ELC 054: Do learners understand your instructional graphics?

Are we all a little over-confident about the graphics we use to promote learning? Today’s guest, Elizabeth Boling, has done research that demonstrates we are. We assume that people can understand our intent in the instructional graphics that we or others produce. But this is not always the case.

Elizabeth is a professor of instructional systems technology in the School of Education at Indiana University. Her resume includes 10 years of design practice, five of which were at Apple. She was editor-in chief at Tech Trends and is founding editor and current editor-in-chief of International Journal of Designs for Learning, 

WE DISCUSS:













* How people interpret instructional graphics and illustrations versus what the designer intended

* How people decode graphics

* Visual literacy and instructional graphics

* How text augments visuals

* Why schools should be teaching students how to create graphics

* Decoding icons and information graphics

* Importance of testing instructional graphics on users

* Some criteria for when graphics are needed to enhance learning

* When graphics may detract from learning













TRANSCRIPT: Download the [Download not found]

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TIME: 30 minutes

RESOURCES:









* elizabethboling.com

* International Journal of Designs for Learning

* Studio Teaching in Higher Education

* Instructional Illustrations: Intended Meanings and Learner Interpretations

* List of Elizabeth's research papers

* Yes, Icons Need Labels (related to the conversation)

* Using Graphics to Improve Learning

* 10 Books of Visual Ideas