A three-step framework to develop the visual aspects of Learning Design

Abstract

This article contributes to the ongoing efforts to use visualizations as a means to develop, communicate, and represent learning design. We introduce a novel visual framework for Learning Design, inspired by The Larnaca Declaration and visual theorist Johanna Drucker's insights. We propose a three-step approach for educators and educational researchers to effectively represent teaching and learning sequences.

The article builds from a brief introduction to the field of Learning Design and especially the metaphor of musical notation, which in Learning Design literature has been used as a driver for understanding the ambitions of the approach. This introduction ties into current issues within the field of Design-Based Research concerning generalization, definitions of interventions and the iterative manner in which DBR projects ideally progress. Utilizing Drucker's visualization purposes and Jacques Bertin's graphic variables, we explore how size, color, shape and texture can convey educational information, both qualitatively and quantitatively. Our analysis of existing learning designs illustrates the potential for increased rigor and readability when applying the framework. Furthermore, the article offers two re-interpretations of an existing learning design to provide a starting point for further exploration of meaningful and rigorous ways to communicate intended teaching and learning sequences and environments.

This work pioneers the fusion of Drucker's theories with Learning Design, and offers an innovative, albeit tentative, methodology for educators and designers to visualize and disseminate educational strategies and ideas.