Graphics for Learning: Proven Guidelines for Planning, Designing, and Evaluating Visuals in Training Materials (Pfeiffer Essential Resources for Training and HR Professionals) by Ruth C. Clark

by Ruth Colvin Clark

Graphics for Learning summarizes guidelines for best use of graphics for instructional materials, including multimedia, texts, classroom aids, and slides used for briefings. These guidelines are based on recent scientific research and will be illustrated with relevant examples and examples for readers without a psychology background. The book also helps trainers tie graphics to their lesson topics by specifying guidelines useful for planning illustrations for various types of content, including facts, concepts, processes, procedures, and principles. Finally the book discusses technical and environmental issues (such as bandwidth or screen size) that will influence how instructional professionals can apply our guidelines to their training projects.

Genres: Design, Education

Paperback

First published May 31, 2004

About the author

A recognized specialist in instructional design and technical training, Dr. Clark holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology and Instructional Technology from the University of Southern California. Prior to founding CLARK Training & Consulting, Dr. Clark served as training manager for Southern California Edison. She is past president of the International Society for Performance Improvement and author of five books and numerous articles. Dr. Clark is the 2006 recipient of the Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award from ISPI.

(Bio taken from the Clark Training website)

Reviews

[Alanna King · Rating 5 out of 5]

So instructive. I'm going to hold this one in my library forever!

[Kevin Fulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to learn more about how to effectively incorporate visuals into your teaching, this book is a good place to start. The authors are well aware of current psychology research, so you don't need to worry about following bad advice here. They start by explaining why visuals are powerful and how they support the learning process.
Then the look into how to plan graphics to improve learning (this is important because graphics can actually harm/reduce learning). After working through the basic how-tos, they dig into how to visualize procedures, concepts, facts, processes, and principles. This who section is particular practical.
Ironically, the graphics used throughout the book were not the best, even if they were clear. And I found the fictional walkthroughs to be too simplistic to be particularly helpful. But these are my only two grievances in the whole book.
If you are looking to learn more about incorporating visuals into your teaching, this is a good place to start.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource for understanding how visuals can be designed in ways that lead to learning.