Visual Literacy Instruction

for design students

Shelly Richardson
December 2013
Instructional Design
EDTECH 503-4201

Table of Contents
Reflection Paper.. 3
Part 1. Topic. 4
1a. Rationale 4
1b. Learning Goal 4
1c. Learning Objectives. 4
Part 2. Analyses Report. 4
2a. Needs Analysis. 4
2b. Learner Analysis... 6
2c. Context Analysis7
2d. Content Analysis...9
Part 3. Instructional Content.. 10
3a. Instructional Strategy Narrative.. 10
3b. Learning Materials....11
3c. Motivation Plan..11
3d. Delivery Mechanism. 12
3e. Assessment Plan.. 14
Part 4. Formative Evaluation Plan 14
4a. Expert Review Plan.. 14
4c. Small Group Evaluation Plan..15
4d. Field Trial Evaluation Plan.. 16
References .. 17
Appendices...18
Appendix ALearning Materials.. 18
Appendix BAssessment Plan 22

Reflection Paper
Participating in the instructional design process is not unlike being part of a sports
team. The instructional designer easily slides into the role of a coach, and as with any
good coach, they must understand the intricacies of their sport, strategies and tools that
will improve the performance of their team and be able put their players in a position to
succeed through familiarity with their skills, abilities and problem areas.
A coach should be able to adapt and be open to change depending on the nature of
the challenges the team faces. He/she should also employ different methods of
communication and motivation to successfully navigate their team to success. The most
effective way to convey the method of a coaches message is to have a captain or a
leader on the field. This leader is the teacher in the classroom.
Many athletes participate in a pre-event visualization process where they imagine
what success would look like and actively put themselves in that place in their mind.
This concept is echoed in Streamlined ID where the authors stress creating a concrete
picture of what success will look like for your learners (Larson & Lockee, 2014. p.10)
which involves beginning with the end in mind.
To begin with the end in mind is an overarching concept that has expanded the way I
think about and approach instructional design. At each step in the process of creating
this Visual Literacy Instruction proposal, I would reach back for that idea of what the end
result should look like and to visualize that success in my mind.
Many of the beliefs I held at the start of this course have been challenged. One such
misconception was that instructional designers do not teach. In being part of a team,
often a leader of that team, that designs and implements instructional interventions, I
have found that instructional designers are indeed teachers and an integral part of the
teaching process.
I began this course not understanding the role of assessment and evaluation in the
design process and therefore didnt value it. Asking the right questions, using feedback
to develop and refine a design, creating an atmosphere of open communication within
your design team and stakeholder group and supporting the structure of the instruction
with a successful end game vision have all become valuable assets to me.
In putting all the pieces together for this Visual Literacy Instruction proposal, I
became immersed in the overall scope of this project. As my Subject Matter Expert has
suggested implementing this instruction, the concept became very real to me during the
creation of this proposal as I am familiar with the stakeholders and interact with them on
a daily basis.
The concepts I have learned in this class have infiltrated my professional
environment, giving me the knowledge and confidence to speak up and to make
changes and suggestions. I am on two different committees that were considering
creating assessment tools for library instruction and I instantly knew (and said) that we
should base our assessment on our learning objectives. This aha moment was
repeated at a job interview last week where I asked the interviewer, How do you
evaluate if your design has been a success? Thats a great question, he said.

Part 1. Topic
1a. Rationale
The majority of our library patrons are design students who often use visual materials
in their classwork. Many of the first and second year students attend a general library
orientation to learn about our available resources, but the visual aspect of their research
needs is never specifically addressed. I would like to create an instructional session that
will be based on few components of Association of College and Research Libraries'
Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education. (Association of College
and Research Libraries, 2011)
All students who attend The College of Architecture, Planning and Design at Kansas
State University graduate from this 5-year program with a Masters Degree, publishing a
thesis report during their final semester. As part of this report, they must create a
bibliography that includes properly citing the images theyve used. It is unclear how and
when students develop image citation skills and the library is in a position to deliver this
instruction early in their collegiate careers.
1b. Learning Goal
The students of The College of Architecture, Planning and Design will be able to
locate, evaluate, integrate and appropriately cite visual materials necessary for their
research needs.
1c. Learning Objectives

Using methods of critical thinking, students will determine and be able to explain
which image sources would be appropriate for use in their research.
Students will be able to demonstrate how to scan, download, save/transport and
integrate images into their work.
Using the Creative Commons website, students will be able to identify images
they may legally use in their work and distinguish between different copyright
restrictions on this site.
Using the Kansas State Libraries Visual Literacy LibGuide resources, students will
demonstrate how to create citations for the images they've chosen to use.

Part 2. Analyses Report

2a. Needs Analysis
i.

Stakeholder(s): Who are the primary stakeholders? As in, who are the people
most directly impacted when the instruction is carried off?

