Imagining a Better Classroom: Infographics to Build Learning Communities

Abstract

Innovative new teaching techniques continue to grow, but a solid grounding in the basic elements of good teaching pedagogy and clear communication is also needed. The foundation of a classroom should be a learning community in which students and instructors alike share a safe space to learn new content, engage in activities to practice with course materials and build skills, and to evaluate progress towards course learning goals. There are some instructors who were not formally trained to teach in higher education and may use the materials that were handed down to them, but not truly know how to develop their own course from the beginning. In this article, we reimagine building a better classroom through the use of infographics. The benefit of infographics is that a picture allows the instructor to interpret the image and adjust for their teaching style and the context of the course. Key elements of good teaching include course alignment, class planning, clear communication with students and collaboration between the instructor and students. Moreover, Covid-19 has heightened awareness of the need for instructors to consider the individual student and ensure that they are set up for success in the context of the class and being a student more generally. We showcase a set of six infographics to demonstrate the use of this medium to develop a successful and enjoyable course and discuss the ways in which the infographics can guide development of an evidence-based teaching approach.