Software for visual argument analysis
MindMup AV provides a free and open-source platform for collaboratively building and analyzing arguments. Teachers are experimenting with it in high schools and universities all over the world, and thousands of individuals who find this software online have used it to analyze and construct better arguments.
Always start off at the address argument.mindmup.com or you won’t begin in argument visualization mode.
MindMup is easy to learn and it's cloud service supports real-time collaboration, so when multiple students work on a single visualization, they can see each other’s edits instantly. This site's Basics page explains the core ideas of argument visualization and also reviews how to use this software. The video below provides an even quicker introduction to using the core features.
Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts:
Enter :: add reason under selected claim
Tab :: add co-premise to selected claim
Alt + o :: add objection to selected claim
Alt + t :: toggle between reason/objection and between implicit/explicit claim
Arrows :: navigate through tree
z :: zoom in
Shift+z :: zoom out
d :: detach selected claim
Command+d :: insert detached claim
n :: add note to the selected claim/reason (will appear in side panel)
Alt+N :: add a sticky note to the selection claim/reason (will appear in tree)
Sample visualizations
If you’d like to see what arguments look like in MindMup, check out the arguments on the Basics page.
Thanks to MindMup’s developers, and especially to Gojko Adzi. MindMup will always be free, but if you find it helpful in your teaching, please consider supporting it by buying an organizational license for your institution!