The primary stakeholders will be the students of The College of Architecture,

Planning and Design and the librarians who will participate in and administer the visual
literacy instruction. Sub-level stakeholders will be college faculty members who may

choose to monitor, contribute or participate on a primary stakeholder level if they are

interested and the Kansas State University Libraries department of Scholarly
Communications and Publishing staff.
ii.

Data: Describe the data that has helped inform your design plan.

In establishing an instructional need for visual literacy awareness and skill

development within our college, I had a one-on-one meeting with the Undergraduate
Services Librarian who provides in-class instruction at the College of Architecture,
Planning and Design (College of APDesign). Ellen Urton has an arts background and
has provided similar visual literacy training to students in the past on a class-by-class
basis at point of need at the request of faculty. Ms. Urton directed me to an online
resource she created for her in-class instructions using LibGuides that lists citation
examples and image resources. (Urton, 2013)
Prior to meeting with the Subject Matter Expert for my proposed instructional design,
I conducted research on established visual literacy standards, reviewing the extensive
guidelines and learning outcomes listed by the Association of College and Research
Libraries in their Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education.
(Association of College and Research Libraries, 2011) This document is quite
comprehensive and was useful in developing a simple core of learning objectives for
this instruction proposal.
Additionally, I reviewed an Educause document entitled Visual Literacy in Higher
Education (Bleed, 2005). Though this article is almost outdated, the concepts of visual
interpretation, the prevalence of visual representation in our society and the integration
of visual literacy into the higher education curriculum affirmed the importance and need
of this instructional intervention.
iii.

Constraints and Resources: Describe any constraints that might impact

addressing the need or resources that can help meet it.

As the Subject Matter Expert, Librarian Ellen Urton, already practices in-class
visual literacy instruction, she has created a resource structure to help meet the
need of this design implementation. Ellen has also experimented with preassessment for this type of instruction and offered advice on tailoring the
question types for effective and accurate responses. She has offered to
collaborate in the development and implementation of this new visual literacy
instructional intervention.
Additional feedback from College of APDesign faculty will be necessary as this
would be a voluntary instruction for their classes offered at their discretion. Ms.
Urton offered advice on particular faculty who might be open to participating in
and developing this instruction.
The Kansas State University Libraries department of Scholarly
Communications and Publishing staff will be a valuable resource in developing
the copyright aspect of this learning module and their website offers many useful
resources we could share with students in this instruction.
Constraints we may face are limits on time for this instruction, as it would have

to be delivered within one class period. With a pre-assessment survey, a group

active learning activity, and all of the necessary tools (hardware and software)
available within the learning context, it may just be a matter of conducting a few
instructional sessions to streamline the process to fit within the class period.
Another possible constraint might be the follow-up questions and experiences
within the performance context for the students who have participated in this
instruction. Making the location of visual literacy instruction resources readily
accessible to students is paramount to the long-term success of this instruction,
which includes both library staff and the creation of a visual literacy LibGuide.
2b. Learner Analysis
i.

To the greatest extent possible, describe the group of learners who will participate
in any instructional intervention. Be sure to provide as much relevant detail as
possible.

The College of APDesign has a total of 659 students, 180 of which are freshman and
whom study Environmental Design in their first year of the program. There are four
academic disciplines within the college: Architecture (289 students), Landscape
Architecture (71 students), Regional and Community Planning (28 students) and Interior
Architecture and Product Design (91 students). (Kansas State University College of
Architecture Planning and Design, 2013)
Each of the four academic disciplines within the college has very different class
projects and research needs, yet all use acquired imagery in their work processes. The
follow a 5 year non-baccalaureate degree path, achieving a masters degree through 30
hours of graduate level coursework in their final two years.
The students at our college are 54% male, 46% female with 46% of the student
population being from the state of Kansas. 49% of APDesign students are from out of
state and 5% are international students.
Three of the academic programs at our college have received high national rankings
in a professional industry magazine, DesignIntelligence. In the article detailing their
national rankings, the deans and department heads at the College of APDesign value
cross-disciplinary teamwork and building critical thinking skills and a practicecentered professional education (Kansas State University News and Editorial Services,
2013) when describing the curriculum. Integrating tools like visual literacy instruction
would support these practices. This also indicates the student population of this college
are highly motivated to achieve academic and professional success.
The students at the College of APDesign develop technological and analytical skills
very early on in their higher education experience. They are required to purchase a
computer prior to their arrival freshman year and will most likely begin their degree
programs having a firm grounding in the math, sciences, foreign languages and both
technical and freehand drawing. (Kansas State University College of Architecture,
Planning and Design, 2013)
As students progress and develop within their chosen program of focus at the
College of APDesign, it would be appropriate to target learners who have gained
experience using library facilities and resources. This visual literacy instructional

intervention would be for students in their second or third year of this college, as they
would be creating projects that would require image citations and would have developed
the skill level and aptitude to practice the concepts of this instruction.
ii.

What data source(s) have informed your knowledge about the learners (or what
are the planned instruments for learning more about them)?

