Mind Mapping: An Experiential Approach to Syllabus Review

ABSTRACT

On the first day of class most management faculty review or “go over” the syllabus, typically through an instructor-led presentation. However, research indicates that students retain little, if any, of the syllabus material, leading to frustrating outcomes for both students and instructors. Here we report the results of a post hoc natural experiment, where we compared the effectiveness of the traditional, review-and-discuss method to the effectiveness of a mind map approach used in another undergraduate management course. Before we conceived of the natural experiment, each faculty member reviewed the syllabus using his or her preferred method. One week later, the faculty members administered the same unannounced quiz in each section to measure both the amount and type of information the students recalled. Overall, the mind map approach was more effective, with mind-mapping students correctly answering more questions, especially regarding higher order concepts like course learning objectives and the nature of major assignments.

KEYWORDS:

• syllabus review
• mind mapping
• natural experiment
• first day of class
• information recall

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth A. McCrea

Elizabeth A. McCrea, an associate professor of management at Seton Hall University, received a PhD in organization management from Rutgers University. Her work—focusing primarily on entrepreneurship, innovation, and pedagogy—has been published in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Management Education, Organization Management Journal, and others. Three of her articles have won “Bright Idea” awards for applied research, sponsored by the NJ Policy Research Organization and NJ Business & Industry Association. She is currently vice-president of programs for the Eastern Academy of Management. Her professional experience includes finance, operations, and executive training roles in the consumer products and health care industries. She can be reached at [email protected].

Steven J. Lorenzet

Steven Lorenzet is an associate dean and an associate professor of management in the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University. As an administrator, he has been very active with corporate and international partnerships, new program development, and external relations. His teaching interests are primarily in human resource management and organizational behavior. His research has focused on such areas as training and development, leadership, and employee motivation. He received his PhD in organizational studies (human resource management/organizational behavior) from the University at Albany, State University of New York. He can be reached at [email protected].