rethinking the design of overheads: moving from verbal to visual russell l. kahn, ph.d. director, ms...
TRANSCRIPT
Rethinking the Design of Overheads: Moving from Verbal to Visual
Russell L. Kahn, Ph.D.
Director, MS in Information Design and Technology (going online in the fall)
Program Information: http://idt.sunyit.edu"Copyright Russell Kahn, 2008 This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author."
Verbal to Visual 2
Presentation will move from analysis of presentation styles to applications
1. Weaknesses of title/list format
2. Description, illustration, analysis of the assertion/visual evidence format
3. Empirical testing of this approach; copyright issues
Verbal to Visual 3
Overview
1. Weaknesses of title/list2. Description, illustration, analysis of
the assertion/visual evidence format
3. Empirical testing of this approach; copyright issues
Centered phrase
List of topics
Power corrupts, PowerPoint corrupts absolutely” Tufte
Verbal to Visual 4
Traditional layouts of phrase headlines and lists simply mimic the notes of the presenter…
Decorative art reduces audience recall
Students race to write down what’s on the screen
Verbal to Visual 5
Four Variables in Design
• Artwork - The Point
• Display Text - Lead to by line
• Body Text - Follow line
• Signature/Closure - Call to action
PowerPoint’s design defaults tend toward reductionism because it oversimplifies and fragments…
Re-worked slide using new format
Body text
Display text
Artwork
Signature
1. Sentence assertion
2. Visual evidence
Verbal to Visual 7
Information designers prepare information for efficiency and effectiveness
Clear assertion leading to discussion
Visual evidence supporting assertion and for discussion
Use sans serif, < 30 point for the sentence assertion, 18-24 point for subheadings, flush left alignment, and sentence capitalization
Keep lists to 1-3 lines; be generous with white space.
Verbal to Visual 10
Traditional text based design leads to information overload
Verbal to Visual 11
Reworked text-based slide:
Verbs should take an action; find the action and make it the verb.
To be (weak verb)
1a It seems to be unwise to represent oneself in court.
1b One should not represent oneself in court.
Sentence assertion
Visual evidence
Use Powerpoint’s “Presenters Tools” to provide needed notes for this format
Use Keynote’s preferences to provide needed notes for this format
Verbal to Visual 14
Use of assertion/visual evidence presentations enhances online classes
Grammar podcast
Verbal to Visual 15
Using the assertion/visual evidence technique improved online discussions
Type Average Low HighTraditional 8.94 8.4 9.8
Assertion/visual evidence
9.63 9.3 10.0
Verbal to Visual 16
The assertion/visual evidence format moves teaching from teacher-centered to student-centered learning
The five premises of student-centered learning from Bhaerman and Selden “Instructional Technology and the Teaching Profession” Teachers College Record
Verbal to Visual 17
Premise 1. Is knowledge something that can be transmitted from one human being to another, or is knowledge the result of one’s unique and personal experiences?
Verbal to Visual 18
Premise 2. Is the goal of teaching the mastery of factual information by means of demonstrations and recitations or is teaching a process of arousing personal response in the learner?
Verbal to Visual 19
Premise 3. Is the learner conceived as a sensory receiver to be manipulated or is he or she an active and experiencing person?
Verbal to Visual 20
Premise 4. Is the teacher conceived as a demonstrator and mental disciplinarian or is she provocateur and instigator of activity—mental, emotional, and social?
Verbal to Visual 21(Alley, 2005)
A study of 800 students found that test scores improved when using the assertion/visual evidence format
Using this format scores improved on 7 of 15 questions
Shows ratio of scores: visual/traditional (Alley, 2005)
How one slide was changed from traditional to assertion/visual
Traditional slide format
Assertion/visual evidence format
Verbal to Visual 24
How visual are we? Consider the success of YouTube…
1. Hosts over 6 million videos2. Takes 45 terabytes of storage — about 5,000 hard
drives.3. Spent 9,305 years watching YouTube in 2006
Wall Street Journal
Verbal to Visual 25
Visual resources for use as visual evidence are all over the web
Verbal to Visual 26
Assertion/Visual evidence meets the four tests of fair use
1. Purpose and Character2. Nature of the copyrighted work3. Amount and substantiality4. Effect on the market
Verbal to Visual 27
Key drawback to new design format is that it breaks with tradition
1. PowerPoint templates support old methods
2. It’s difficult to write succinct assertions and find visual evidence
3. Students are usedto the traditional format.
Verbal to Visual 28
Conclusion - The value of the assertion/visual evidence format
1.Headings and bulleted lists discourage critical thinkingTeacher-centered
2. Assertion followed by evidence improves orientation, retention, and persuasionStudent-centered
Verbal to Visual 29
Questions?Russell L. Kahn SUNYIT [email protected]
References and other resources on my teaching tools wiki: http://teachingtools.wetpaint.com/Article in Journal of Educational Technology Volume 36, Number 2 / 2007-2008
Visuals give you something to think about and discuss
“Making design decisions”
Assertion/visual evidence paradigm is better at orienting the audience, is more memorable, and is more persuasive…
Newseum.com
Verbal to Visual 32
Copyright law covers “original works of
authorship”
Madonna - Hollywood Bourdin - CineFilms
Is this Madonna MTV video (left) a violation of Bourdin’s copyright?
Verbal to Visual 33
Parody is covered under fair use
Two features distinguish the new design:
1. Sentence assertion
2. Visual evidence
Verbal to Visual 35
• Now use three straight lines to connect circles (don’t remove pen from paper)
Use four straight lines to connect circles (don’t remove pen from paper)
Verbal to Visual 36
Use three straight lines to connect (don’t remove pen from paper)
• Now use one straight line to connect circles (don’t remove pen from paper)
Verbal to Visual 37
Successive losses of the French Army in the Russian campaign of 1812
Verbal to Visual 38
Closeup of map