A Concept Maps-based Approach for Knowledge Visualization and Autonomous Self-Assessment in Distance Learning Environments

 Current educational environments rely primarily on a text-based syllabus approach to describing course content as well as whole curricula. This traditional approach is too limiting, especially when it comes to distance learning environments. It fails to delineate the relationship of concepts and skills covered in a given course to those covered in other courses. It also fails to show the knowledge base that a learner acquires by the end of his/her course of study as it relates to lifelong learning. New demands placed on distance learning environments call for more engaging learning experiences for learners. We adopt an approach that is based on using a knowledge visualization tool that can engage both learners and instructors, in an active learning approach, to construct a map for the knowledge, concepts, and skills that a learner possesses and those that he/she acquires during a course of study, as well as for self-assessment. We capitalize on findings from cognitive science research to engage students in an active learning, constructivist way to learning computer engineering knowledge, concepts and skills. We present our design of concept maps for knowledge visualization and selfassessment using graphical user interfaces. The concept maps are Web-based and enable a constructivist active learning approach and autonomous self-assessment via interactive modules that support situated learning of concepts. A demonstration using concepts of digital logic design is also presented. Index Terms  concept maps, knowledge visualization, active learning, autonomous self-assessment. INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION The focus of the new science of learning is on the cognitive processes that lead to deep understanding. Learning researchers have viewed humans as goal-directed cognitive agents who constructively seek information. A constructivist approach to learning is one that assumes that all knowledge is constructed from, and based upon, previous knowledge. This approach can be successful for knowledge formation of learners when previous knowledge of each individual is used as the basis or starting point for subsequent new instruction [1-3].