In addition to the university resources listed in the part i. of this section, I have
informally solicited the opinions and experiences of my student employees (they are also
student of the College of APDesign) with regard to the use of image citations and the
creation of visual literacy instruction. The conclusions from this informal data gathering
further supported the need for basic visual citation skills development delivered in a
timely manner, early on in their higher education experience.
With regard to assessing the knowledge of the learners for this instruction, a pre and
post instruction survey is planned. This tool will aid in developing the content of the
visual literacy instruction intervention and highlight areas that need most attention based
on prior knowledge of the material.
2c. Context Analysis
i.

Define the learning context and compare it to the performance context

The learning context for this instructional design intervention will encompass a
number of physical and virtual locations. The face-to-face instruction will take place in a
small branch library, located on the third floor of the building that the College of
APDesign also occupies. The library is in a convenient location for students and faculty
of this college because all of their classes and studios are housed in one location.
Approximately 10% of the time allotted for this instruction will be used conducting pre
and post assessment surveys. These surveys will be conducted online using the
Qualtrics survey tool that is available through the university.
The resources the students will require to participate in and complete the visual
literacy instruction are all available within the library. This includes access to a computer,
the internet, hard copies of periodicals, scanners, image viewing software and a mobile
storage device such as a flash drive.
The performance context is greatly aligned with the learning context as many of our
students conduct their visual research using library resources and tools. The
performance context may also extend to wherever a student chooses to work on their
class project, in their studio for example. This too would be a situation quite similar to the
learning context in that they would be using the internet and a computer (or other visual
resource) to search for images to use, scanning and/or downloading these images,
incorporating them into their work and creating citations of the images theyve used.
ii.

Analyze the culture and climate of both the performance and learning contexts

Both the learning and the performance contexts are basically on in the same. The
students at the College of APDesign are incredibly hard working and easily spend but a
few hours a day away from Seaton Hall, the building that houses their classrooms and

studios. Each academic discipline divides their classes into a studio, which is a literal
place (a very large room that houses the students private desks, computer and creative
space) and a figurative collective (each studio takes the majority of the same classes
together).
Students at this college form an inherent bond of togetherness by sharing their
classes, working collaboratively on projects and being physically present with one
another in their creative studio spaces. This college develops a community of students
who support one another, share their experiences and offer advice openly. Whether they
are in the library (learning and performance context) or their studio (possible
performance context), through the shared experience at this college, these students
understand hard work, how to accomplish what is required of them and how to help each
other along the way. For example, if a student had questions on how to find or cite their
image resources and another student (no matter what their academic discipline) who had
taken this visual literacy instruction was nearby, I have every confidence that they would
point them in the right direction, share the knowledge theyd acquired and help their
fellow student.
iii.

Determine the assumptions about learning held by all key stakeholders

As previously defined, they key stakeholders for this instructional intervention are the
students within the College of APDesign and the librarians delivering the instruction.
Sub-level stakeholders would be the faculty members requesting this library instruction
and advisement received from staff members of the Kansas State University Libraries
Department of Scholarly Communications and Publishing.
APDesign students may be used to experiencing an Instructivist pedagogical
approach as defined in Streamlined ID (Larson & Lockee, 2014. p.78). In this
environment, students would be presented content in a practice-based setting with their
skills and knowledge of the content to be assessed on previously stated goals. Support
and guidance are offered to the students through faculty feedback in a trial and error
process with achievement-based rewards being motivation for success. It may be safe
to assume that librarians would share this traditional view method of learning as they
most often deliver instruction in the classroom environment.
iv.

Analyze the contextual relationships and compile recommendations

As the performance and learning contexts for this instructional intervention are
closely aligned, the opportunity for practical, memorable and effective knowledge
transfer is favorable. The students will be learning and applying this knowledge in
almost identical situations at this point in their lives and will be able to adapt and use
these skills later in their professional careers. With this in mind, it may be beneficial to
break from the learning assumptions the key stakeholders may hold and to pattern the
design instruction to follow a Constructivist pedagogical approach.
By focusing on authentic experiences that involve learners in activities carried out in
the real world (Larson & Lockee, 2014. p.78) the learners will develop visual literacy
skills that will affect their long-term professional success. Activities for this instructional
approach will include peer feedback and exposure to multiple perspectives in regard to

