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Abstract
Decades of research in (oral) communication across the curriculum can provide a firm foundation for many forms of communication, but the related research focused on discipline-specific visual modalities is sparse. For this pilot investigation, we interviewed 12 faculty members across STEM fields about how students are asked to use visual communication within a course and what kind of visual communication instruction or guidance they are given. The results provide an empirically supported investigation into the perception of the value of visuals in STEM, how students in STEM disciplines learn how to create and use visuals, and how this instruction is accomplished through communities of practice. Based on these results, we argue that it is not enough to teach students discipline-specific writing and oral skills with a quick nod to visuals, but instead there should be special attention devoted to unique pedagogical strategies in teaching visual communication construction.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Kelly Norris Martin
Kelly Norris Martin is an assistant professor in the School of Communication at Rochester Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on visual research methods and the intersections of visual communication, rhetorical criticism, and design. Within this research she advocates for discipline-specific visual communication/design education across the curriculum in higher education. Email: [email protected]
Amy L. Housley Gaffney
Amy L. Housley Gaffney is an assistant professor in the School of Information Studies in the Division of Instructional Communication & Research at the University of Kentucky. Her primary research interests revolve around the role of communication in teaching and learning and how students learn to more competently communicate. She and current research tie these two interests together to examine how communication in the classroom contributes to student success, particularly for at-risk populations such as first-generation college students. Email: [email protected]