Who We Are

Our Story

Sero! Learning Assessments, Inc., is the world’s leading provider of concept map-based learning assessments, through its Sero! platform, professional development and content services.

In Latin, sero means “to join together.” You see it in words like serotonin, which “joins together” neurons.
In concept maps, the relations join together the concepts to form propositions, basic units of knowledge.

Here’s how we got here…

Early 1970's

Joseph Novak and colleagues invent concept mapping to enable meaningful learning
1970's - 2000's

Use and research of concept mapping expands globally, at all levels of learning
2007

Perigean Technologies is founded to advance the state of the art in concept mapping
2009

National Assessment of Educational Progress Science Framework includes concept mapping as a recommended Interactive Computer Task
2014

The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Agency funds project to assess a game-based version of Sero! for potential to improve adaptive reasoning skills in adults
2016

Perigean Technologies develops Sero! v.1 for the Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative - featured here.
2017

ReliabilityFirst evaluates Sero! v.1 for viability of its end-to-end model for eliciting and assessing professional knowledge
2017

The e-Assessment Association awards Sero! v.1 the distinction of Highly Commended, Innovation Category at the e-Assessment Awards
2017

Founding of Sero! Learning Assessments, Inc. (SLA)
2018

The Association of Test Publishers selects Sero! v.1 to participate in its first Innovation Lab for technologies that could revolutionize the assessment and testing industry - featured here and here.
2018

Common Sense Education releases first review: 3-stars,
"Fresh approach to assessment through concept maps shows promise"
2018

Sero! v.1 makes short list for a Reimagination Education award in the Learning Assessment Category
2019

The Air Force Research Laboratory funds an initiative to include formative assessment and mental model comparison capabilities in Sero! v.2
2020

The Army Research Institute awards contract (with partners at Universities of Michigan and Texas) to explore and develop automated authoring algorithms for concept mapping-based assessments in Sero! v.3
2022

Sero!, v.3 released

Publications

Along the way, we’ve published about our expertise in concept mapping and our progress with Sero!.

Applied Concept Mapping: Creating, Organizing and Using Knowledge (CRC Press, 2011) with the originator of concept maps, Joseph Novak

Mintzes, J.J., Canas, A., Coffey, J., Gorman, J., Gurley, L., Hoffman, R., McGuire, S.Y., Miller, N., Moon, B., Trifone, J. and Wandersee, J.H., (2011). Comment on “retrieval practice produces more learning than elaborative studying with concept mapping”. Science, 334(6055), pp.453-453. LINK

Correia, P. R. M., Aguiar, J., & Moon, B. (2020). Using Concept Maps with Errors to Identify Misconceptions: The Role of Instructional Design to Create Large-Scale On-Line Solutions. In Pedagogy for Conceptual Thinking and Meaning Equivalence: Emerging Research and Opportunities (pp. 117-134). IGI Global. LINK

Correia, P. R. M., Nascimento, T., Ballego, R., Soares, M., & Moon, B. (2020) How to make students’ diagnostic assessment using concept map with errors. Organicom. Vol 17, No 32.

Moon, B., Correia, P., & Ballego, R. (2022). Innovations on concept mapping-based activities for learning assessment: the quest for ubiquity and large-scale solutions. In Design and Measurement Strategies for Meaningful Learning. IGI Global. LINK

Moon, B. & Rizvi, S. (2018). Sero!: A Learning Assessment Platform for Adult Learning Environments. In Nazir, S., Teperi, A. M., & Polak-Sopińska, A. (Eds.). Advances in Human Factors in Training, Education, and Learning Sciences: Proceedings of the AHFE 2017. Springer. p. 12-21. LINK

Moon, B., Johnston, C., Rizvi, S., & Dister, C. (2016). Eliciting, Representing, and Evaluating Adult Knowledge: A Model for Organizational Use of Concept Mapping and Concept Maps. In International Conference on Concept Mapping (pp. 66-82). Springer International Publishing. LINK

Moon, B., Johnston, C., Tuxbury, B., Hoffman, R., Guarino, S., Jarvis, R., Young, D., and Romero, V. (2014). Sero!: Evaluating a Concept Mapping Game for Its Potential to Improve Cognitive Capabilities. Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Concept Mapping. Santos, Brazil. LINK

Moon, B., Hoffman, R., Eskridge, T. & Coffey, J. (2011). Skills in Concept Mapping. In Moon, B., Hoffman, R., Novak, J. and Cañas, A. (eds.) Applied Concept Mapping: Capturing, Analyzing, and Organizing Knowledge. pp. 23-46. New York: CRC Press.

Moon, B., Ross, K., & Phillips, J. (2010). Concept Map-based Assessment for Adult Learners. Cañas, A., Sánchez, J., and Novak, J. (Eds.) Concept Maps: Making Learning Meaningful. Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Concept Mapping. Viña del Mar, Chile. LINK