Is a picture truly worth a thousand words? Infographics for undergraduate teaching

Abstract

Infographics, have emerged as an appealing academic tool. Supplementing traditional learning material such as textbooks, or PowerPoint slides, infographics allow for summarised versions of the same material.

Millennials want access to relevant information literally at the click of a button. As educators, we have to find a way of engaging these students with new teaching practices and new learning styles. The researchers commenced on a quest to see how they could engage these students, not only by teaching them the relevant knowledge, but also by allowing these students to use a simple infographic, which covers an entire study theme, and testing the students’ perception of the use of infographics as a substitute for or even to replace “traditional” PowerPoint slides. The infographic was guided based on the 5 principles of the Gestalt theory.

The study was conducted on 210 student participants, with limited prior experience of infographics.

The infographic was perceived as a great tool and of good quality, which they would prefer to use as a study method over PowerPoint slides.

As educators, we need to find ways in which to incorporate infographics as a learning approach, to enhance the learning experience of students.

It is recommended that educators explore visual tools to enhance the learning experience and to retain the knowledge to which our students have been exposed. It is further recommended that infographics should be evaluated based on the five principles of Gestalt to not only improve designs, but also student experience.