the content (visual literacy), these characteristics being consistent with the collaborative
community and project-based culture of the College of APDesign.
2d. Content Analysis
As a visual artist, I have vaguely been aware of copyright issues and using
acquired visual elements in my own work. I think there is a general assumption in
academia that if you are adapting and using images in an educational setting that the
use of acquired images in your work wouldnt be a copyright violation of those
images. Fairly recently, I have begun to consider our students who are graduating
and presenting portfolios of their work to prospective employers and wondered if
they were properly crediting acquired images used in their portfolios and thesis
projects.
I conducted informal questioning of the branch library student assistants (who are
also College of APDesign students) and developing an awareness of when, how and
if our students were learning the importance of copyright use and protections within
their academic careers. Doing research correctly and professionally should include
citing your sources of information, whether they be text or image based. Due to the
inconsistent nature of the training our library student assistants have received, I
believe there is a need for visual literacy instruction to occur in a timely, consistent
manner and the library staff is in a position to deliver this instruction quite easily.
I am using a Subject Matter Expert for assistance in developing this instructional
design intervention. Ellen Urton is an Associate Professor and Librarian for the
Undergraduate and Community Services department at Kansas State University
Libraries. She has a Bachelors Degree in Art History and a Masters Degree in
Library Science and has been offering research instruction to the College of
APDesign for many years. As previously mentioned, Ellens instructional sessions are
usually tailored to meet the requirements of a specific class/group or project and are
conducted per faculty request on an as-needed basis.
Ms. Urton has recently developed a class guide webpage using the LibGuide
platform. On this site, Ellen has shared resources used in her class instructional
sessions, which include elements of visual literacy such as a citation guide with
specific examples and links to image resources. (Urton, 2013)
In our first meeting, Ellen and I discussed the inconsistent nature of visual literacy
training for the students at the College of APDesign, the importance of learning about
copyright use and creating proper image citations. Upon learning of this instructional
design proposal, she was very excited about the opportunity and reaffirmed that this
would fulfill a learning need.
Ellen is knowledgeable about image resources that our students can legally use in
their work and we agreed that incorporating a Creative Commons website activity
would be a good example of legal image use and give our learners an understanding
of basic copyright concepts. Ellen is also familiar with the technical aspects of
creating image citations and has given me permission to use her LibGuide citation
examples for this instruction. She has also developed relationships with faculty
members within the College of APDesign and feels that some would be open to
collaborating on and/or participating in this visual literacy instruction intervention.

Ellen shared with me her past experiences in assessment of student knowledge

with regard to this subject matter and with her assistance; we crafted some basic
questions for a pre-assessment survey. I shared my learning objectives with her and
we discussed possible activities and structure of the lesson.
In conclusion, Ellen suggested that we take steps to implement this instruction by
discussing whose approval we would need, who would collaborate with us and how
developing a LibGuide specifically for visual literacy resources could be useful to all
students at the College of APDesign.

Part 3. Instructional Content

3a. Instructional Strategy Narrative
As previously stated in this document, my recommendation is to follow a
Constructivist pedagogical approach for this instructional intervention. This
recommendation was based on the analysis of the contextual relationships present, the
needs and learner analyses and the activities chosen to support the learning outcomes.
In developing an instructional strategy based on the Constructivist pedagogical
approach, I referred to table 8.3 Design Guidelines and Strategies for Different

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Pedagogical Approaches in Streamlined ID (Larson & Lockee, 2014). The structure of

this learning experience will incorporate higher order thinking skills by fostering an
environment of peer discussion regarding image use and interpretation, building on their
established knowledge and practical, real-world use of image-based resources. While
keeping the climate of this college (collaborative community and project-based culture)
in mind, this instructional intervention will use a generative strategy to encourage
learner interaction, reflect meaningfully on content and create an open, communicative
environment for future knowledge development.
3b. Learning Materials
Listed in Appendix A of this document are a detailed instructional content
outline/overview, a student handout of resources/tools and a Visual Literacy
Instructional LibGuide webpage proposal that at this time, is based on the student
handout. The LibGuide webpage will be developed collaboratively with SME Ellen Urton
and be structured from the LibGuide webpages she created and currently uses for inclass instruction. Additional resources will be incorporated that are specific to
developing visual literacy skills and awareness, connecting students with useful library
resources and will be tailored for a general student population (not class specific).
3c. Motivation Plan
Motivation plan based on Table 8.11 Kellers ARCS Motivational Strategies in
Streamlined ID (Larson & Lockee, 2014).
AREA
ATTENTION
Strategy 1

STRATEGY DETAIL
Inquiry Arousal: Instruction will include constructive practice of creating
a visual narrative in a group setting. Learners will assemble a
presentation articulating their collective interpretation of an assigned
subject.

RELEVANCE
Strategy 1
Experience: Learners should already be researching and using images
in their work at this point in their academic careers. This instruction will
connect them with and improve their methodology and resources,
creating a wider breadth of knowledge.
Strategy 2

Future Usefulness: Learners will develop copyright awareness and

visual citation skills that will give elevate their work to a professional
level of expertise. They will utilize these skills in their future careers.

CONFIDENCE

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Strategy 1

Learning Requirements: Learners will understand the goals and

objectives of this instruction through introductory discussion and review
of handout.

SATISFACTION
Strategy 1
Natural Consequences: As the learning and performance contexts of
this instructional intervention are closely aligned, learners will be
learning and using their newly acquired skills in a realistic setting. They
will be able to easily adapt these skills to alternate settings with similar
success.
Strategy 2

Positive Outcomes: The library staff member/instructor will be on hand

throughout in-person instruction, answering questions, providing
supportive feedback and being accessible to entire class of learners.

