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Thinking in Graphs with CoMAP: A Shared Visual Workspace for Designing Project - Based Learning

  • Ruijia Li
  • , Bo Jiang*
  • *Corresponding author for this work
  • East China Normal University

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Designing project-based learning (PBL) demands managing highly interdependent components, a task that both traditional linear tools and purely conversational AI struggle with. Traditional tools fail to capture the non-linear nature of creative design, while conversational systems lack the persistent, shared context necessary for reflective collaboration. Grounded in theories of distributed cognition, we introduce CoMAP, a system that embodies a graph-based collaboration paradigm. By providing a shared visual workspace with dual-modality AI support, CoMAP transforms the human-AI relationship from a prompt-and-response loop into a transparent and equitable partnership. Our study with 30 educators shows CoMAP significantly improves teachers' design expression, divergent thinking, and iterative practice compared to a dialogue-only baseline. These findings demonstrate how a nonlinear, artifact-centric approach can foster trust, reduce cognitive load, and support educators to take control of their creative process. Our contributions are available at: https://comap2025.github.io/.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationCHI 2026 - Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
EditorsNuria Oliver, David A. Shamma, Heloisa Candello, Pablo Cesar, Pedro Lopes, Alessandro Bozzon, Thomas Kosch, Vera Liao, Xiaojuan Ma, Valentino Artizzu, Fiona Draxler, Gustavo Lopez, Anke V. Reinschluessel, Xin Tong, Phoebe O. Toups Dugas
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9798400722783
DOIs
StatePublished - 13 Apr 2026
Event2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026 - Barcelona, Spain
Duration: 13 Apr 202617 Apr 2026

Publication series

NameConference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings

Conference

Conference2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026
Country/TerritorySpain
CityBarcelona
Period13/04/2617/04/26

Keywords

  • Human-AI collaboration
  • Instructional design
  • Large language models
  • Project Based Learning
  • Visual authoring

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