was assigned to one of the two collaborative conditions: elaboration of concept map (8 groups) and elaboration of an expository summary (7 groups). It was monitored that there were no significant previous differences between two conditions regarding: reading comprehension, reading comprehension regulation strategies and domain-specific prior knowledge. To evaluate the performance in learning, the quality of the proposals made in concept maps and summaries were taken adapting the procedure proposed by Haugwitz, Nesbit and Sandmann (2010), and also the results obtained by the students in a multiple-choice questionnaire about the knowledge area. Likewise, the level of collaboration perceived by each member of the teams was examined using a Collaboration questionnaire developed by Chan and Chan (2011). The identification and characterization of the processes of social regulation was carried out through a qualitative analysis of the exchanges registered during the collaborative activity, considering the type (co-regulation and shared regulation) and the regulation orientation (directed to the task or to the management of collaboration). The quantitative results analysis showed the existence of significant effects working with collaborative concept maps in the knowledge acquired during the collaborative task and in some of the indicators of perceived collaboration. Although no significant statistical differences were found, in the teams that elaborated expository summaries, a predominance of episodes of regulation directed towards the cognitive activity of the collaborative task was observed, being scarce, in both conditions, the episodes of social regulation directed towards collaboration within the triads, This work integrates a series of studies in progress on collaboration and digital technologies that were carried out within the framework of the research project called "Communicative innovation and management in organizations" of the Thematic Network of Academic Collaboration "Management, Culture and Communication in Organizations", which was supported by PRODEP-SEP (México) DSA/103.5/15/11048 (UASLP-CA-232), in which the first author participated

This paper describes the procedure of developing an instructional tool, ‘concept mapping’ and its effectiveness in making the material meaningful to the students. In Pakistan, the traditional way of teaching science subjects at all levels at school relies heavily on memorization. The up-to-date data obtained from qualitative and quantitative research strongly supports the value of concept mapping as an instructional tool both for cognitive and affective gains. This study seeks to contribute to this development by considering how the insights of Ausubel can be converted into an effective and efficient instructional method. It was found that concept maps help improving achievement of the students and make learning more meaningful so that retrieval is possible.

Formative feedback enables comparison to be made between a learner’s current understanding and a desired learning goal. Obtaining this information is a time consuming task that most tutors cannot afford. We therefore wished to develop a support software tool, which provides tutors and learners with information that identifies a learner’s progress, and requires only limited human intervention. The central idea is to use language technologies to create concepts maps automatically from texts, such as students’ essays or Blogs. By comparing maps from students over time, or with maps created from tutor’s materials, or by other students, it should be possible to ascertain learners’ progress and identify remedial actions. We review existing tools for automatic construction of concepts maps and describe our initial explorations of one of these tools. This paper then introduces the theoretical background of the proposed tool, design considerations and requirements. An initial validation, which explored tutors’ perceptions of the tool showed that tutors found the approach relevant, but its implementation in practice requires to consider teachers’ practices, the tools already in use, as well as institutional policies.

