Financial literacy is crucial for making sound financial decisions and living a better life. However, the field of finance is full of abstract concepts, such as inflation, liquidity, asset allocation and credit. Abstract concepts may be harder to comprehend than concrete concepts due to their lack of tangible referents in the physical world. In…

The educational benefit of the traditional didactic lecture to learners in Higher Education is hotly debated. Given increasing student numbers, existing technical set ups and many logistical concerns, lectures remain the norm in many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). In this personal view piece, we discuss the benefits, opportunities, and…

COVID-19 has shown us what it means to be isolated, disconnected and alone. As the post-pandemic academic world rebuilds itself, we will need to get serious about communicating diversity, inclusion and belonging to an ever-wider group of people in education. Visual communication is the key to conveying universally understood content that is highly…

The mathematical models that describe enzyme kinetics are invaluable predictive tools in numerous scientific fields. However, the daunting mathematical language used to describe kinetic behavior can be confusing for life science students; they often struggle to conceptualize and relate the mathematical representations to the molecular phenomena…

As an instructional tool, models can transform the student experience from the static to the dynamic, the flat to the 3D, and the siloed to the integrated. Few practical resources exist to help instructors transition toward model-based classroom practices. The "Modeling in the Classroom" evidence-based teaching guide provides instructors…

Given that students are constantly communicating and documenting special experiences in their social and private lives with digital devices, we suggest that this behavior could be used to record and deepen learning experiences-such as visualizing reactions at the molecular level-in a chemistry class. An example would be the creation of stop-motion…

This article explains how to create an animated listening map with Power Point to enhance student content understanding.

The world in which students are learning is unique. Technology is progressing rapidly, and this is having a direct impact on teaching and learning. Teachers have the choice to embrace this or not. The instant access to information has the power to change pedagogies and students' experience of mathematics learning. Hence several questions arise: Do…

Teaching the subject of the electron transport chain is one of the most challenging aspects of the chemistry curriculum at the high school level. This article presents an educational program called "Electron Transport Chain" which consists of 14 visual animations including a biochemistry quiz. The program was created in the Adobe Flash…

The topic of sorting algorithms is a pleasant subject of informatics education. Not only is it so because the notion of sorting is well known from our everyday life, but also because as an algorithm task, whether we expect naive or practical solutions, it is easy to define and demonstrate. In my paper I will present some of the possible methods…

We describe how multimedia scenarios delivered online can be used in instruments for the study of professional knowledge. Based on our work in the study of the knowledge and rationality involved in mathematics teaching, we describe how the study of professional knowledge writ large can benefit from the capacity to represent know-how using…

In this article, I describe an animated slideshow of Southern blotting that I have made freely available to other instructors. My hope is to provide a clear visualization of the logistics behind the technique so that instructors have a solid basis--as well as time freed up--to discuss its applications with students.

Multiple representations are a valuable tool to help students learn and understand physics concepts. Furthermore, representations help students learn how to think and act like real scientists. These representations include: pictures, free-body diagrams, energy bar charts, electrical circuits, and, more recently, computer simulations and…

The field of deaf education lacks rigorous research that supports any singular instructional practice (Luckner, Sebold, Cooney, Young III, & Muir 2005/2006; Easterbrooks & Stephenson, 2012). However studies indicate that technology, frequently used during instruction with students who are deaf or hard of hearing (Easterbrooks, Stephenson,…

Multimedia learning principle occurs when we create mental representations from combining text and relevant graphics into lessons. This article discusses the learning advantages that result from adding multimedia learning principle into instructions; and how to select graphics that support learning. There is a balance that instructional designers…