3d. Delivery Mechanism

Online Content
Introductory videos related to Creative Commons websitePrior to the instructional
session, learners will be required to view these short instructional videos, introducing
them to the Creative Commons website. Familiarizing themselves with copyright
restrictions outlined in these videos will support the learning objective requiring students
to be able to identify images they can legally use and distinguish between different
copyright restrictions listed on the Creative Commons website. This information will also
be reviewed verbally by the library instructor in the introduction to the instruction.
http://youtu.be/8YkbeycRa2A (Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand with support
from InternetNZ, Creative Commons & copyright info)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ (Creative Commons)
At the beginning of the instructional session, it is important for the library instructor to
stress that he/she is not a legal authority with regard to copyright. In order to create a
point of contact for such information, consulting services offered through the library will
be included on the student handout for this instructional session.
Kansas State University Libraries Department of Scholarly Communications and
Publishing consultation service http://www.k-state.edu/copyright/use/consultation.html
(Kansas State University Libraries Scholarly Communications and Publishing
Department, 2012)
It may be assumed that an upper level student who would be engaging in this Visual
Literacy Instruction session has experienced a library orientation session and/or has
conducted research using the library facilities and resources. As a point of reference or
to refresh their memories, links to the library catalog and databases, including

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databases that feature visual resources, should be included in the student handout for
this instructional session.
K-State Libraries Catalog http://www.lib.k-state.edu/
K-State Libraries DatabasesArchitecture
http://apps.lib.k-state.edu/databases/category/architecture/
The databases listed below are image specific but images can also be found in regular
periodical databases with an advanced search limiter selected.

ArtStor
Archivision Digital Resource
Oxford Art Online

As previously stated in this document, the SME, librarian Ellen Urton has given
permission and encouraged use of LibGuides she has created for class-specific
instruction related to visual literacy. In future, a LibGuide for Visual Literacy Instruction
will be created collaboratively. These links below have a number of online visual
resources that arent included on the student handout and a valuable set of citation
examples for all kinds of visual media. As part of the learning objectives for this session,
students will learn to create image citations using Ellen Urtons LibGuide as a guide.
LibGuides Created by Ellen Urton (Urton, 2013):
Image Resources
http://guides.lib.k-state.edu/content.php?pid=343115&sid=2806121
Image citation examples
http://guides.lib.k-state.edu/content.php?pid=343115&sid=2805777
Hardware and Software
Library Computers/Student Computers with visual presentation software
Students will work in groups to collect images for a short presentation. The gathering,
choosing and assembly of these images will require discussion, interpretation and
development of an image-based narrative. Using methods of critical thinking, students
will determine and be able to explain their use of images in this narrative work, which
will fulfill another learning objective of this instructional session.
In order to assemble the visual narrative presentation, students will either use the
library computer lab or their own computer, employing visual presentation software such
as PowerPoint. Any such software would work equally well and students may even use
Adobe products to create a similar visual presentation.
Library Scanners
As part of the learning objectives for this instructional session, students will be
required to scan at least one image, save it to a device/service and access it for
incorporation into the group visual narrative project. Instructions on using both of the
library scanners are included in the student handout for this instruction.

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3e. Assessment Plan

Students will receive an email with a link to a short online survey about visual literacy
both as a pre-assessment and post-assessment instructional tool. The university uses
Qualtrics, a
web-based survey tool for which access is granted to faculty and staff. Use of the
Qualtrics survey system is supported by the university IT department staff who offer
instructional guidance regarding its use and implementation.
The learner surveys not be graded, the results will be anonymous and its purpose will
be to accurately assess prior knowledge and knowledge gained, creating a field of focus
for the content of this instruction and a measuring tool of its success based on the
learning objectives.
The initial questions on the survey were developed in a conversation with the SME,
librarian Ellen Urton. She has constructed similar surveys in the past and suggested
using opinion-based questions, multiple choice questions and questions that use
specific examples to avoid the learner googling the answers which is not an accurate
measure of their knowledge. The questions on these example surveys are cursory in
nature and will be refined as the content of the Visual Literacy Instruction sessions are
developed and the needs, skills and knowledge of the learners and stakeholders evolve.
Examples of these surveys are in Appendix B.
Part 4. Formative Evaluation Plan
4a. Expert Review Plan
As is previously mentioned, the Subject Matter Expert for the instructional
intervention is librarian Ellen Urton. Ms. Urton is the arts librarian for the Undergraduate
and Community Services Department of Kansas State University Libraries and currently
delivers in-class library instruction to the College of APDesign students on an as
needed basis per request of the faculty. Parts of her instructional sessions address
development of visual literacy knowledge and skills and she has graciously shared
those resources with me for this project.
We had an initial meeting at the start of this proposal development where I gained
valuable feedback on the learning objectives, developing accurate assessment tools
and an understanding on the practical, academic and professional skills the College of
APDesign students should employ when working with images.
At this initial meeting, Ellen enthusiastically agreed that Visual Literacy instruction is
greatly needed and we should create a plan to implement it at the library. We discussed
whose approval would be necessary to do so, what faculty would be interested in
having their student participate in this instruction and other stakeholders we might
collaborate with.
A realistic timeline would be to offer this instructional intervention in the fall of 2014.
Ellen and I will meet again during the semester break and I will share this document
with her. I will be seeking her feedback on the in-person instruction content outline, the
assessment questions and the group project. I specifically would like to know if she