In this paper, we describe how the pathfinder algorithm converts relatedness ratings of concept pairs to concept maps; we also present how this algorithm has been used to develop the Concept Maps for Learning website (\url{http://www.conceptmapsforlearning.com}) based on the principles of effective formative assessment. The pathfinder networks, one of the network representation tools, claim to help more students memorize and recall the relations between concepts than spatial representation tools (such as Multi-Dimensional Scaling). Therefore, the pathfinder networks have been used in various studies on knowledge structures, including identifying students misconceptions. To accomplish this, each students knowledge map and the expert knowledge map are compared via the pathfinder software, and the differences between these maps are highlighted. After misconceptions are identified, the pathfinder software fails to provide any feedback on these misconceptions. To overcome this weakness, we have been developing a mobile-based concept mapping tool providing visual, textual and remedial feedback (ex. videos, website links and applets) on the concept relations. This information is then placed on the expert concept map, but not on the students concept map. Additionally, students are asked to note what they understand from given feedback, and given the opportunity to revise their knowledge maps after receiving various types of feedback. En este artículo se describe cómo el algoritmo de búsqueda de ruta convierte puntajes de conceptos pareados en mapas conceptuales. También se presenta cómo este algoritmo ha sido utilizado para desarrollar estos mapas conceptuales para aprendizaje (\url{http://www.conceptmapsforlearning.com}) basados en los principios del aseguramiento formativo efectivo. Las redes de búsqueda de ruta, una de las herramientas de representación de redes, ayudan a memorizar a los estudiantes y enunciar las relaciones entre mapas más que las herramientas de expresión espacial (tales como el escalonamiento multidimensional). Por tanto, las redes de búsqueda de rutas han sido usadas en varios estudios de estructura del conocimiento incluyendo la identificación de malos conceptos usados por los estudiantes. Para lograr esto, cada mapa de conocimiento tanto del estudiante como del experto son comparados vía el software de búsqueda de ruta y se remarcan las diferencias entre éstos. Después que los malos conceptos son identificados, el software de búsqueda falla en entregar una retroalimentación en estos nodos conceptuales. Para superar esta debilidad, se desarrolla una herramienta de mapa conceptual móvil que manda retroalimentaciones visuales, textuales y remediales (e.g. vídeos, enlaces a páginas web y applets) en las relaciones de los conceptos. Adicionalmente, los estudiantes son preguntados acerca de qué entienden de la retroalimentación brindada y se les da la oportunidad de revisar sus mapas de conocimiento después de recibir varios tipos de retroalimentación.

In accordance with a 'people centred' vision, this paper critically examines current approaches to smart cities benchmarking. In particular, by means of correlation analysis and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) we put in evidence present limitations of city rankings and, as well, the emergence of different perspectives for data interpretations. To follow, a possible redesign of the 'Smart Cities Analytics' grounded on the traces left by individuals, is suggested. In particular, as an example, we focus on the potentiality offered by automatic text analysis to extract people perceptions and expectations that, in turns, demonstrate the need to integrate bottom-up and top-down approaches to city benchmarking. Finally a novel definition of smart city based on the territorial state of flow is proposed and, as a consequence, a novel path toward smart city benchmarking suggested.

This article discusses the use of concept maps in the mathematics teaching and learning in primary school. The purpose of this paper is to investigate students' attitudes about the importance of concept mapping. The results of the survey among students that reflects their views on the use of concept maps in mathematics teaching have been analyzed. The studies carried out indicate that the use of these graphical tools helps better understanding of mathematics and improves skills and other cognitive processes.

With a growing interest in sustainability, a number of universities have engaged in educating the future leaders, decision makers, scientists, and engineers on how their decisions can help societies become more sustainable. This paper presents the process for developing the Bachelor's degree curriculum in Engineering for Sustainable Development at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico. The process was initiated in response to a request from top management of the university to a small committee of faculty members to prepare a draft of the degree's curriculum structure. Subsequently, a wider committee was appointed to design the courses' content and to refine the degree's structure. The process of developing a new degree posed a number of challenges, such as connectivity of courses and the curricular contribution to sustainability. These challenges were overcome by: using Concept Maps to help characterise and to overcome the challenges of inter-connecting courses by providing a systemic framework through a qualitative graphical tool titled, the ‘Sustainability Tool for Assessing UNiversities’ Curricula Holistically’ (STAUNCH®). This tool helped the faculty team to develop a quasi-quantitative approach to the courses' coverage and their individual and collective contribution to education of their students for sustainability. The two methods provided a broader, more holistic, and systemic approach when developing a degree, because it allowed assessing the needed connectivity among curriculum courses from a systemic perspective, as well as evaluating the contribution of environmental, economic, and social issues in the degree. The systematic process followed in developing this degree curriculum can help other institutions to design and implement their own sustainability curricula. This can ensure that they develop sustainability-educated and empowered students, who can be change agents in making societies more sustainable.

