Objective 2.3 - Visually Represent Information

Students build up a picture of the information so that it takes form in their mind. They express ideas in a graphic or visual manner.

This operation consists of representing what is useful, relevant and important according to a research question or an assumption. It also aims at acquiring an overview of the ideas and to organize the student’s knowledge in order to facilitate memorization and also understanding of a topic.

Each visual presentation is unique because it illustrates the understanding that students have of the concepts and of the relationships they establish between the different elements.

This mental activity requires training. To visually represent information is not a natural skill given to all. “Spatial Intelligence is an area in the theory of multiple intelligences that deals with spatial judgment and the ability to visualize with the mind’s eye.” (Source, Wikipedia. Spatial intelligence (psychology). The more practice students get, the easier this approach becomes. This technique has every reason to be explored and developed.

To develop this objective and obtain feedback, students present their teacher with:

• a list of elements of information that were retained, and briefly explain its general organization;
• the justification for their choices (types of presentation and tool).

To demonstrate the mastering of this objective, students must be able to:

• produce an adequate organization of the elements of information;
• select the right type of visual presentation and the right tool;
• use the functionalities of the selected tool to produce a visual presentation that meets the criteria of quality as stated by the teacher.

Using a procedure appropriate to a selected type of visual representation is particularly useful in supporting students in learning this objective.

A teacher must not assume that students can create such representations alone after their first contact with this technique. It is in a teacher’s interest to support students by giving them instructions and examples. This is an important step that will guide students in reinvesting in this type of representation in other contexts or assignments.

Since all types of presentation are varied, so are the tools. Most types of presentations and potential tools are relevant and useful in all disciplines (drawing tools, map view, tables, concept maps, etc.). However, there is a certain level of specialization in some domains of study. For example, creating a schema is relevant in all disciplines, but there are disciplinary variations such as organigrams, sociograms, genograms, etc. Also, disciplinary differences can be seen in the symbols and objects used in visual presentations. For example, a factory development plan will include materials, electric outlets and machinery, while the development plan of a daycare centre will include different objects such as furniture, toys, etc.

The approach presenting information is similar in all areas, whether one studies in Fine Arts, Health Science or in Social Work (Perreault, 2014).

Here are some examples of this objective’s applications:

• in Entry Programs (Tremplin-DEC), prepare and carry out an oral presentation with the help of a concept map by summarizing one’s knowledge of the program according to a given theme;
• in History, create a timeline including dates, facts and pictures of politicians in order to portray the evolution of democracy;
• in Business Administration, create a hierarchical organizational chart to analyze the structure of an enterprise;
• in Special Care Counselling, create a genogram to analyze the highlights and emotional bonds in families;
• in literature, generate a word cloud to bring into focus the degree of importance of themes in a text; in Psychology, represent, using concept or mental maps, information previously found, analyzed and structures concerning the difference between classical conditioning and current conditioning.

This step aims to identify the most significant elements of information from those that were previously provided, organized or generated. Students then filter these elements in order to establish meaningful groupings. Then, they select key elements to be saved in their final presentation. Finally, they adopt in a logical way the best presentation of the elements that were retained.

The choices made by students during this operation depend on the quantity and nature of the information to present as well as the links between them. They also depend on the objective aimed at and on the angle to give to their own interpretation. This step results in a clearer and more detailed idea of the topic that will influence greatly the selection of the type of presentation or tool.

The attainment of this objective is demonstrated by:

• the relevance of the information;
• the presence of all important information;
• the logical sequence of primary and secondary information;
• the relevant classification of information.

Students select the type of presentation that is best adapted to the project or assignment they need to carry out according to the nature of the information to present (concepts, ideas, facts, observations or data), and of the meaning they wish to provide.

There is a wide variety of possible visual representations:

• table;
• concept map or schema/network concepts;
• heuristic or mental map;
• hierarchical list;
• graph;
• organigram, sociogram;
• genogram;
• timeline;
• decisional tree;
• wall of ideas;
• index card;
• word cloud;
• concept plan;
• etc.

Each type of presentation has characteristics of its own, thus adapted to a particular objective. One may want to illustrate information depending on one or several of the following angles: classification, comparison, hierarchy, frequency, sequence, decision, proportions, relationships or links, etc.

Each type of visual presentation can be carried out using a number of tools. Students choose the appropriate software depending on what is available and on different constraints set by the teacher or academic institution (requirements, availability, functionalities, etc.).

Students are able to explain their choices. These are based on facts (characteristics, criteria, constraints, etc.). We can observe that their selection is relevant and coherent with the type of presentation and tool.

At the start of the program, teachers will often choose the types of presentation and tool. Over time, instructions and assignments evolve. By completing a variety of visual presentations, students gradually develop autonomy and the ability to transfer their knowledge in different contexts and to make their own choices.

The wide variety of tools available to create visual presentations is impressive. Here is an overview:

• drawing tools, modeling software programs and plan mode directly from word processor and presentation tools (e.g. Word and PowerPoint and their equivalent in Google, Apple and LibreOffice);
• specialized drawing tools (e.g. Visio, LucidChart, Draw, Google Draw and Inkscape);
• concept maps, concept schemas, heuristic cards and other variants (e.g. CmapTools, VUE, Inspiration and Freemind);
• word cloud (e.g.Wordle).

Certain tools allow the creation of a visual presentation in a collaborative mode. This characteristic can be important in choosing the right tool when working in teams. Here are some examples:

• online versions of office tools from Microsoft (in Office 365);
• the production tools series from Google (Docs, Sheets, Draw, Slides, etc.) and other associated tools integrated in the platform;
• a good number of drawing tools or a variety of modeling software (such as CmapTools, RealTime, Board, MindMeister, Popplet, etc.).

Here are some examples of visual presentations used according to their characteristics:

• a table facilitates the grading and comparison of elements of information – word processing and spreadsheet software will allow the creation of complex tables, favoring a diversified management of data;
• a concept map or mental map allows students to emphasize the hierarchy or links between elements of information;
• a timeline allows one to emphasize… the concept of time;
• a graph allows one to clearly present the results of data analysis.

To complete this task, students must take into account the characteristics and rules of the type of presentation selected. They must also take into account the functionalities of the chosen tool.

Here are some operations that students might have to carry out depending on the type of presentation and the tool:

• specify the visual presentation (e.g., choosing the type of graph most appropriate to present data according to the objective);
• modify the settings of the chosen tool;
• use a working aid (for example when creating graphics in a spreadsheet);
• save all information to be visually presented or save raw data that will allow the presentation of the information;
• create and manipulate forms, symbols and all sorts of objects;
• organize or structure elements of information logically according to the ideas to be formulated;
• apply styles and modify their appearance (lines, colours, etc.) significantly according to different categories;
• determine the relationship among ideas with links or other graphic elements;
• specify the nature of the links between elements of information (cause, effect, action, direction);
• add comments, images, navigation elements and hyperlinks;
• insert a title and legend;
• etc.

The mastering of this skill can be demonstrated by:

• the presence of key elements without loss of detail;
• the presence of all relevant links;
• a clear and neat presentation;
• efficient and useful graphic elements for the understanding and clear expression of the concepts.