It is important to recognize that a concept map is never finished. After a preliminary map is constructed, it is always necessary to revise this map. Other concepts can be added. Good maps usually result from three to many revisions.
Concept Mapping - SAGE Research Methods
For difficult topics - whether difficult for the students as determined by the teacher's previous experience, or difficult for the teacher because of his/her background - using an "expert skeleton" concept map is an alternative. An "expert skeleton" concept map has been previously prepared by an expert on the topic, and permits both students and teachers to build their knowledge on a solid foundation. "Expert skeleton" concept maps serve as a guide or scaffold or aid to learning in a way analogous to the use of scaffolding in constructing or refurbishing a building.
IOE Conference, May 2003, London, UK - Banxia Software
Your company has deep and broad research methods expertise, perhaps in a particular area of investigation-you may use interviews, world cafes, surveys, bibliometric analyses, social network analyses, environmental scans and the like. We can help, by adding our experience to your portfolio to get the job done and to produce results that are ready for uptake and use. CSI knows the territory of social research, and can fit into your team as needed-in time, and under budget.
Concept Testing Methods and Examples | SurveyMonkey
Given a selected domain and a defined question or problem in this domain, the next step is to identify the key concepts that apply to this domain. Usually 65 to 75 concepts will suffice. These concepts could be listed, and then from this list a rank ordered list should be established from the most general, most inclusive concept, for this particular problem or situation, to the most specific, least general concept. Although this rank order may be only approximate, it helps to begin the process of map construction.
While there is value in studying more extensively the process of human learning and human knowledge creation, this is beyond the scope of this document. The reader is invited to peruse some of the references cited. Some important considerations for construction of better concept maps and facilitation of learning will be discussed further below.
To interpret the conceptualization, we usually assemble a specific set of materials and follow a specific sequence of steps -- a process which has been worked out largely on the basis of our experiences on many different projects. The materials consist of:
CSI's reputation for innovation and conscientious application of evaluation expertise allows us to offer our talents to support your teams' evaluation contracts. Whether as part of a large initiative, or conducting needs or progress assessments within a project, CSI can stand behind your team, taking away the need to "staff up" to tackle evaluation needs of your project.
Another characteristic of concept maps is that the concepts are represented in a hierarchical fashion with the most inclusive, most general concepts at the top of the map and the more specific, less general concepts arranged hierarchically below. The hierarchical structure for a particular domain of knowledge also depends on the context in which that knowledge is being applied or considered. Therefore, it is best to construct concept maps with reference to some particular question we seek to answer, which we have called a focus question. The concept map may pertain to some situation or event that we are trying to understand through the organization of knowledge in the form of a concept map, thus providing the context for the concept map.
In some situations, however, we have used relatively small homogenous groups for the conceptualization process. For instance, if an organization is beginning a strategic planning effort and would like to lay out quickly some of the major concepts around which the planning will be based, they might prefer to use a relatively small group of administrators and organizational staff members. The obvious advantage of doing this is that it is logistically simpler to get people together for meetings if they are all on the staff of the organization. This type of group works well when a quick conceptualization framework is desired, but in general we would recommend a broader sampling of opinion.
You can run a test by putting your designs or concepts in front people who are likely to become your customers. Pit a new concept against your existing product, site, or campaign to see potential lift. Gauge interest in a brand new concept. Or you can even test competing ideas against each other in an A/B test. You'll learn what most appeals to your target market, and you'll be able to get more explicit feedback about why people prefer one concept over another.
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