PrintGoal:
The goal of this assignment is to synthesize the required readings provided in Canvas with at least one external resource through the creation of an infographic. Doing so provides you with practice in synthesizing information and communicating it in a concise format.
Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to allow you to think critically about the key points from the online readings and how they apply or relate to how energy is used in our world today. By applying the course concepts to energy consumption, energy policy, or environmental considerations you will have a strengthened understanding of how our choices impact our world.
Enhanced Learning:
According to the research, we remember information in images rather than text. By creating an infographic based on the course readings, you are essentially creating visual organizers of course information in a format more easily remembered by your brain.
Creating Infographics
Step 1: Getting Started
The best way to begin working on your infographic is to start by reviewing the assigned online readings. As you work your way through the lesson, pause to write down key points you feel are especially important. (You may also find it beneficial to create a quick drawing or sketch to visually support your learning and retention of the information. This process is called sketchnoting. You can watch this Youtube video which provides a quick overview of sketchnoting if you would like to employ that method as part of your note-taking process.)
PRESENTER: Welcome to "Sketcho Frenzy." In this video, I'm going to talk about the basics of visual note-taking. So first things first, why visual note-taking? Well, it enhances your memory and retention of information mostly because you now have access to multiple cues, which will help you remember what you need to know.
Visual note-taking improves your understanding of the lessons you're supposed to learn because you're not just jotting down what the teacher or the books say, but you're exercising your brain by connecting the verbal material to the visual material. And of course, it's way more fun compared to boring old text-filled notebooks.
There are three things you need to remember when you're doing visual note-taking. There's text, images, and structure. Text and visual note-taking is important because it's not merely writing the usual way one does. It's writing while making use of one's knowledge and hierarchy and distinction.
This means that when you write or doodle the words, you highlight the more important terms, so it'll be easier for you to identify the main point from the supporting details. Text can also be used as a form of visual mnemonics, which is the treatment of words as images.
This helps you understand and remember difficult terms better. And it also helps you filter out the unimportant details and places more emphasis on the words you actually need to know. Plus, this translates everything into a language you actually speak, since you call the shots with how these terms will look on your notebook.
Images are important because turning words into pictures involves translating terms into recognizable forms, from purely linguistic concepts and descriptions to objects one can actually see. Think of it this way. A picture's worth a thousand words. And if you can save up on ink and paper by drawing just one doodle instead of writing a five-paragraph description, then why not stick to visual note-taking?
Structure gives your notes direction and organizes the flow and relationships of the concepts and lessons you're trying to learn. Structures can be in the form of charts, graphs, or maps. They don't just organize your thoughts, but they can also help you spot trends, illustrate patterns. And they let you see a natural picture of the data you need to examine.
But instead of doing the usual boring way of making them, you can also incorporate what's been said about images and texts. This doesn't just increase the visual appeal of your notes, but this process of relating words to images and pictures and words to an overall structure improves your understanding and knowledge of the lesson.
It makes things less complicated for you because you can do things your way and turn the teacher's and the textbook's words into structures and images that make much more sense to you. That's all for the basics. And I hope you learned something new in this video.
Step 2: Conducting Independent Research
Once you have completed the online chapter, you will need to conduct your own investigation on a topic relating to the information discussed within the online lesson. Use the online readings as a starting point. You may consider the following questions to help you begin your independent research:
- Is there something you found interesting in the assigned readings and want to learn more about?
- Is there a point on which you wish to gain further clarity?
- Are you interested in seeing how the statistics may have changed over your lifetime? (example: comparing the data from today to the year you were born?)
After you have found at least one suitable article, follow the same process of note-taking/documenting that you implemented when you reviewed the online readings. You may review as many articles as you wish to further your understanding of the topic, but you are required to submit an infographic that includes a reference to a minimum of one external source.
Step 3: Synthesize Key Points
In reviewing your notes/sketches, find the points you feel are the most important and want to ensure you remember beyond this semester. The infographics should be more than simply recapping the online readings. These points will likely be the most interesting or thought-provoking aspects of the various articles and readings you reviewed.
Distill those key points down to approximately 10 (plus or minus a few is perfectly acceptable). This will help you narrow your focus on the points you want to convey in your infographic. Following this strategy will also give you the ability to quickly identify connections between the course readings and other sources of information. Your submissions must include a connection between the course content and another source.
Step 4: Create your infographic
Review the page titled Creating Infographics to determine which layout, color scheme, and graphics are suitable for the information you wish to convey. All of these elements should work together to effectively communicate a message in a clear and concise manner.
*Please remember there are templates available in both Adobe Spark and in Canva.
A few additional considerations:
Getting Creative:
This assignment was designed to maximize your engagement with the materials in order to help facilitate long term retention. It offers a more creative option and greater value over a traditional multiple-choice quiz. With that in mind, you should explore your creative freedom while working on these infographics. All graphics included in the work should be original. In general, a maximum of one screenshot from an external source may be used (see 90/10 rule below), but the use of that image must adhere to the guidelines of academic integrity. (Meaning you must use a graphic that is in the public domain or be able to provide documentation indicating you have permission from the original creator to use the artwork.)
Academic Integrity:
As the infographic assignment is a creative project, your work should be a personalized reflection of your learning in this course. Since you are expected to be using information from other sources, you will need to cite these sources. Plagiarism (using someone else's ideas or words without giving them credit for their work) will not be tolerated in this course. There is a module in this course titled Academic Integrity. If you are unsure of how to cite works properly or even what it means to plagiarize someone else's work, you will find detailed information within that module.
*An additional note on plagiarism – Submitting a work that is comprised entirely of images, text, or other media which has been created by someone else is also considered plagiarism. In order for a submission to be considered an original work, it must follow a 90/10 rule. Meaning 90% of the work must be words and graphics of your own creation. 10% of the overall work may be a screenshot or quote from an external source.
| Criteria | Descriptors |
|---|---|
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Accuracy & Communications |
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| Reflection |
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| Authenticity |
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| Design |
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| Citations |
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