A1: Concept Map



In this assignment, your task is to create a concept map (or a related map, such as a mind map, topic map, or visual representation of an ontology) for a domain (area of interest) of your choice. You should consider selecting a topic that is related to your research paper, your team project, your senior project or Master’s thesis, or all of them.
This is an individual assignment, but you can collaborate with your team mate or others. You can split up a topic and develop separate, but related concept maps, or you can develop multiple versions for the same topic. You can also jointly develop one single, large concept map for a topic, but it must be clear who did what part (you can use layers, for example, to do that). Also keep in mind that it may be better to have a set of related, interlinked maps, instead of one single, large map that may be difficult to view and navigate.
The purpose of this assignment is to identify the most important concepts within a domain, and how they are related to each other. Concept maps are frequently represented visually as graphs consisting of nodes (the concepts) and links (the relationships), but they are also often the basis for a representation of the respective knowledge in computers. There are also related approaches like Mind Maps (often used for brainstorming), Brain Maps, Topic Maps (an ISO/IEC standard), and Ontologies (often used in the context of the Semantic Web).
The range of tools for concept mapping and related methods is quite large, and also depends on your familiarity with computers and software. On one end of the spectrum is general-purpose software that you may already be familiar with, such as programs for drawing, creating outlines, creating diagrams, etc. On the other end are professional tools such as ontology editors (e.g. Protégé), or domain-specific systems. Somewhere in between are tools frequently used for brainstorming and idea collection, such as "brain mapping," "mind mapping," "topic mapping," or "concept mapping."
If you are already familiar with a tool or system that you think may be suitable here, feel free to select it. On the other hand, this may be a good opportunity to try out something new. I have recently started to use the Visual Understanding Environment (VUE), a concept mapping tool that is reasonably easy to use, and offers a good selection of features. For a nice collection of examples, visit the VUE Gallery.
For an overview of tools examined in earlier related classes, see list of knowledge organization and knowledge management tools.

Creating a Concept Map


While it is tempting to open your favorite tool and start populating it with nodes and links, it is advisable to think about it first. For me, it helps to isolate the most important concepts first. Frequently, I start with a single core concept, identify a handful of others that are also very important, and then I try to determine how they are related. This can be done recursively until you run out of steam or screen space. However, you will probably also quickly realize that in addition to the identification of the concepts and relationships to be captured, it helps to have a theme, thread, or other method to arrange and organize those concepts. Popular methods here are concentric circles (where the core concepts are large and prominent, and the less important ones further, smaller, and less prominent), proximity in space (i.e. maps) or time (time lines), hierarchical trees, or other regularities in the arrangement or shapes used.
In addition to the explicit relationships between concepts, you can also use visual cues like shape, color, size, or font style to emphasize certain aspects or commonalities between items.
Finally, many tools offer features that help with the organization of such maps. VUE, for examples, has layers to group elements and hide or display them, and it also supports the creation of paths to traverse the “concept space”; this feature can also be used for presentations.

Grading Guidelines


This assignment contributes 33% to the overall assignments score. The score will be determined by the following criteria:
  • knowledge of subject matter (does the author demonstrate a good grasp of the topic)
  • evidence (does the author present facts, examples, or other material that supports the arguments, and are the sources cited)
  • complexity of the concept map created (what is the scope of the domain described)
  • thoroughness of the evaluation (are all relevant concepts and relationships from the domain represented)
  • accuracy (is the material presented correct, consistent, and complete)
  • organization and readability of the write-up, (is the map well organized and easy to follow)
  • presentation and appearance (is the appearance of the concept map of professional quality, e.g. without spelling or grammatical errors, and good use of visual elements like color and shape)
For a high score, your concept map should have at the following properties:
  • a central node that captures the main theme or purpose of the map
  • at least 20 nodes (concepts)
  • at least 20 links of at least five different types
  • a legend that explains the use of node shapes, colors, and line types
  • multiple layers that allow the user to show or hide parts of the map
  • pointers to additional information (either traditional references or hyperlinks are fine
  • a phrase or sentence in the “Information” field of the node to explain concepts that the reader may not be familiar with
  • a prominently visible text box that identifies the creator and context of the map (e.g. “Franz Kurfess, Cal Poly CSC 481-W11 Assignment 1”)
If several people contribute to one single map, the size of the map must be scaled according to the number of people working on it (e.g. 60 concepts and links for three people working on one map).

Submission


The deadline for this assignment is two weeks after the distribution. It should be submitted via the Blackboard Wiki. I will create an overview page where you can include a link to the page with your write-up.
Your submission should include the following items:
  • the file with the concept map in its original format (e.g. 481-S11-A1-fkurfess-Example-Concept-Map.vue)
  • a PDF or HTML version of the map
  • a README file
Please note that these submissions are accessible to all participants in the class. I am doing this on purpose so that students can find out what topics other students find interesting. If your document may contain sensitive information that you prefer not to have accessible, please let me know.