14

thinks this could be carried out in the time of one class period and if the students would
be engaged and motivated to create the visual narrative presentations.
Additionally at this second meeting, we can review the resources to be included on
the proposed Visual Literacy LibGuide webpage. I will be seeking her suggestions for
additional source and possible format changes such as embedding video and including
the student handout for the Visual Literacy instructional session. I would also like to
suggest that this be a resource for faculty as well as students and incorporate more
copyright resources and details about visual literacy standards.
Over the spring break, Ellen and I should meet again for a third time, refining the
elements discussed in the second meeting. The Qualtrics assessment survey should be
completed and ready for prototype testing with students. A list of secondary
stakeholders and collaborators should be assembled, contact and approval having been
made with them and we should seek permission from administration to proceed with this
project, demonstrating need and value of this instruction.
During the summer, I propose that we meet two additional times to finalize the
content, revise it based on the prototype surveys done with students. At this time, we
should confirm the faculty and staff who wish to collaborate and/or participate in the
instruction, present them with the proposal and get their feedback. The second summer
meeting will be to refine everything based on the collaborators feedback.
4c. Small Group Evaluation
As is detailed in the SME Review Plan listed above, there will be a core group of
stakeholders and/or collaborators who will be involved in the development of the Visual
Literacy Instruction intervention. The level and timing of involvement in the design
process will vary depending on their own schedules and interest.
For a small group evaluation of the instructional materials, I would suggest any of this
group who are willing to give feedback at key points in the development process,
particularly in the summer when Ellen (SME) and I have reached conclusive points in
the design. This small group would include students at the College of APDesign, faculty
at the College of APDesign, and staff of the Kansas State University Libraries
Department of Scholarly Communications and Publishing. The importance of this small
group evaluation would be to gain valuable perspective and further develop and revise
the instruction based on stakeholder feedback.
Questions we (Ellen and I) would want answered at that point would be:
Based on the instructional materials:
o Do you see a need and value for this instruction?
o Can this instruction be delivered in a class period?
o Do you have any resource suggestions we should incorporate?
o Do you have any activity suggestions related to visual literacy?
o How could we improve this instruction?
Based on the assessment survey:
o Would these questions accurately assess the learning outcomes of this
instruction?
o Are there any other visual literacy related issues that should be included in
the assessment survey?

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4d. Field Trial Evaluation

As this is instruction developed for upper level learners at the College of APDesign, I
would utilize our branch library student employees (also students at the College of
APDesign) to implement a Field Trail Evaluation of the instructional materials. This
would be the final step in the evaluation process after numerous revisions (if necessary)
based on previous stakeholder feedback.
We currently employ 8 student assistants at the branch library that serves the
College of APDesign. A full test of the instruction, including pre and post-assessment,
homework and the group narrative project will be tested. I would be particularly
interested in learning what the students think about the scope of the instruction, the
relevance of the skills and knowledge conveyed, if they thought it was useful, if the
pacing was smooth, if the handout and group project made sense and if they had any
suggestions or ideas for improvement. As we have an open, friendly work environment,
our student assistants will be honest and direct in expressing their opinions and making
suggestions. If any are interested, I would also like to open it up for them to actively
participate in the delivery of this instruction, as being both library employees and
students, they are in a unique position to develop a rapport with other students and
create an open learning environment.

16

References
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2011, October). Visual literacy
competency standards for higher education. Retrieved from
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/visualliteracy
Bleed, R. (2005, August). Visual literacy in higher education. Retrieved from
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli4001.pdf
Creative Commons. (n.d.). About the licenses. Retrieved from
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand with support from InternetNZ. (Artist). (2012,
May 09). Creative Commons & copyright info [Web Video]. Retrieved from
http://youtu.be/8YkbeycRa2A
Kansas State University College of Architecture Planning and Design. (2013, October
09). College of architecture, planning and design: fast facts. Retrieved from
http://apdesign.k-state.edu/future-students/facts/
Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning and Design. (2013, October
09). College of architecture, planning and design: be prepared. Retrieved from
http://apdesign.k-state.edu/future-students/prepare/
Kansas State University Libraries Scholarly Communications and Publishing
Department. (2012, July 23). Copyright consultation service. Retrieved from
http://www.k-state.edu/copyright/use/consultation.html
Kansas State University Libraries Scholarly Communications and Publishing
Department. (2012, December 12). Copyright. Retrieved from http://www.kstate.edu/copyright/
Kansas State University News and Editorial Services. (2013, November
14). Professionals rank college of architecture, planning & design programs among
nations best. Retrieved from http://www.kstate.edu/media/newsreleases/nov13/rankings111413.html
Larson, M. B., & Lockee, B. B. (2014). Streamlined id: a practical guide to instructional
design. New York, NY: Routledge.
Urton, E. (2013, October 22). Lar646/650 citation guide. Retrieved from
http://guides.lib.k-state.edu/content.php?pid=343115&sid=2805777
Urton, E. (2013, October 22). Lar646/650 image resources. Retrieved from
http://guides.lib.k-state.edu/content.php?pid=343115&sid=2806121

