Visual learning

Visual learning is a teaching and learning style in which ideas, concepts, data and other information are associated with images and techniques. It is one of the three basic types of learning styles that also includes kinesthetic learning and auditory learning.

Visual learners also prosper when shown graphs, graphic organizers, such as webs, concept maps and idea maps, plots, and illustrations such as stack plots and Venn plots, are some of the techniques used in visual learning to enhance thinking and learning skills.

Visual learners usually possess these qualities:

1. have great instinctive direction
2. can easily visualize objects

Visual learning techniques

Creating graphic organizers - Students create graphic organizers such as diagrams, webs and concept maps by selecting symbols to represent ideas and information. To show the relationships between ideas, students link the symbols and add words to further clarify meaning.

By representing information spatially and with images, students are able to focus on meaning, reorganize and group similar ideas easily, make better use of their visual memory.

In a study entitled Graphic Organizers: A Review of Scientifically Based Research, The Institute for the Advancement of Research in Education at AEL evaluated 29 studies and concluded that visual learning improves student performance in the following areas:

• Critical Thinking--Graphic organizers link verbal and visual information to help students make connections, understand relationships and recall related details.

Retention

According to research, students better remember information when it's represented and learned both visually and verbally.

Comprehension

Students better comprehend new ideas when they are connected to prior knowledge.

Organization

Students can use diagrams to display large amounts of information in ways that are easy to understand and help reveal relationships and patterns.

Visualising data - When working with data, students build data literacy as they collect and explore information in a dynamic inquiry process, using tables and plots to visually investigate, manipulate and analyze data. As students explore the way data moves through various plot types, such as Venn, stack, pie and axis, they formulate questions and discover meaning from the visual representation.

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Elements of design to ensure learning

There are some elements of design that can be incorporated into any course that will help ensure learning success:

Simplicity

Distance Education course creators sometimes become victims of the "more is better" concept. This is not the best case when developing a course site. Including everything you have or can find on a topic can overwhelm and confuse students. Improper use of fonts, colors, and graphics can also serve as a distraction and hamper the effectiveness of your course. Another common problem in Blackboard courses is the use of too many buttons or links on the course menu. Keeping the content, menu, color and font variations to a minimum can help keep your site design simple.

Consistency

Consistency can greatly reduce the time initially required to navigate your course site. Consistency across pages can reduce the load on cognitive processing and prevent cognitive overload. If learning to use a course is a quick and painless process, learners are motivated to continue. Consistencies should include: colors, backgrounds, fonts, headings, text layout, folder management, and placement of course materials.

Some inconsistencies, if used correctly and infrequently, such as changing text formats can quickly grab a learner's attention. These might include a highlighted line of text, or an altered color scheme to indicate a change of topic.

Personalizing Your Course

Personalizing your course site is also important in order to establish instructor presence, which has been shown to increase student engagement. Some ideas to accomplish this

• Add a course banner
• Add a personal picture within "Staff (Faculty) Information"
• Add personal audio clips conveying reinforcement.

Also remember to set proper "availabilities" within your Blackboard's control panel. These course options allow you to customize your course by making only the features you will use "available" to students.

Improvements can be made to enhance the "user friendliness" of your course by creating and managing folders. It's best if folders are arranged and labeled in a logical and consistent sequence. Some common "labels" used for folders - Module - Unit - Week (and number) - Topic - Lesson. Consistency in folder management, labeling and corresponding discussion forums will help students easily navigate throughout your course without aggravation.

Design Goals

Remember to keep the following goals in as you create course content.

Design your content:

• to focus attention
• to avoid visual fatigue and cognitive overload
• for scanning
• to educate and not to impress
• for various learning styles
• for consistency

See also

• Learning styles
  • Visual learning
  • Auditory learning
  • Kinesthetic learning

External links

• Articles and resources about the visual learning style for students and instructors
• tips for visual learners
• Visual learning information