Learning with visual representations

Focus: Designing effective instructional interventions

Visual representations (e.g., diagrams, interactive visualization tools) are a central communication tool in the MINT domains, akin to a visual language. Instructors and students often take for granted that visual representations intuitively convey meaning. Yet, many students have difficulties understanding visual representations (e.g., which aspects of the visualization are simplifications, which aspects convey conceptually relevant information). This implies that students have to learn about the representations, while also learning content knowledge with the representation (a phenomenon called the “representation dilemma”, see Rau, 2017). We investigate ways in which instructional interventions can support representational competencies that enhance students’ learning of domain-relevant knowledge.