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Human society has created extraordinarily diverse media for creating and sharing information. While text-based systems have had exceptional influence, this course is devoted to exploring the value of a diverse range of non-textual visualizations of concepts, models, and knowledge for the purposes of learning.
Visualization has been defined as "the use of computer-supported, interactive, visual representations of data to amplify cognition," but we will also examine how non-computational visualizations may support cognitive and communicative processes. What are some of the distinctive cognitive and social advantages of visual representations for learning? How are new computational systems for visualization transforming inquiry and communications in science, mathematics and other knowledge domains? What new forms of visual literacies and representational practices are emerging and what do we know about their challenges for learners?
We will consider theory and research literature encompassing visualizations such as 2-D images and 3-D models, diagrams, geo-gridded visualizations in science and social science, temporal visualizations such as animations and video, concept maps, tree-maps, and matrices. Subject areas for our consideration will span various sciences, mathematics, medicine, architecture and history.
Our work together will involve critical discussions of key readings on theory and research in visualization, and demonstrations and explorations of information visualization environments and tools. Students will provide a series of short presentations, and an integrative final paper due and presented the final day of class. Assessment will be on the basis of classroom contributions, oral presentations, and the written paper. Required books are listed below; for more details, please visit the schedule page.
This course should be of interest for learning theorists, designers of instructional and interactive learning environments, human-computer interaction, and those concerned more broadly with augmenting human capabilities with information technologies.
Class Meets: Thursdays 9-11:50am, in Ceras, Rm. 130.
3 Units.
Please note that the first course meeting will be on Thursday, April 11, from 9-11:50 in Ceras, Rm. 130.
Required Course Materials:
Please purchase the following two books from Amazon.com or a similar retailer, to minimize the cost, and read the assigned chapters before April 11, 2002, if at all possible. (While your books arrive, you can use the copies in Reserve in Cubberley Library).
Activities for the course:
- Required attendance and engaged participation - we are looking for knowledge-building contributions to our local community of learners.
- Final integrative paper due and presented in class, June 6, 2002.
- Each student will participate in at least two small teams that each week are responsible for presenting the assigned materials and environments to the course, motivating and moderating discussion.
- Typical structure after first two weeks of class:
- Professor Pea will provide key orientation and background (30 minutes).
- Student team presents a participatory demonstration and theory-oriented overview framework (90 minutes).
- Moderated reflections and discussion (45 minutes).
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