Abstract
Abstract This study examines short, mixed formative cycles where teacher-designed error-laden concept maps surface misconceptions and trigger personalised feedback, released immediately at the end of each activity. Misconceptions about climate change can block near-term learning opportunities. Brief, low-overhead cycles embedded in routine coursework may help redirect students rapidly. Eighty-seven undergraduates completed two assessments in Moodle one week apart. The error-laden concept maps elicited students’ conceptions and informed the release of general and specific feedback within the same teaching sequence. We examined within-student change and exploratory response profiles. Cohort performance improved from the first to the second assessment (higher scores, more correct answers, fewer errors). Two feasible scheduling options for feedback performed similarly after accounting for baseline differences. Exploratory profiles (steady improvers, strong responders, minimal changers, regressors) indicated heterogeneous uptake of feedback that can guide subsequent teaching. Integrating error-laden concept maps with immediate feedback in a learning management system (LMS) offers a practical way to diagnose and address misconceptions with minimal marking overhead, while providing actionable information to tailor instruction and support short-term gains. Nonetheless, the present findings constitute a proof of concept in a single cohort at one institution and should be read as context-specific rather than as general claims for climate-change education at large. This approach may be particularly useful in socio-scientific topics such as climate change, where rapid clarification and targeted re-study can open the ‘adjacent possible’ for learners.