2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Concept maps are valuable tools for visualizing relationships between key ideas, improving students' understanding and retention of concepts, particularly in complex fields such as engineering. This study investigates the impact of iterative concept map creation on student learning in mechanical engineering courses over a 15-week semester. Additionally, a survey was conducted to gather student feedback on how the concept map assignment influenced their engagement, ability to connect ideas, and capacity to apply the concepts learned in class. By integrating both quantitative and qualitative data, the analysis combines statistical methods, correlation analysis, and insights derived from natural language processing tools to provide a comprehensive understanding of the pedagogical impact of concept maps. Findings reveal no significant correlation between students' course grades and their concept map scores. However, survey feedback underscores their positive influence, particularly in fostering connections between ideas and improving the application of course knowledge, suggesting that traditional scoring may not fully capture the educational value of concept maps. Overall, this study highlights the potential of concept maps as an effective pedagogical tool in engineering education.