Enhancing Supply Chain Technology Learning with Mind Mapping and Group Discussion: Evidence from UiTM Students

Abstract

Supply chain technology is an essential component of business education as organisations increasingly adopt digital tools to enhance efficiency, visibility, and responsiveness across supply chain networks. However, students often face challenges in understanding and retaining the wide range of technologies involved. This study investigates the effectiveness of mind mapping as a pedagogical strategy to enhance comprehension of supply chain technology concepts among undergraduate students at the Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Puncak Alam. Using a pre- and post-test design, the lecturer provided a structured mind map on the topic, followed by group discussions where students completed an exercise covering 17 areas of supply chain technology. Findings reveal a transformative shift in learning outcomes. Pre-intervention, only 25.0% of students reported possessing basic knowledge, with the majority (63.3%) remaining neutral. Post-intervention, positive agreement surged to 100%, eliminating the neutral and negative sentiment blocks. Specifically, the ability to differentiate technologies was initially the lowest-rated metric, with only 31.7% positive agreement that improved to 100%, while the mean score for this competency rose from 3.10 to 4.59. Additionally, student confidence in the application increased from a mean of 3.55 to 4.54. The study concludes that mind mapping serves as a critical cognitive scaffold, effectively converting uncertainty into mastery. By aligning with visual learning preferences, the tool bridges the gap between passive retention and active application, suggesting it is an essential strategy for teaching data-dense supply chain curriculum.