Using E-Maps to Organize and Navigate Online Content

© 2008 Michael F. Ruffini Many university faculty design and upload course materials to the web using either their own website or a course management system. They typically present content in a linear or sequential structure, using hyperlinks to access course files, websites, and folders. Sequential ordering of content employs chronological or alphabetical order, or arranges content from general to specific. This approach ignores the adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If a picture is worth a thousand words, it is because a visual image can generate more cognitive associations that enhance critical thinking and memory than can words by themselves. E-maps visually represent complex information in an easy-to-understand format that shows the overall structure of subject content. I use the term e-maps for computer-generated mind maps, which were created by Tony Buzan in the late 1960s to help students take better notes using key words and images.1 The mind forms associations almost instantaneously, and the mind map approach helps students quickly relate a central word or concept to other pieces of information. A mind map makes information more meaningful than if it were just memorized because, like concept maps, it places the information in the context of existing knowledge. Furthermore, a mind map allows instructors to organize information into chunks, enabling students to remember more information for a longer time. (See http://heuristixx.wordpress.com/ Using E-Maps to Organize and Navigate Online Content