Communication Design for Online Visual Design Learning

Abstract

With the recent steep growth of online learning, visual design education in Australian universities is also confronted with a challenge of being appropriately embedded and integrated into online learning environment. It is obvious that effective communication is the key pedagogical concept and concern for interactive learning experience in visual design courses. We need to pay attention to the fact that various communications take place through the discussion board. It plays a role as more than a communication tool so that it has to be designed to embed the characteristics of design education. Based on the characteristics of design education and online learning experiences, two visual design courses were developed by means of Learning Management System called Blackboard® and have been delivered in on-campus and off-campus mode. The data analysis and student feedback on the courses provide the foundations for an effective LMS model of visual design learning enabling teacher to create a more interactive communication model in the discussion board. This paper suggests a pedagogical framework of discussion board for online learning communication of visual design course and as a result, the three key principles are identified for creating an interactive online learning experience; 1) interactivity between the learning components, 2) community-based communication and 3) connectivity to learning environments in relation to course objectives.