From chaos to clarity: Use of mind maps as a tool to ensure better learning among medical students

Abstract

The width and the depth of the information that medical students are expected to master in their undergraduate period of training is huge. Mind maps refer to the multi-sensory tools that aid medical students to integrate, organize, visualize, and subsequently retain and recall information for longer periods of time. Mind maps can be of different types in medical education, with each one having specific characteristics and plus points. Mind maps offer multiple benefits to students and have shown immense potential to expedite the learning process. Mind maps have their own share of limitations, and these must be taken into consideration to ensure that they are used in the right settings and do not interfere with the learning process. In conclusion, mind mapping is an effective and versatile tool for organizing and synthesizing information in medical education and thus has multiple applications. As mind maps have their share of utility and limitations, we must employ them based on the settings and use them as a supplementary tool to enable students to learn complex topics and thereby attain learning competencies.

Keywords

• learning
• medical education
• mind map