Problem-based learning (PBL) is a case-based, student-centered educational strategy integrated into the first two-year curriculum at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (NUFSM). In PBL, students work in small groups to identify and solve problems in a clinical case. Under the guidance of a faculty facilitator, students critically think through a patient case and explain the underlying pathophysiology, allowing for integration of basic science principles with clinical knowledge. Concept maps (CMs) have been utilized in PBL at NUFSM since 2007. In 2017, digital concept mapping was introduced. A literature review of CMs in medical education found that CMs promote meaningful learning, enable feedback, serve as an assessment of learning, and allow educators to comprehend how a learner can understand relationships among concepts. Although CMs can be developed in multiple modalities, the specific tool can enhance or deter from the potential learning and evaluation benefits in PBL. Lucidchart, a digital concept mapping tool, was piloted in the 2017-2018 academic year with PBL directors noting an enhancement in the organization and complexity of CMs generated from PBL cases when compared to non-digital CMs. In 2018-2019, Lucidchart will be studied as a tool to enhance and evaluate student learning in PBL.
