Software CMAP TOOLS™ to build concept maps: An evaluation by nursing students

Abstract

Concept mapping (CM) is a teaching strategy that can be used to solve clinical cases, but the maps are difficult to write. The objective of this study was to describe the challenges and contributions of the Cmap Tools® software in building concept maps to solve clinical cases. To do this, a descriptive and qualitative method was used with junior nursing students from the Federal University of São Paulo. The teaching strategy was applied and the data were collected using the focal group technique. The results showed that the software facilitates and guarantees the organization, visualization, and correlation of the data, but there are difficulties related to the handling of its tools initially. In conclusion, the formatting and auto formatting resources of Cmap Tools® facilitated the construction of concept maps; however, orientation strategies should be implemented for the initial stage of the software utilization.