Fostering Multimedia Learning with Collaborative Concept Mapping: The Effect of Cognitive Aid on Performance and on Collaboration

This paper analyzes the use of collaborative concept maps in multimedia learning tasks. Specifically, the effect of a cognitive aid (providing students a list of main concepts to generate a concept map) on the performance of collaborative concept mapping and on the level of collaboration in this task is discussed. The study was carried out with 57 university students, grouped into 19 triads, assigned to one of two conditions- with and without the support of a list of key concepts. It was found that the first condition promoted higher quality concept maps; however, the cognitive aid did not have significant effect on the levels of collaboration perceived by the team members. In the discussion and conclusions, the implications of these results for the design and implementation of collaborative interventions based on the use of technological tools and concept mapping are pointed out.