General Purpose, Working Modes and Documentation
General Purpose of the Workshop
Despite the increasing use of visualizations in computer-based learning environments,
it is only partially understood how they facilitate learning. This is especially
true, if the visualizations are dynamic and interactive. Currently, our knowledge
on learning with visualizations rests on four main pillars:
- analytically gained insights into the potentials of learning with visualizations,
- empirically gained insights into the benefits and problems of learning with
visualizations,
- theories and models of learning with external representations in general
and visualizations in particular and
- design heuristics.
Two major aims of research on learning with visualizations are:
- to understand how learning with visualizations actually takes place (descriptive
perspective) and
- to formulate design guidelines which allow one to make up and employ visualizations
in such a way that they facilitate learning as much as possible (prescriptive
perspective).
Up to now, both aims are not fully achieved. On the one hand, current theories
and models of learning with external representations and visualizations are
underspecified: the cognitive structures and processes assumed to be relevant
to learning with visualizations are described on such an abstract level that
too many details remain unspecified. As a consequence, for those who wish to
design visualizations and employ them successfully in learning environments,
these theories and models are only of very limited help.
On the other hand, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that various practices
for designing visualizations facilitate learning under different conditions.
In many cases, however, it is only poorly understood why these design practices
are successful.
On the basis of this gap between current theories and design practices, the
workshop will focus on the following questions:
- To which extent do current theories and models sufficiently describe and
explain learning with visualizations?
- What have current theories and models of learning with visualizations to
offer to designers of visualizations?
- Can current design practices be integrated into current theories and models
of learning with visualizations?
- Do current design practices rely on - implicit - theoretical assumptions
about learning with visualizations?
- How do these assumptions fit into current theories and models?
Working Modes
The workshop will rely on three different working modes:
- Short presentations (about 20 minutes) with subsequent discussions (about
10 minutes).
- Elaborations and reflections in small groups (about 60 minutes). The groups
will be asked to organize their discussions with respect to specific - dynamic
and interactive - visualizations.
- Plenum-discussions in which the experiences made during the presentations
and the small-group discussions can be integrated.
Documentation
All materials such as papers, slides, visualizations and pieces of software
used during the workshop will be documented on the World Wide