E.+ASSIGNMENTS

**Look here for information about Assignments**.
1. Be sure you have located and "joined" our class Wikispace. Call Dr. A if you have any problems getting on the Wiki. 2. Be sure you have your textbook. The title and publishing information is listed on the HOME page of the Wiki. The book should be available in the OSU-Tulsa Bookstore or online. 3. Go to the page here on the Wiki that is named DISCUSSION Into. to Visual Literacy. Complete the research assignment listed there (you can use of the Internet sites listed on the Internet Resources and Links page here on Wiki) and enter your comments on the page as required. Please note that you should enter your comments by the Monday evening before class meeting, and read your classmates' comments be class time. 4. Read Chapter 1 in your textbook and be ready for discussion. Be prepared to talk about what you learned that you did not know previously, how the concept of visual literacy might impact you and your job personally. 5. Bring to class an example of visual item that is important to you (PowerPoint, handout, theory diagram, etc.). Be ready to show your item, explain why it is important to you and why you would like to validate and/or improve its visual design.
 * __Assignments for January 19__**

This week, I want you to finish up the "foundational" reading in your text. This will give us a common talking vocabulary and some basic knowledge to apply to all the work you do for class. So, for this week please do the following: 1. Read and study chapters 2, 3, and 4 in your Lohr text. 2. Go to the Internet Resources page here on the wiki. Use the links there to learn about the famous Shannon and Weaver communication model. As you learn about the Shannon & Weaver model, think about how it relates to the theories you learned about in Chapter 3 of your text. 2. Go to the pages on wiki named G. Discussion on Visual Foundations. Follow the instructions there to participate in the discussion. 3. Be prepared for further discussion in class.
 * __Assignments for January 26__**

__**Assignments for February 2**__ __ 1. Visit the companion website to the Lohr textbook .__ This site is currently under construction, but take a peek and see what looks interesting. The site link is posted on the Internet Resources and Links page here on our wiki. __2.Make a REALLY BAD PowerPoint slide to share with the class.__ Be sure your slide has completely lost its intended message. Be prepared to tell us what the message actually IS, and make your slide really poor by demonstrating some of the following: (a) technocentricity, (b) too much eyecandy, (c) click and twitch or "Blender" media elements, (d) amateurish design approach and use of PowerPoint. __3.__ Think about the visual you have chosen for improvement (the one you chose for Jan. 19). __Write a 1-page paper__ that (a) explains the exact message you want your visual to communicate, (b) points out any impediments you see at this time in the visual's current design. USE SOME OF YOUR NEW VOCABULARY in your paper. Bring your little paper to class to discuss and turn in. 4. __ Do some research .__ See if you can discover what "cognitive style" is and how it might relate to the visual literacy theories and foundations you have learned about. How might it relate to "information processing as defined in Chapter 3 of the Lohr text.

__**Assignments for February 9**__ __** SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR FEB. 9 **__ WE MISSED CLASS LAST WEEK (Feb. 2) - again - because of the blizzard, so we have a lot of catching up to do. To help facilitate our catch-up, here are some extra assignments I want you to do for this week:

1. Be sure you do all assignments for last week and bring them to class this week. 2. Be sure you study the 3 diagrams posted on the Handouts page. We will go over them briefly and answer any questions you have. 3. Do some research on the Internet to prepare for our discussion of cognitive styles and their impacts on instructional visual design. Here are guidelines for your Internet research: (A) Define "cognitive styles." Start your research with these sites: [] [] Then search on Ausburn + cognitive styles - see what you discover. You will not be able to retrieve our actual 1978 paper without paying a fairly sizeable fee - DON"T DO THAT! I will bring copies for everyone to our next class. (B) Learn about Viktor Lowenfeld and visual/haptic perception: Do a search on Viktor Lowerfeld + visual-haptic perception - you will find many places to go from there. (C) Learn about Herman Witkin and field dependence/independence: Search on Herman Witkin + field dependence-independence - you can go from tere. (D) Learn about Jerome Kagan and reflective/impulsive styles: Search on Jerome Kagan + reflective-impulsive and go from there. (E) Learn about S. Santostefano and leveling-sharpening: Search on Santostefano + leveling-sharpening and go from there. Look especially Santostefano's House Test.

