College

of Education Department of Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology

EDIT 9990: Information Design

Spring 2012 Tuesday, 12:00 pm 3:00 pm 3 credits Call # 10-546 Dr. TJ Kopcha tjkopcha@uga.edu Office: 604G Aderhold Hall Telephone (706) 542-1889 Office Hours: Available online, by phone and by appointment Daisyane Barreto daisyane@uga.edu Office: 626B Aderhold Telephone: 706 621-1150 Office Hours: Tuesday, 3-5pm

Instructor

Purpose

Co-Instructors Tonia Dousay teedee@uga.edu Office: 621 Aderhold Telephone: 706 352-9459 Office Hours: Tuesday, 3-5pm

The purpose of this course is to provide opportunities for people to learn how to design effective messages for presenting research and other scholarly data.

Course Goals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Practice fundamental visual literacy skills. Explain the relationship between information design and communication theory. Apply the psychology of learning to information message design. Evaluate visual messages dedicated to a specific research context. Propose a research study about information design.

Course Policy 1. All academic work must meet the standards contained in A Culture of Honesty. Students are responsible for informing themselves about those standards before performing any academic work. 2. More detailed information about academic honesty is located at: http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/acadhon.htm 3. This course syllabus is a general plan for the course; deviations announced to the class by the instructor may be necessary.

Students requiring special consideration because of a disability are encouraged to contact the instructor at their earliest convenience.

EDIT 9990: Information Design Research Syllabus Spring 2012, Page 2 of 7

Conceptual Framework The concept of visual design promoted in this course focuses on how visual depictions transfer meaning. The presumption is that images convey a message through a combination of text, color, and layout (Figure 1). This course combines research and practice to approach the design and evaluation of visual messages to maximize understanding and reduce misunderstanding.

Figure 1

Course Readings Bleed, R. (2005). Visual literacy in higher education. Retrieved November 1, 2011, from http://www. educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI4001.pdf [Required] {available on eLC} Branch, R. (2000). A taxonomy of visual literacy. In A. W. Pailliotet, & P. B. Mosenthal (Eds.), Advances in reading/language research Volume 7: Reconceptualizing literacy in the media age (pp. 377-402). New Jersey: JAI/Ablex Publishers. [Required] Krause, J. (2004). Design Basics Index. Cincinnati, OH: How Design Books. [Required] Lohr, L. L., & Gall, J. E. (2007). Representation Strategies. In J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. J. G. van Merrinboer, & M. P. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (3rd ed., pp. 85-96). New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Required] {available on eLC} Tufte, E. R. (1990). Envisioning Information. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press. [Optional] Tufte, E. R. (1997). Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press. [Optional] Tufte, E. R. (2001). The Visual Display of Quantitative Information (2nd ed.). Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press. [Optional] Tufte, E. R. (2006). Beautiful Evidence. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press. [Optional] Wainer, H. (1997). Visual revelations: Graphic tales of fate and deception from Napoleon Bonaparte to Ross Perot. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. [Required]
Kopcha, Dousay and Barreto, 10 January 2012

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Course Objectives During the course, each student will be expected to: 1. Practice fundamental visual literacy skills. a. b. c. d. e. a. b. c. d. a. b. c. d. e. f. Identify the principles of design Identify the elements of design State the main rules of visual grammar Study the attributes of effective frames of visual information Explain the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) relative to visual design Define Shannon-Weaver communication theory Describe information systems Identify message design principles Explain the influence of coherence theory on the juxtaposition of texts and figures Identify seminal psychology theories of learning Identify the tenets of a seminal learning theory Defend the importance of fidelity to an original image Explain the effect of images cued by sound Explain the effect of images cued by motion Create an information message portfolio

2. Explain the relationship between information design and communication theory. 3. Apply the psychology of learning to information message design.

4. Evaluate visual messages dedicated to a specific research context.

a. Visualize quantitative data b. Identify an academic research article c. Evaluate the visual depictions of data in an academic research article d. Create a message for use in a presentation of research findings a. Identify the main components of a research proposal b. Compose research questions c. Construct a research proposal that features visual images

5. Propose a research study about information design.

Kopcha, Dousay and Barreto, 10 January 2012

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Requirements The course requirements provide opportunities for students to explore the theoretical and research foundation of information design. Students are expected to discuss topical issues and contribute data, information and knowledge about information design research during the course. Grades are awarded based on points earned for course work. All assignments may be submitted prior to the due date. Late assignments are penalized 20% per day. Assignments submitted on time may be resubmitted [once] for a higher score. The instructor must receive resubmitted assignments within 7 days after the student has received a score from the instructor. All assignments are individual assignments. Additional information for each assignment is located at the course web site.

