Visual Design as Holistic Experience: How Students Engage With Instructional Materials of Various Visual Designs

• In Event: Poster Session 5
  In Poster Session: Design and Evaluation of Learning Experiences

Abstract

This study explored factors thought to affect college students’ selection and experience of instructional materials by utilizing general procedures of Giorgi’s (2012) descriptive phenomenological psychological method and Spradley’s (1979) approach to interpretation. 25 undergraduate students were asked to study finite mathematics materials after selecting from four sets of options, with the same content but different visual designs and formats. The entire process was observed, and students were interviewed about their experience. As a result of the analyses, students were found to select instructional materials that met their expectations, and such expectations had been defined or impacted by their various previous experiences. Overall, students’ diverse visual perceptions suggest the importance of considering students’ background when studying the impacts of visual designs.

Author

• Kei Tomita, GP Strategies Corporation