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MindMaps and literature searching for undergraduates

MindMaps and literature searching for undergraduates. Angela Newton a.j.newton@leeds.ac.uk. The lingo. MindMaps “…the Swiss army knife for the brain” (Buzan, 1993) Concept maps Brainstorming Radial thinking Knowledge map. The students.

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MindMaps and literature searching for undergraduates

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  1. MindMaps and literature searching for undergraduates Angela Newton a.j.newton@leeds.ac.uk

  2. The lingo • MindMaps • “…the Swiss army knife for the brain” (Buzan, 1993) • Concept maps • Brainstorming • Radial thinking • Knowledge map

  3. The students • Second year Environment students writing a mini dissertation on a pre-defined topic • Prior IL sessions at Level 1: • Introduction to using the Library • Introduction to using Web of Science • Short attention span! • Keen on web resources! • Not good at exploring unknown databases! “Many students skip over the planning stage of a search, and are poor at selecting the right sources and search terms.” (Webber 2002)

  4. Topics • Is the Montreal Protocol Working? • Realities of land degradation in Africa • Environmental influences on benthic macro-invertebrates • Economic growth and environmental quality • Linking Global Thinking with Local Action in the Food System • Corporate social responsibility • Attitudes to sustainability • Environmental management and sustainability in the public sector

  5. Aims of the session • Engage students in planning & executing a literature search • Thinking about keywords • Talking to one another about their subject • Trying some new search techniques (e.g. Boolean) • Exploring new databases • Give them inspiration and practical help for their assessment, a mini dissertation

  6. Solution • MindMaps help to construct keywords prior to database searching • Group work to combat boredom and create discussion • Small room (22 workstations) to make the session more manageable • x3 practical tasks in 15 minute chunks

  7. Materials for the workshop • PowerPoint slides • Example of a complete MindMap on a generic topic (A3) • MindMap for each dissertation topic with some basic starting points (A3) • Worksheet with instructions for each task • Referencing leaflet • Post-its

  8. Advantages of using MindMaps in literature searching • Easy to explain and easy to do • No right or wrong answers • Novelty • No special equipment required • Creates discussion • Fosters creative thinking • Must be done with paper and pen • Easy to see what they know and where the gaps in their knowledge are • Non-linear thinkers • Colourful • Dynamic

  9. Problems with the workshop • Non-visual thinkers may struggle with MindMaps • Requires energy and enthusiasm (even at 9am on a Friday morning!) • Students need to turn up in groups • Only one copy of the map per group • Can require a lot of preparation

  10. I’m more confident about… I’m still not very confident about…

  11. Student feedback • (I feel) Much more confident however, didn't realise how unconfident I actually was. • I feel fairly confident with all of the tasks in today's session and feel comfortable with using these research methods for my future work. • Still not very confident in choosing a database.

  12. Old dog, new tricks • Literature searching • Problem solving • Making a visual representation of an organisational structure • Report writing • Minute taking • Revision • Creating presentations

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