1. Readiness Activity

The purpose of the Readiness Activity is to survey your preparedness for actively participating in this course. The Readiness Activity is an information-seeking exercise that requires students to find course-specific information, which is either located at the course website or accessible from the course website. The following tasks are expected to be possessed by the students and will not be taught during this course: a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. State the communication process Create digital images Manipulate digital images Employ audio media Define psychology Distinguish between academic and non-academic sources Provide constructive peer feedback Create a website Conduct a literature review Share digital documents Create slide shows such as Keynote and PowerPoint

2. Presentation of an Academic Research Article (2 or 3-person groups) The purpose of the Presentation of an academic research article assignment is to expose you to research about information design. You will be responsible for reading and reviewing a scholarly journal article related to information design and posting to a discussion. The articles selected for this assignment should have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, report the findings of a study that uses original data collected by the author, and published within the past 10 years or more than 25 years ago. The purpose of the Presentation is to study published research related to the theoretical foundations of message design. Prepare a 15-minute presentation on one of the following theories.

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a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i.

Cognitive Load Theory Information Processing Theory Dual Coding Theory Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning Episodic Buffer Theory Communication Theory Redundancy Modality Any other theory that is approved by the instructor

3. Information Message Portfolio The purpose of the Information Message Portfolio assignment is for you to apply theories and principles of effective information design to a specific research theme. You will prepare an electronic portfolio that demonstrates a mastery of information design. 4. Critique The purpose of the Critique assignment is to place a practical framework around the content presented and discussed in class. As part of the Information Message Portfolio assignment, you will create original messages. This assignment will require you to provide two different students with a thorough and professional critique of their creative work. 5. Research Proposal or Applied Project The purpose of the Research Experiment Proposal assignment is to plan a research study that encompasses several facets of the courses content and places it into each of the frameworks of research. All of the tools required to conduct the study should be generated as part of the proposal document. The purpose of the Applied Project assignment is to design or redesign the visual and organizational aspects of some type of information presentation. This assignment also encompasses several facets of the courses content, but does not rely upon a research context, allowing for a more relevant application. Grading Scale A = 92-100 B- = 80-82 A- = 90-91 C+ = 77-79 B+ = 87-89 C = 73-76 B = 83-86 C- = 70-72 Final scores are NOT rounded to the nearest whole number. D+ = 67-69 D = 63-66 D- = 60-62 F = 0-59

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Course Schedule Mode 1. Asynchronous Date January 10 Topic Course overview Visual literacy Principles of Design Elements of Design Overview of Information Systems Overview of Communication Theory Americans with Disabilities Act Introduction to Information Design Psychology of learning Due

2. Face-to-Face

January 17

Readiness Activity

3. Asynchronous 4. Face-to-Face 5. Face-to-Face

January 24 January 31

Research Article

February 7 Theories of Visual Learning

6. Asynchronous February 14 Image Fidelity and Accompanying Cues 7. Face-to-Face February 21 Graphical Deception

8. Asynchronous February 28 Portfolio Workshop 9. Face-to-Face 10. Face-to-Face 11. Asynchronous 12. Face-to-Face 13. Face-to-Face 14. Asynchronous 15. Face-to-Face March 6 March 13 March 20 March 27 April 3 April 10 April 17 April 24

Presenting Research Findings with Visuals Critique Spring Break Components of a research proposal The Creative Process [Topic Determined by Students] Portfolio presentations Proposal/Project Workshop Presentation of Research Proposal or Applied Project Course Summary and Assessments Portfolio Research Proposal or Applied Project

16. Asynchronous

May 1

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Assignments Summary Readiness Activity Presentation of Research Article Due 17 January 7 February Points 15 20 Earned _______ _______ Critique 6 Mar 15 _______ Information Design Portfolio 10 April 25 _______ Research Experiment Proposal or Applied Project 24 April Total = 25 100 _______

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Kopcha, Dousay and Barreto, 10 January 2012