Part 2 of the Study Toolbox series looks at the use of mindmaps to develop your knowledge and more importantly to hone your technique for delivering those perfect answers during the dreaded QP viva.
I had never heard of mindmaps prior to starting my QP training. It was my sponsor who introduced them to me (they do have their uses) and I have now incorporated them into my daily study schedule.
What are Mindmaps?
As usual, Wiki provides a great overview of the basics of Mindmaps. Mindmaps are diagrams used to visualise all links, ideas, words & concepts around a central, single topic (think brainstorming). They can be handwritten or designed with dedicated software. They are particularly useful for problem solving & condensing information into layers (remember the onion analogy?) - two attributes that lend themselves to QP training.Manual Mindmaps
I've found that manual Mindmaps are useful for outlining all the branches & layers surrounding a particular topic or question before transferring to a final electronic copy. Mindmaps give you and your brain the freedom from the 'fit on the page' mentality as mindmaps can go on and on forever and link with other mindmaps to create a multitude of maps to really free your mind. Obviously the electronic versions are really only capable of this, unless you have an abundance of A1 paper laying about the office.
Electronic Mindmaps
There are a number of software providers willing to take your hard earned cash for their software. Luckily, if you are a skinflint like me, there are a few free versions out there and most provide a free trial which if you are clever, can 'extend' unofficially. Ive tried a few different programmes and here are my thoughts:
1. Mindjet
This is my go-to software for generating mindmaps. Mindjet offers a cloud based portal for electronic storage of your mindmaps. This is great if you like having access to your mindmaps from any PC and are wary of your laptop crashing and loosing the data forever. For those willing to pay the annual subscription, Mindjet gives you the option to export to .pdf or .doc etc to provide an off-line back up system. Your PC will need Flash installed to view the mindmaps.
After 6 months of use Mindjet has grown on me. The convenience of cloud storage, no limit to the free trial and expandable/collapsible branches are particularly useful to me. The expandable/collapsible branches helps in preparing responses to your viva questions - I'll post on this separately soon. The advantages outweigh the sometimes clunky interface which can occasionally crash causing loss of data. However, this has only happened twice in my time using it.
I have also found a way to edit off-line using Mindjet. The Mindjet android app allows you to edit or create mindmaps off-line and once back on-line the app will sync with your mindjet account. Accessing your mindmaps from the convenience of a tablet computer or smartphone is very convenient and would highly recommend it especially for those who commute by public transport.
This is my sponsor's mindmap of choice. iMindmap offers the option of desktop and cloud storage of mindmaps as well as free 7 day trial before you commit. It functions as per the usual mapping software but allows you to drag topics from the central theme using the mouse. The free version does not allow you to collapse or expand branches - this is where Mindjet has the advantage. One of its selling points is that it has been developed by one of the founders of mindmaps (Tony Buzan) and it uses bright colours in default setting to really get both sides of your brain firing.
The only reason I didnt continue with iMindMap was due to the lack of the collapsible/expandable branches on the free version and the 7 day trial limit.
3. MindMeister
I only tried this free android tablet app for a few minutes before its annoying user interface and lack of undo function drove me to hit the uninstall button. From my experience there are far better mindmapping software out there.
Mindjet Example
The example below is from my own bank of Mindjet mindmaps. The map contains basic lists to learn for the microbiology module. I've zoomed in on Rapid Methods to show how I have constructed the map to provide an overview (3 subtopics) and further layers with increasing detail - again picture those onion layers.
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| 1st layer from sub-topic |
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| All additional layers from one sub-topic |
There are numerous other mindmap applications out there and I have really only touched the surface here. For your first foray into mindmaps I would highly recommended downloading the trial versions to either your laptop or tablet and having a play around with them - I'm sure you'll be hooked in no time at all!
I plan to write a post on a specific viva question and how I would use a mindmap to construct a logical & polished answer.
Study Toolbox Part 1: The Onion
Study Toolbox Part 2: Introduction to Mindmaps
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