This activity was used in an introductory physical geology course that is a mandatory course for geoscience majors but is also open to students in all faculties. No pre-requisite courses required. The course page is available at: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/coursedesign/goalsdb/65489.html

This learning assessment is intended to be carried out at the end of the term, at which point students should be confident with plate tectonics, the rock cycle, geologic time and scientific research methods. Ideally, students will have completed the prior learning assessments on these topics.

This assignment is the final installment of a series of in-class activities known as learning assessments.

Students are strongly encouraged to work in groups to complete the learning assessments, however each student must submit their own assignment. Learning assessments are all "open book" and students are encouraged to use their textbooks and other external resources to help them complete their assignments.

Rather than testing students understanding of a particular concept, the goal of this learning assessment is to test student understanding of all the major concepts covered in the course (plate tectonics, the rock cycle, geologic time and scientific research) by identifying the relationships between them.

Synthesis of ideas (e.g. How are plate tectonics and the rock cycle related? Give specific examples demonstrating the relationship between the two.)

Presenting ideas in the format of concept maps, working in groups, using external resources (e.g. internet, textbooks), using new software (optional).

At the end of the semester, students are asked to create a concept map of the four main concepts covered over the duration of the course. They are provided with a grading rubric and 4 the main nodes that are required on the map (plate tectonics, the rock cycle, geologic time and scientific research). The four concepts can be arranged in any manner, and the connecting lines must be labelled with appropriate terms and examples. Students have the option of creating a paper map (11'' x 17'' or larger) or a digital map using a free software program, VUE.

Concept maps are evaluated using a grading rubric which clearly states the criteria required to achieve each level of performance from 0 to 4, where 4 is full marks. Concept maps are returned to students during a review period where the instructor devotes a class to going over the activity and explaining common errors.

This learning assessment uses a free, open source software program called VUE (Visual Understanding Environment), which can be downloaded at:
https://vue.tufts.edu/