This paper proposes the approach to a concept map merging using methods and tools developed for the same task in the domain of ontologies. The developed method is based on ideas that concept maps and ontologies have structural similarities, and mutual transformations between them are possible therefore tools and methods suitable for ontologies can be applied to concept maps. Concept map merging is necessary to extend the functionality of intelligent concept map-based knowledge assessment system IKAS for reuse of captured concept maps.

Formative feedback enables comparison to be made between a learner’s current understanding and a desired learning goal. Obtaining this information is a time consuming task that most tutors cannot afford. We therefore wished to develop a support software tool, which provides tutors and learners with information that identifies a learner’s progress, and requires only limited human intervention. The central idea is to use language technologies to create concepts maps automatically from texts, such as students’ essays or Blogs. By comparing maps from students over time, or with maps created from tutor’s materials, or by other students, it should be possible to ascertain learners’ progress and identify remedial actions. We review existing tools for automatic construction of concepts maps and describe our initial explorations of one of these tools. This paper then introduces the theoretical background of the proposed tool, design considerations and requirements. An initial validation, which explored tutors’ perceptions of the tool showed that tutors found the approach relevant, but its implementation in practice requires to consider teachers’ practices, the tools already in use, as well as institutional policies.

This paper focuses on the procedures of an action-research (STRINGER, 2007) that was conducted with undergraduates enrolled in an ESP course at Faculdade de Letras (UFMG). The impelling drive was the creation of a means to solve an educational problem, namely, the enhancement of students' reading comprehension of texts in English for academic purposes. The problem-solving process involved the use of concept maps (NOVAK; CAÑAS, 2008) powered by the CMap Tools software (CAÑAS et al., 2004) to meet the educational needs of a localized teaching situation. Data indicate that concept mapping, facilitated by computer software, can be a useful strategy to improve comprehension. Support for the investigation comes from the theories underlying the ESP approach, meaningful learning, learning as a social enterprise, and collaborative learning. Este artigo enfoca os procedimentos de uma pesquisa-ação (STRINGER, 2007) implementada em uma turma de alunos de graduação de um curso de inglês instrumental na Faculdade de Letras (UFMG). O impulso motivador foi a tentativa de criação de um meio para resolver um problema educativo localizado: o aumento do nível de compreensão de textos em inglês para fins acadêmicos. O processo de busca de uma possível solução envolveu o uso de mapas conceituais (NOVAK; CAÑAS, 2008), mediados pelo programa de computador CMap Tools (CAÑAS et al., 2004). Os dados indicam que a criação de mapas conceituais, empoderada pelo uso do CMap Tools, pode ser uma estratégia útil para aumentar o nível de compreensão escrita dos alunos. A investigação teve como suporte teórico os princípios da abordagem de inglês para fins específicos, aprendizagem significativa, aprendizagem como um ato social e aprendizagem colaborativa.

This paper analyzes the effect of programmed biology teaching on the development of motivational processes in students in the field of physiological programming content of the subject Human anatomy and physiology. The study sample consisted of 60 graduate students grouped into one experimental and one control group. For the experimental group, the physiological courses (Teaching Area: Nervous System) were carried out using programmed instruction, which was performed using computer and programmed materials containing the concept maps. The control group at the same facility implemented the classical-lecturing teaching. After elaborating on the teaching material, a survey was conducted for students of the experimental group. The survey results show a great interest by students in the programmed model of teaching and reported high motivation for adopting physiological programming content using such a didactic model., U ovom radu analizira se primjena programirane nastave biologije na razvoj motivacijskih procesa kod studenata u području fizioloških programskih sadržaja nastavnog predmeta Anatomija i fiziologija čovjeka. Uzorak istraživanja činilo je 60 studenata diplomskih akademskih studija, koji su bili grupirani u jednu eksperimentalnu i jednu kontrolnu skupinu. Eksperimentalna skupina je realizirala fiziološke nastavne sadržaje (Nastavno oblaspodručje: Živčani sustav) primjenom programirane nastave, koja je izvođena uz pomoć kompjutora i programiranih materijala, koji su sadržavali i izradu mapa pojmova. Kontrolna skupina je iste sadržaje realizirala klasičnom predavačkom nastavom. Nakon ovakve obrade nastavnog gradiva provedena je anketa za studente eksperimentalne skupine. Rezultati ankete pokazuju veliku zainteresiranost studenata za programirani model nastave i ističu iznimnu motiviranost za usvajanje fizioloških programskih sadržaja primjenom ovog didaktičkog modela.

