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A little visual organization goes a long way in user interface.

Humans are in part visual creatures. Graphics and visual imagery can really help in creating a good intellectual interactive environment.

Trina,
This is true a statement not just for students, but for employers and employees and their clients as well.

Shelly Crider

I agree visual pictures, graphs and images enhance learning especially for those who learn as visual learners. There is a lot of the truth to the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Visual images also help us recall definitions and experiences.

Christopher,
These are especially good in area where students need to see an action or reaction such as in medical, technology, criminal justice....just about every class out there!

Shelly Crider

I agree that the visual layout can be just as important as the content. In order to organize your brain in a way that it can understand the content, you need to know what you are looking at. A disorganized course can confuse and frustrate a learner.

Amber,
Excellent point. Our brain needs organization as well!!!

Shelly Crider

Most adult learners are visual learners and it is essential to engage their senses when creating an intellectual interactive environment. For example, many students enjoy watching videos that demonstrate concepts and this contributes to helping maintain a student's interest level.

Many students complain that a course can be boring, but when an instructor takes the time to find appropriate resources that are visual and that might also use multimedia, students retain the information longer and can apply it.

Thomas,
Visual is so important in any class. That is one of the top reasons for students to take an online class.

Shelly Crider

I teach online healthcare courses, and I find that organizational schematics are always better explained with a visual aid to organize the information. Also, when I teach healthcare finance courses, reviewing concepts with visual prompts leads to better learner understanding.

Michael,
Anytime we can enhance organizational skills in our students, is a very good task to do!!

Shelly Crider

I see that many people are discussing the benefits of having pictures and graphs to clarify content. I'd like to step back and discuss the importance of layout techniques. The art of using contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity, font and style choices while utilizing white space tells the learner what is important and will guide his/her eye around the page. It let's them know what the clear "call to action" is. Less is more - and for the learner a well designed page is far more memorable than something that is cluttered with extraneous information.

Kristina,
Less can be more. We need to keep our audience in view. Who are we teaching? and what do they need/want?

Shelly Crider

I agree. Students of all ages and all disciplines are visual learners to a certain degree. The combination of visualization and interaction, feedback and problem solving, real problem solving are components that will provide a rich learning environment where knowledge is not only obtained, it is sure to be retained for a longer time.

Cameron,
Retention and transfer of knowledge is the name of the game!

Shelly Crider

Students are very visual. I use power points and you tube as often as I can. It stimulates discussion, it seems a lot more so than one on one.Students react more to one another as well as the instructor.

Stephen,
YouTube is a nice resource to send students to....as long as they do not get distracted!

Shelly Crider

I agree, the more medium or visual aid that can be incorporated into a presentation certainly will enhance the retention of the student and make for a more interesting class overall. Adding links of a video, or presentation with pictures or demonstration can expand the material being taugh, and should make the class more interesting for the student and easier for the material to be retained.

Thanks,

Wenda,
Students do tend to retain more when they think they are having fun!!

Shelly Crider

Learning and memory are enhanced with audiovisual tools, pictures and sound, along with demonstrations

Anne,
Anything to help the student learn is worth adding to a classroom.

Shelly Crider

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