Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent virtual learning environment, educators are challenged to keep students engaged through the computer screen. Information that was taught through activities, group work, and classroom projects now must be accomplished with the limited resources found at home or online. Furthermore, in a virtual setting, teachers might find it challenging to gauge students’ understanding of the content in the same way they could during in-person lessons. Body language, eye contact, and checking progress on student work all serve as indicators that students comprehend the material or not. While these changes are frustrating, they call for us to make content even more engaging, digestible, and memorable.

Infographics have been recognized as a productive learning tool long before virtual learning became the norm. Infographics not only spice up instruction, but also assist students with critical learning skills, information comprehension, and information retention. 

What is an infographic? 

Infographics are visual representations of data presented in an easy to understand and fun to read format. Infographics make dense content easy to comprehend because unlike other communication methods, they incorporate text, shapes, colors, and images. Information-rich images capture attention more effectively and increase content comprehension.

The image above (Fig. 1) is an infographic from The Juice. On Wednesday, December 9th The Juice covered The Department of Homeland Security’s announcement that they would accept new applications to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program, despite President Trump’s desire to dismantle the program. The graphic helps readers quantify DACA’s impact. 

Infographics Spark Students’ Interest

Research shows that infographics spark students’ interest more than reading plain text. Eye-tracking studies have revealed that readers spend more time looking at information-rich images than text. According to the Social Science Research Network, 65% of us are visual learners making infographics an even more effective teaching tool. According to Wiley, “where text may fall short, interesting and relevant images often reach and appeal to a broader audience, which leads to more interaction, participation, and engagement.”

Infographics Boost Comprehension and Retention 

Not only are infographics intriguing and interesting to look at, but they help students comprehend and retain information. Firstly, infographics help students process information and can improve learning by up to 400 percent. Neuroscientists from MIT found that the brain can process an entire image in as little as 13 milliseconds, making visuals an ideal learning aid. The brain tends to attach emotion to visuals which might explain why the average person can recall 65% of visual information ten days later while they can only recall 10% of something they heard ten days ago. An essay by the Journal of Education and Human Development recalled a study where “participants could recall details that were included in visual embellishments after a two-to-three week gap,” confirming that there is a “positive impact of infographics on students’ comprehension and retention of information.”

If instructors are only teaching through lecture or text, they are not only neglecting  65% of their students who are visual learners but the opportunity to increase students’ retention rates, something imperative in summative assessment. The incorporation of infographics is a simple way to make content more engaging, but also long-lasting in students’ memory.

How to Create Your Own Infographics

Infographics can be designed to meet the needs of instructors across subject areas.  

Creating your own infographics might seem intimidating, but with these best practices (determining the infographic’s purpose, what data reinforces that purpose, how that data can be visualized, and making sure to keep things simple) and the infographic tools listed below the process can be simple and easy to replicate for all of your lesson plans. 

• Infogram
• Canva
• Easelly
• Edraw

The infographic journal has archived some of the most effective infographics out there and is a great resource. 

Infographics Build Critical Thinking Skills 

Importantly, infographics are not just a group of images, but rather a tool to promote connection-making. By connecting symbols, themes, images, numbers, and text, students’ develop critical thinking skills. Infographics engage multiple areas of the brain, challenging students to examine the information through different lenses and work different mental muscles. In fact, National Common Core Standards use visual representations of information as a way to assess students’ critical thinking skills. The College and Career Readiness (CCR) states that students need to be able to “integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.”

Infographics are a twofold resource; they can be used to teach content and as a way for students to demonstrate their understanding. When students create their own infographics they conduct research, analyze other models of information, evaluate different applications of the information, and ultimately create a visualization of the information. As a result, students “demonstrate critical thinking skills by filtering information, establishing relationships, identifying patterns, and presenting information that is more meaningful,” as explained by eLearn.

Seeing information is powerful; creating the information yourself is game-changing.

TeachThought

Before asking students to create their own infographics, it’s important to teach them how to visualize information. Basically, students need to understand what makes an infographic effective. To further develop students’ critical thinking skills, have students think about the following: 

1. Who created the infographic? 
2. Where did the author get their data from? Are the sources reliable? 
3. What story is the author telling? How does the author use graphics to make the story compelling? 
4. What techniques does the author use to make information stand out? 
5. What information is not highlighted that should be? 
6. What information might be missing from the infographic altogether? 

Infographics can be an incredible tool to incorporate more regularly into the classroom, and particularly the virtual classroom. Copypress writes that infographics “have the unique ability to capture attention, convey information, and encourage data retention despite their complex nature. That means infographics can be ideal for teaching the basics of complicated processes…for all types of audiences.”