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Process mapping and learning is a collection of collaborative researchers utilising a microanalytic method called process mapping.

Process mapping: Process mapping was developed by Gerry Corrigan for his doctoral research at The University of Sydney. Process mapping enables learners’ decisions to be analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively and as a research approach will continue to contribute to the ongoing analysis of learning.

Process mapping is a method that extracts a person’s decision-making and their reasoning behind that decision-making and represents this information sequentially, in the form of a process map. The resultant process map reveals the precise detail of an individual’s decision-making, making what is generally tacit and unknown, explicit and available for review and analysis. Process mapping provides a basis for feedback to learners and from that, learning.

Process mapping research provides feedback about learning by unpacking the black-box process of decision-making and precisely mapping out how and why people made the decisions they did.  The research projects utilizing process mapping are designed to explore how learners go about the business of learning.  All current and proposed projects are based in medical education, though there is no reason to confine this research method to that specific area.

The principal investigators also welcome and encourage new, undefined projects in any area of learning that could utilize this microanalytic method.

Status of projects

Current:

1. Process mapping and students’ engagement with clinical reasoning in problem-based learning (collaboration with the School of Rural Medicine, Charles Sturt University).
2. Collaboration in problem-based learning (collaboration with the School of Rural Medicine, Charles Sturt University).
3. Using process mapping to better understand clinical reasoning during an authentic clinical assessment task (collaboration with Deakin University and the School of Rural Medicine, Charles Sturt University).

Planned/Open:

1. Longitudinal mapping of learning in problem-based learning (multiple-year longitudinal study).
2. Knowledge acquisition in problem-based learning.
3. How do learners acquire clinical reasoning skills in problem-based learning?

Research Centres

• School of Rural Medicine, Charles Sturt University (Gerry Corrigan)
• School of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University (Suzanne Estaphan)

Researchers

Completed:

Smith, P. (Year 2, MChD, Junior Medical Officer) Unpacking problem-based learning: the decisions learners make.
Supervisors: Associate Professor Gerry Corrigan | Dr. Lynette Johns-Boast

Publications

• Smith, P & Corrigan, G (2018) How learners learn: A new microanalytic assessment method to map decision-making. Medical Teacher, 40:12, 1231-1239.
• Corrigan, G. (2012) Self-regulated learning in medical education:  the next steps.  Medical Education, 46:9, 920.
• Corrigan, G. (2001) Conceptual Development, Investigative Skills and Decisions About Processes. PhD thesis. The University of Sydney

Conference presentations (refereed)

• Corrigan, G, Estaphan, S. 2024. An authentic, microanalytic method for assessing clinical reasoning in problem-based learning tutorials. Ottawa 2024 - Conference on the Assessment of Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions. Melbourne February 2024.
• Edgar, A, Estaphan, S, Chong, LX, Armitage, JA, Ainge, L and Corrigan, G. 2024. Does process mapping, a form of microanalysis, provide insight into clinical reasoning during an authentic clinical assessment task? A pilot study. Ottawa 2024 - Conference on the Assessment of Competence in Medicine and the Healthcare Professions. Melbourne February 2024.
• Corrigan, G and Smith, P (2019) A new approach to learning how to learn? Making better decisions, more often. (Oral presentation - PEaRL) Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) 2019 Conference, Canberra, 1-4 July 2019.
• Smith, P and Corrigan, G (2019) How learners learn: a new microanalytic assessment method to map decision-making.  (Poster presentation) Australian & New Zealand Association for Health Professional Educators (ANZAHPE) 2019 Conference, Canberra, 1-4 July 2019.