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Appendices
Appendix ALearning Materials
Learning Materials- Visual Literacy Instructional Intervention Content Outline
1. Complete pre-assessment survey
a. Students will receive an email with a short online survey about visual
literacy. This survey not be graded, the results are anonymous and its
purpose is to accurately assess prior knowledge, creating a field of focus
for the content of this instruction.
2. Before classonline homework
a. Students will visit http://youtu.be/8YkbeycRa2A and watch a 5 minute
video about creative commons website, copyright licensing and
using/sharing creative works. (Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand
with support from InternetNZ, Creative Commons & copyright info)
b. Students will visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ and review
different copyright licenses. (Creative Commons) Student will choose a
license they would use for their own creative work and be prepared to
share their decision with the class.
3. In classLibrary based in-person instructional session
a. As a large group, library instructor and students will:
i. Discuss prior knowledge of visual literacy issues based on survey
questions and results.
ii. Discuss how students currently search for and use images in their
work
iii. Briefly mention they will be working in small groups on an imagebased project to be completed during this session.
b. As a large group, library instructor and students will review image based
resources and tools (handout)
i. Disclaimer: library instructor should mention that they are not legal
experts on copyright and refer students to the Kansas State
University Libraries Department of Scholarly Communications and
Publishing with any questions they may have about copyright
issues.
ii. Resource review (content dependent upon pre-assessment survey
results)
1. Prior knowledge reviewstudents should already know how
to search the library catalog and databases for books and
periodicals related to their research.
2. Direct students to Visual Literacy LibGuide webpage.
Review visual citation examples. (Visual Literacy LibGuide
will be created collaboratively with SME Ellen Urton based
on resources she currently uses for in-class instruction.)

18

3. Library instructor will briefly demonstrate to students how to

conduct a Creative Commons image search with copyright
use limiters.
4. Library instructor will briefly demonstrate how to use library
scanners, how to save/transport scanned images and
discuss how they may be incorporated into their work.
c. Small Group Assignment
i. Students will divide into small teams of four or five students and
receive a visual subject matter to research together. (For example;
Water Use, Erosion, Structural Integrity, Historic Significance.
These small group research subjects will be developed through
collaboration with SME and faculty requesting visual literacy
instruction.)
ii. In teams, students will find a variety of visual resources that are
narrative in nature and offer different perspectives of the research
subject. The total number of images collected is up to the group,
but they must develop a story (fiction or non-fiction) based on the
images and will present story in 3-5 minutes at end of class period.
Required resources to use for images:
1. Image(s) scanned from a book.
2. Image(s) scanned from a periodical.
3. Image(s) from Creative Commons website.
iii. Small student groups will assemble images in PowerPoint slides (or
other visual assembly method) that include image citations as the
final slide.
iv. Student groups will present visual narrative to class, discussing any
issues or questions they had regarding research process.
4. Post-Instruction Assessment Survey
a. Students will receive an email link to an online survey after instruction
session.
Learning Materials- Visual Literacy Instruction Student Handout
Creative Commons videos (pre-instruction homework)
http://youtu.be/8YkbeycRa2A
(Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand with support from InternetNZ, Creative
Commons & copyright info)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ and review different copyright licenses.
(Creative Commons, n.d.)
For copyright questions
Contact: Kansas State University Libraries Department of Scholarly Communications
and Publishing consultation service http://www.kstate.edu/copyright/use/consultation.html (Kansas State University Libraries Scholarly
Communications and Publishing Department, 2012)

