Problem solving likely involves at least two broad stages, problem space representation and then problem solution (Newell and Simon, Human problem solving, 1972). The metric centrality that Freeman ("Social Networks" 1:215-239, 1978) implemented in social network analysis is offered here as a potential measure of both. This development research…

Betty's Brain is an open-ended learning environment in which students learn about science topics by teaching a virtual agent named Betty through the construction of a visual causal map that represents the relevant science phenomena. The task is complex, and success requires the use of metacognitive strategies that support knowledge acquisition,…

In this descriptive investigation, we seek to confirm and extend a technique for automatically scoring concept maps. Sixty unscored concept maps from a published dissertation were scored using a computer-based technique adapted from Schvaneveldt (1990) and colleague's Pathfinder network approach. The scores were based on link lines drawn between…