The paper presents the destination brand molecule approach to destination image and brand perception measurement, an innovative and non-traditional approach to market research as a tool for potential use by a destination/attraction marketing organization. It investigates the perceptions people have about a destination brand and the way they organize these perceptions in their minds. It employs and further develops the brand molecule concept introduced by Lederer and Hill (2001) and its extension into the tourism destination brand molecule concept by Silver and Hill (2002), with the brand concept mapping approach of John, Loken Kim and Monga (2006). The methodology is tested by creating a destination brand molecule for Las Vegas, Nevada by two convenience samples of respondents (one in Bulgaria and another in the USA). Results show the differences in the way Las Vegas is perceived as a destination by respondents. Limitations of the concept, the potential pitfalls in the application of the destination brand molecule concept as a tool for destination image and brand perception measurement and directions for further research are also elaborated.

For students of health sciences, knowledge of biology is a cornerstone to successfully face the challenges presented to them related to this field of knowledge and to interpret specific phenomena of medical science and health. This paper shows the results of the use of the concept maps for meaningful learning of cellular biology concepts. Objective: to determine the effectiveness of the concept maps as a didactic strategy in the learning of concepts of cellular Biology in students of Health Sciences. Material and methods: It was worked with a cuasi-experimental design of pre-test and post-test with two intact groups: an experimental group (it used the concept maps as learning strategy) and a control group (it did not use the concept maps as learning strategy). The students were evaluated using a pre-test and post-test, built with multiple-choice questions with one answer in the levels of knowledge, comprehension and analysis of the cognitive domain of Bloom's Taxonomy. Results: In the post-test found no significant differences in the total number of questions. However significant differences were found between groups in the application level, observing better results in the experimental group. Conclusions: The concept maps gave students a tool to learn concepts of cell biology significantly. However, its effective use depends on factors such as motivation for learning, continuous training in mapping, significant contents of learning and implementation time.

Several research works have analyzed how students' motivational factors improve the effectiveness of mobile learning experiences. Rarely, the impact of teachers' motivation on the learners' results. In this paper, we argue that teachers' motivational factors should be similarly analysed, since teachers participate actively in the social processes of knowledge development. According to the results of a 2-year m-learning project, we consider motivational aspects as gradients in a 3D-space; dimensions in this space represent the social, information and geographical dimensions to be considered in order to analyze the knowledge building process in a mobile environment. Motivational factors are gradients which can determine the dynamical evolution of the entire classroom during a mobile learning experience.

In this paper we report how 26 teachers enrolled in a post graduate teacher education program used Cmaptools software for class work and assessment. For one smester teacher build eletronic concept maps as a constructivist learning strategy to organize and reflect on the course readings, to plan course projects and to compare and contrast information from course discurssions. Concept maps were posted in the course website for the instructor and colleagues to visualize and comment. At the end of the semester the learning strategy was assessed thru survey techniques. Results show that teachers considered that the process os using this constructivist strategy was important to enhance their learning skills in studying the contents and also grew to understand their own thinking process. The findings also suggest that the use of CM within a b-learning enviromen made it easier for teachers to constantly increase performance at representing knowledge and creating meaning of the course core.

