This systematic review analyses how concept maps are used to promote and evaluate university students’ understanding. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was followed for the search strategy, with English-language studies published in the last decade being screened in Scopus and ResearchGate. Studies were included if they were conducted in an educational context, involved the active use of concept maps as learning and assessment tools, and provided empirical evidence. Twenty-seven studies satisfied these conditions.

The findings portray concept maps as dual-purpose devices. Firstly, they facilitate meaningful learning by externalising knowledge structures, supporting metacognitive monitoring and encouraging the deep restructuring of existing ideas. Secondly, they serve as diagnostic and formative assessment instruments that reveal learners’ internal conceptual frameworks more transparently than traditional tests do. Several studies also report higher levels of engagement and self-regulation when concept maps is integrated into technology-enhanced courses.

Finally, building on these insights, we designed an experimental study in which concept-mapping tasks are overlaid onto a sequence of immersive micro-videos delivered in virtual reality. Learners progress through three stages:
(1) passively viewing the videos,
(2) guided exploration with expert-generated maps and optional readings, and
(3) problem-oriented activities where students create or refine their own maps to express conceptual relationships and suggest solutions.

The evaluation has two objectives:
(i) analysis of the engagement trajectories and exploration depth recorded by the platform logs, and
(ii) measurement of the impact of mapping on conceptual understanding in the context of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC).

By synthesising and operationalising current evidence in an immersive design, this study proposes a replicable model for embedding concept maps in higher education. This approach aims to improve the quality of assessment, learner engagement and the durability of conceptual learning, while offering researchers a transparent framework for future comparative studies.

Keywords: Learning Assessment, Concept Mapping, Immersive Learning Environments, Knowledge Graphs, Artificial Intelligence in Education.