Production of an interactive videodisc containing 1981 slides and about 34 minutes of videotape on the topic of orthopedics for physical therapy is described, with attention given to instructional design considerations and the process of producing an interactive program. The videodisc method is seen as optimizing visual learning. (Author/MSE)

The purpose of this paper is to sensitize instructional message designers to the stereotypical signals which may be inherent in computer clip-art selections. A rationale is presented for the power of message design, and the differences between gender equality and gender equity are discussed. Several computer clip-art libraries were analyzed, and…

The interactive multimedia application described here attempts to provide learners and teachers with a common frame of reference for communicating about visual media. The system is based on a list of concepts related to composition, and illustrates those concepts with photographs, paintings, graphic designs, and motion picture scenes. The ability…

To determine whether high school students can be trained to use maps more effectively, a study examined linkage of feature and event information, the role of individual differences, and the roles of reading ability and preference for dealing with visual information. Subjects were 31 16- to 17-year-old high school students. Experimental and control…

The program of systematic evaluation of variables associated with visual learning was initiated in 1965 to investigate the impact of variables linked to effective, efficient use of instructional visual materials. A prototype experimental package, containing a specific unit of cognitive content, learner achievement objectives, four individual…

This study, to determine whether complexity of detail, scale, and background help subjects to learn technical information, demonstrated no significant difference between groups. One group used the existing self-contained learning package with many complex visuals; the other group used lessons identical in the audio portion but containing…

Intended as a guide for teachers, this book discusses ways to exploit the intersections between the visual and the verbal to teach writing. Chapter 1, "Seeing Writing in a Visual World" (Eric H. Hobson), establishes the book's major premises. Chapter 2, "Postcards: Inside/Out" (Joseph F. Trimmer), describes engaging students in a whole course of…

There are two categories of representations: figurative and non-figurative. Within the category of figurative representations, there are two groups: visuals and graphic symbols. Graphic symbols include pictorial symbols, abstract symbols, and arbitrary symbols. Symbols can be used for identification, overview, supplying instructions, position,…

Noting that the use of captions in television newscasts has grown from simple labeling of newsmakers to more complicated titling of graphics and enumerating important points in a script, a study examined the extent to which captioning assisted viewers in learning from different types of television news stories. Subjects, 100 undergraduate…

A meta-analysis procedure was used to review research on pictorial effectiveness which focused on the use of static iconic visuals in instructional materials. The purpose of this exploratory study was to provide a means for forming future hypotheses based upon a quantitative aggregation of past research. The study was concerned with differential…

This study investigated the effects of (1) verbal instruction alone vs. verbal instruction complemented by simple line drawings; (2) visual testing vs. nonvisual testing; (3) verbal cueing vs. free recall on achievement; and (4) order of testing on subsequent achievement. Interactions among type of instruction, type of testing, and order of…

A Title I 5 year Visual Literacy Experimental Program was initiated in four kindergarten classes during the 1972-73 academic year. The program was designed to focus on a hierarchy of visual skills and aesthetic experiences involving body language, graphic expressions, and photography, and to correlate these with the objectives of the classroom…

A description of exercises originally designed for foreign children in the French educational system. A detailed lesson on reading a picture is given, involving brainstorming, classification of information, a listing of details and a possible interpretation. The exercises might be adapted to French foreign language instruction. (Text is in…

Traces the changes in the visuals used in U.S. history textbooks since the 1900s, concentrating on contemporary texts. Provides questions educators can use in assessing the educational value of textbook visuals. Critiques current textbook visuals, and suggests ways that they enhance understanding of educational information. (RW)

This paper examines the dual coding hypothesis, a model of the coding of visual and textual information, from the perspective of a mass media professional, such as a teacher, interested in accurately presenting both visual and textual material to a mass audience (i.e., students). It offers an extension to the theory, based upon the various skill…