Comunicación presentada en ENMA Education: International Conference on Engineering and Mathematics. Bilbao,2008, Scientific talks, like scientific papers, are an important part of the scientific communication process. Good oral presentation skills are vital to educational sciences as well as to many other fields. In the engineering community such presentations offer a quick outline of project proposals and progress reports. In the academic community, the ability to clearly transmit scientific information in an oral presentation is critical to both teaching and research. Over the last years it has become apparent to many educational researchers that representing knowledge in a visual format allows one to better recognize and understand incoming information. Since Novak placed concept mapping on the educational agenda, it has become an increasingly popular advanced teaching and learning tool. Due mainly to the innovation of visual design software like CmapTools, the production and modification of concept maps is straightforward. While there are no strict rules about how to give a motivating and compelling presentation, there are some guiding principles which are easy to grasp and apply. The modern scientist must be able to create well organized, well delivered scientific talks. In this context, concept maps harness the power of our vision to understand complex information "at-a-glance". We propose some ideas and resources based on the use of concept maps to make the process of preparing and organizing good talks easier. In essence, good scientific talks must satisfy the following three goals: to connect with the audience, to direct and hold attention, and to promote understanding and memory. To accomplish these goals talk material must be elaborated careful and logically. The plan to achieve them should have four parts: preparation, structure, design, and delivery. We focus our work on the first two parts of the plan, and supply some helpful guidelines on effective ways to prepare the scientific information, using concept maps with the software CmapTools., La Caixa, Bilbao Turismo, WSEAS

In this paper we report how 26 in service teachers enrolled in a post graduate education program in Curriculum Development, used Cmaptools software for class work and assessment in Research Methods in Education (RME). For one semester teachers were taught to use electronic concept maps as a constructivist learning strategy. Teachers developed electronic concept maps to reflect on the course readings, plan course projects and to compare and contrast information from course discussions. Concept maps created were posted in the course website for the instructor and other students to visualize and comment. At the end of the semester the learning strategy was assessed thru survey techniques in order to identify students’ opinions on the experience of building maps with Cmaptools in RME. Results show that post graduate teachers considered that the process of using this constructivist strategy was important to enhance their learning skills in studying RME contents and also grew to understand their own thinking processes. The findings also suggest that the use of CMS within a web-based environment made it easier for teachers to constantly revise maps, increasing performance at representing knowledge and creating meaning of the course core., Centro de Investigação em Educação. Universidade do Minho.

This paper reports on a study of ecology teaching and learning in a Swedish primary school class (age 10-11 yrs). A teaching sequence was designed to help students read nature in a river ecosystem. The teaching sequence had a 'bottom up' approach, taking as its starting point a common key organism - the freshwater shrimp. From this species and its ecology, the perspective was broadened to involve studies of the interrelations between organisms and finally to the relationship between biotic and abiotic factors. A large part of the instruction took place outdoors. Students were interviewed three times during the course when they were presented with a tray full of objects (both biotic and abiotic) from the ecosystem. The students' task was to name and describe the objects and then to link them up in as many relevant ways as possible, explaining the reasons for the links. The interviews have been transcribed onto concept maps and SOLO-taxonomy was used to illustrate their developing ecological understanding. Results indicate how students related several abstract processes and correlations back to the key organism studied early in the teaching sequence.

Περιέχει το πλήρες κείμενο Computer aided assessment (CAA) using Questionmark Perception software can be used to enhance learning through the regular use of formative assessment. The range of question styles available within Perception provide good interactivity and can incorporate rich feedback which is tailored to the student’s response. Many refinements of fixed response questions have been devised over the past 20 years or so and while these may have not been feasible in pen and paper format they are far more achievable in practice if computerised. For example a variant of the multiple choice question where the students are required to indicate the certainty of their response, which is intended to reduce the effect of guessing, is easily computerised. The drag and drop template can be applied to a great variety of question styles which include concept maps, flow charts of practical schedules, and Venn diagrams.

Concept mapping is a simple and intuitive visual form of knowledge representation. Concept maps can be categorized as informal or formal, where the latter is characterized by implementing a semantics model constraining their components. Software engineering is a domain that has successfully adopted formal concept maps to visualize and specify complex systems. Automated tools have been implemented to support these models although their semantic constraints are hardcoded within the systems and hidden from users. This paper presents the Constraint Graphs and jKSImapper systems. Constraint Graphs is a flexible and powerful graphical system interface for specifying concept mapping notations. In addition, jKSImapper is a multi-user concept mapping editor for the Internet and the World Wide Web. Together, these systems aim to support user-definable formal concept mapping notations and distributed collaboration on the Internet and the World Wide Web.