Aligning affordances of graphics with learning task requirements

Abstract

Dynamic subject matter can be portrayed to learners in the form of either static or dynamic depictions. Two plausible bases for choosing a depiction format are alignment with the subject matter's dynamics, or the specific affordances a depiction provides for performing a particular learning output task. Experimental participants viewed an ordered set of eight images depicting key stages of a kangaroo hop presented in a dynamic, successive or simultaneous format. Control participants viewed no presentation. The output task required participants to rearrange a random sequence of the eight kangaroo images into the correct order of a kangaroo hop. Those who viewed the successive presentation were most successful in placing the images in their correct order while those in the dynamic condition were least successful. The results contradict the prevailing instructional design orthodoxy that the dynamic properties of a depiction should be aligned with the dynamic nature of the referent content.

Do student perceptions of teaching predict the development of representational competence and biological knowledge?

“…Accordingly, this may have resulted in a mismatch between the classroom practices with representations and the nature of the assessment. Thus, future research should consider adding a visual-graphical construction task to learning outcomes to align these more explicitly to see if construction of visual representations is beneficial (see Lowe, Schnotz, & Rasch, 2011). Secondly, we must consider the role that support and scaffolding might play.…”

How temporal and spatial aspects of presenting visualizations affect learning about locomotion patterns

“…First, the to-be-learned content of the domain must be characterized by continuous processes. Second, the understanding of these dynamic aspects must contribute to the desired mental representation of the domain and the to-be-accomplished task (see also Lowe, Schnotz, & Rasch, 2010). Given these conditions, dynamic visualizations can be used to directly depict dynamic processes like trajectory or continuity of changes, thereby facilitating mental model construction (Lowe, 2003).…”

Demonstration-based training (DBT) in the design of a video tutorial for software training

“…The transient nature of an animation can be taxing, making it difficult to connect incoming information with what is already known (Brucker et al 2014;Lowe et al 2011). A design measure that can moderate this problem is the inclusion of brief pauses of 2-5 s. Pauses are time-stamped demarcations that disrupt the continuous information stream.…”