No new reading, research, or activities required for this week. We will finish our in-class work on cognitive styles. If you are interested in doing some reading on Ausburn research on cognitive styles and some international applications, here are some of our major published works in this area for you to check out:

Ausburn, L.J., & Ausburn, F.B. (1978). Cognitive styles: Some information and implications for instructional design. //Educational Communications and Technology Journal,// 26(4), 337-354.

Ausburn, F.B., & Ausburn, L.J. (1983). Perception, imagery, and education in developing countries. In D.W. Hutton M. L. Fleming (Eds.). //Mental imagery and learning// (Chapter 2, pp. 11-19). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Ausburnn, F.B., & Ausburn, L.J. (1983). Visual analysis skills among two populations in Papua New Guines. //Educational Communications and TechnologyJournal,// 31(2), 112-122.

You might want to give some thought to what you want to do for your personal learning contract project. We will discuss the OCED/OTT research symposium. This is a great opportunity not only to get involved in OTT and network with your OCED colleagues, but also to start presenting at conferences with a non-threatening atmosphere.

1. CARP Process - Study Chapter 8 in the Lohr book and be prepared for discussion 2. Bring an example to class of a visual that you feel is EITHER a good or a poor example of the use of the CARP actions 3. OTT posters - share with the class any ideas you may have for a poster for the OTT symposium.
 * __Assignments for February 16__**

1. DESIGN TOOL: Typography (Chapter 9) in Lohr book - study for discussion. 2. Think of an instructional message yho want to get across. Develop a graphic that you think sends a WRONG on UNCLEAR message through poor use of typography. Then develop a version of the graphic that sends the CORRECT/CLEAR message through different use of typography. Bring HARDCOPY of BOTH graphics to share for discussion. 3. Examine the graphic you have identified that you are personally interesting in improving. Analyze the CARP and typography elements if currently has. Do you see any things you could improve? Be ready to discuss.
 * __Assignments for February 23__**

DESIGN PRINCIPLE: Study Chapter 5 in Lohr book - Design Principle - Section: Figure and Ground. Be prepared for a discussion on this complex and interesting principle of visual perception and design. Be sure you understand the principle of "Gestalt." and how it applies to figure/ground perception.
 * __Assignments for March 2__**

DESIGN TOOLS: Study chapter 11 (Color, Depth, Space) in the Lohr book for discussion in class.
 * __Assignments for March 9__**

NO CLASS - SPRING BREAK WEEK See assignments below for March 23 - you have 2 weeks to complete these assignments
 * __Assignments for March 16__**

1. **__LEARNING CONTRACT__** for major Personal Project - Finalize your plan, complete the Learning Contract, and BRING HARD COPY of completed contract to class. Please do NOT email contract to me - bring hard copy to class. 2. **__PESONAL PROJECT__**- begin work on your personal contract project. It will be due on April 28. Projects will be presented to class AND turned in to Dr. A. EVERYONE will TURN IN projects on April 28. PRESENTATIONS will be April 28 and May 5. I will use random draw to determine who presents on each night. 3. **__DESIGN PRINCIPLE__** (Organization): Study Chapter 6 in Lohr text and be prepared for discussion. 4. **__APPLICATION PROJECT__**: Find a graphic that is important or interesting to you (instructional material, marketing item, etc.). Analyze the graphic's strengths and weaknesses, including use of typography, color, and least 3 other graphics elements we have studied in class. Bring to class: (1) the graphic, and (2) a brief written analysis - can be simple bullet points (no need for a formal paper, citations, or reference list). We will look at your examples and analyses in class. Emphasis will be on analysis skill and thoughtful application of the design principles, NOT on a formal write-up.
 * __Assignments for March 23__**

__**Assignments for March 30**__ Assignments to be determined

__**April 6**__ Be prepared to discuss Chapters 10 and 7 in the Lohn text.

This week we will be examining diagrams, charts, graphs, and tables. Review information about these items in Chapter 6. I will bring other examples and information to class for discussion. **__Please bring to class a couple of examples__** of diagrams, charts, graphs, or tables you think are particularly good OR particularly bad.
 * __Assignments for April 13__**

__**Assignments for April 20**__ Assignments to be determined

__**April 27 and May 4**__ Presentations of final projects