20205 - Network Mapping Techniques for Enhanced Learning and Engagement in the Classroom

Description

This interactive workshop explores the use of network mapping techniques in academic contexts, emphasizing their potential to transform teaching and learning. Throughout my collaboration with a colleague, we have developed and facilitated workshops titled "Critical and Creative Mapping Techniques," aimed at engaging participants in utilizing networked thinking to visualize and organize complex information over the last decade. A key outcome of this collaboration has been the creation of GraphCommons, a platform that enables users to map relationships, identify patterns, and uncover hidden structures within various domains of knowledge.

In this session, participants will investigate the use of GraphCommons (via free accounts), where I demonstrate the tool to reveal clusters of topics, structure academic essays, and uncover the relationships between concepts across disciplines. By employing network mapping techniques, the workshop will illustrate how these methods can foster deeper critical engagement with course materials, allowing students to visualize connections between ideas, theories, and arguments in innovative ways. Through hands-on activities, participants will learn to construct their own knowledge maps, exploring topics of interest and uncovering hidden links that enhance their learning. The workshop will also offer insights into how network mapping can facilitate collaborative learning, encourage interdisciplinary thinking, and support the development of analytical and creative skills essential for academic success. By the end of the session, participants will acquire practical skills in using network mapping to improve their academic work, both individually and collaboratively, and will be equipped with strategies to integrate these techniques into their own teaching practices.

Sub Unit

• Workshops / Teaching Workshop

Presenter

• Zeyno Gokay Ustun, St. Lawrence University

Session Organizer

• Zeyno Gokay Ustun, St. Lawrence University