19

Image-based Resources and Tools

K-State Libraries Catalog http://www.lib.k-state.edu/
K-State Libraries DatabasesArchitecture
http://apps.lib.k-state.edu/databases/category/architecture/
The databases listed below are image specific but images can also be found in regular
periodical databases with an advanced search limiter selected.
ArtStor
Archivision Digital Resource
Oxford Art Online
LibGuides Created by Ellen Urton (Urton, 2013):
Image Resources
http://guides.lib.k-state.edu/content.php?pid=343115&sid=2806121
Image citation examples
http://guides.lib.k-state.edu/content.php?pid=343115&sid=2805777
Using the library scanners:
Bookeye Scanner (scans from overhead)
1. Place book or periodical face up on the black surface with spine of material on
centerline.
2. Choose scanning options
a. Dots per inch (dpi) quality
b. Color or black and white
c. full page or two pages (will separate each page facing to own image)
3. Hit scan
4. To save image, insert flash drive or choose Google drive option and hit save.
Flatbed Scanner (used for high resolution, portfolio/print quality scans)
1. Place image material face down on glass, centered between guidelines on left
side diagram and close top panel.
2. If not already open, double click Next Image software icon on desktop.
3. Scanner settings should automatically be at default settings (outlined on the
diagram to the right of the screen.) If not, you will need to change them to:
a. Auto size
b. 300 dpi (this is standard for print, web use is 150 dpi)
c. 100%
d. choose color or black and white
4. Plug flash drive into CPU under desk.
5. With this scanner, you need to choose the location to save to and name your file
before you scan images.
6. Hit preview button in Next Image software onscreen.
7. Hit scan button
Additional Copyright and Visual Literacy Resources

20

Kansas State University Libraries Scholarly Communications and Publishing

Department http://www.k-state.edu/copyright/ (Kansas State University Libraries
Scholarly Communications and Publishing Department, 2012)
Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/visualliteracy (Association of College and Research
Libraries, 2011)
Learning Materials- Visual Literacy Instruction LibGuide
This learning resource is currently in a proposal format. It will be a LibGuide webpage
created collaboratively with Subject Matter Expert, Ellen Urton. It will be a work in
progress and an expanded version of the LibGuide resource pages she has created and
currently uses for in-class instruction.
Ideas for content include:
LibGuides Created by Ellen Urton (Urton, 2013):
Image Resources
http://guides.lib.k-state.edu/content.php?pid=343115&sid=2806121
Image citation examples
http://guides.lib.k-state.edu/content.php?pid=343115&sid=2805777
Creative Commons videos (pre-instruction homework)

http://youtu.be/8YkbeycRa2A (Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand with

support from InternetNZ, Creative Commons & copyright info)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ and review different copyright licenses.
(Creative Commons, n.d.)

For copyright questions

Contact: Kansas State University Libraries Department of Scholarly Communications
and Publishing consultation service http://www.kstate.edu/copyright/use/consultation.html (Kansas State University Libraries Scholarly
Communications and Publishing Department, 2012)
Image-based Resources and Tools
K-State Libraries Catalog http://www.lib.k-state.edu/
K-State Libraries DatabasesArchitecture
http://apps.lib.k-state.edu/databases/category/architecture/
The databases listed below are image specific but images can also be found in regular
periodical databases with an advanced search limiter selected.
ArtStor
Archivision Digital Resource

21

Oxford Art Online

Using the library scanners:

Bookeye Scanner (scans from overhead)
5. Place book or periodical face up on the black surface with spine of material on
centerline.
6. Choose scanning options
a. Dots per inch (dpi) quality
b. Color or black and white
c. full page or two pages (will separate each page facing to own image)
7. Hit scan
8. To save image, insert flash drive or choose Google drive option and hit save.
Flatbed Scanner (used for high resolution, portfolio/print quality scans)
8. Place image material face down on glass, centered between guidelines on left
side diagram and close top panel.
9. If not already open, double click Next Image software icon on desktop.
10. Scanner settings should automatically be at default settings (outlined on the
diagram to the right of the screen.) If not, you will need to change them to:
a. Auto size
b. 300 dpi (this is standard for print, web use is 150 dpi)
c. 100%
d. choose color or black and white
11. Plug flash drive into CPU under desk.
12. With this scanner, you need to choose the location to save to and name your file
before you scan images.
13. Hit preview button in Next Image software onscreen.
14. Hit scan button
Additional Copyright and Visual Literacy Resources
Kansas State University Libraries Scholarly Communications and Publishing
Department http://www.k-state.edu/copyright/ (Kansas State University Libraries
Scholarly Communications and Publishing Department, 2012)
Visual Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education
http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/visualliteracy (Association of College and Research
Libraries, 2011)
Appendix BAssessment
AssessmentPre-Assessment and Post-Assessment Survey Questions
Where do you locate image resources to use in your research or creative works?

22

(please note additional locations or sources you use to locate images in the other text
box)
On Creative Commons Website
Books
Periodicals
Library
Other ___________
How do you determine what images are appropriate (legal) to use in your research or
creative works?
True or False: All creative works are automatically protected by copyright at the moment
of creation.
Have you ever created a citation for imagery used in your work? If so, what resource
directed you on how to create the citation?
HOW do you use images in your research and creative work?
(check all that apply. If necessary, add additional uses in text box field)
I manipulate images for incorporation into my creative work.
I use images to document my research.
I use images to create a process notebook
I use images in my portfolio
I use images of my own creation in my work
Other_____________________
What is purpose of image use in your research and creative works?
Have you ever used a scanner?
If you have used a scanner, how do you transport, download and incorporate images
you have scanned into your research or creative works?

23