Module 3: Concept mapping case study: Concept mapping used in a business education evaluation process. McLinden & Trochim. (1998).

I found the Concept Mapping article difficult to follow at times although I’m familiar with mapping as it is a staple strategy in ELA. However, it was interesting to see how another profession operates, and what it values. I think the strengths of the study would be that all stakeholders were able to give input (rating and sorting), the statistical analysis was sophisticated, the graphs, reported results with “high impact”, and it provided the ability to assess diagnostic information to improve the program.

There were some negatives. Regardless of all the effort that went into quantifying elements in the study, people’s behaviors are still hard to quantify. This is the point at which I thought the business model came closest to the challenges educators face. Learning was measured by a self-reported survey; the authors allow that a testing program would probably have given results that were more valid. Given the different goals of each stakeholder group, however, it seems inevitable that the “problem” would produce unexpected results.