Students’ views of the pedagogical value of infographics in the online learning materials of the Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of South Africa

Abstract

The traditional, text-heavy approach to legal education does not attend to the necessity of developing law students’ digital visual literacy, a crucial skill they require to become graduates who are ready for legal practice in today’s digital world. Infographics (information graphics) are proliferating social, digital and news media and subsequently educators in higher and online education are embracing this. The inclusion of instructor-generated infographics in the online learning material of students can be used to develop their digital visual literacy. The present study sought to establish students’ views of the pedagogical value of infographics in the online learning materials of the Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of South Africa. The learning theory of connectivism informed the study, which was situated within a positivist research paradigm. A quantitative research approach was followed, and a descriptive research strategy adopted. Non-probability, purposive sampling was used to select 196 students to respond to a structured online questionnaire. Data were analysed with the Qualtrics XMTM and IBM© SPSS® Statistics software packages. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis procedures were utilised in analysing data to ultimately obtain results that answered the main research question. The chi-square and Fischer exact tests were used to reach conclusions with which to address the research hypotheses. The results of the study indicated that the respondents perceived infographics as useful visual learning materials, but that they would also like additional types of visual materials to be included. Students supported the inclusion of additional visual elements in their online learning materials, and neither their ages nor English-language proficiency affected their preferences in this regard. Students' positive sentiments indicated that infographics helped them to better understand complex course materials and increased their enjoyment of the HFL1501 module. The results also indicated that almost half of the respondents did not perceive themselves as adequately visually literate to benefit from infographics as learning materials, illustrating the need to purposively develop this literacy in students. Previous interactions with infographics in an educational context improved students’ perceived ability to understand the infographics, but their level of qualification did not.

Mokgwa wa sekgale, wa go somisa, dingwalwa tse ntsi go thuto ya tsa molao ga o hlokomele tlhokego ya go hlabolla bokgoni bja baithuti ba tsa molao go tsa titsithale, e lego bokgoni bjo bohlokwa bjo ba swanetsego go ba le bjona gore ba be baithuti bao ba phethilego dithuto gomme ba loketse go soma ka tsa molao ka lefaseng la lehono la titsithale. Diswantsho tsa tshedimoso (diswantsho tsa go fana ka tshedimoso) di swahlela go kgaso ya setshaba, ya titsithale le ya ditaba gomme mafelelong barutisi bao ba lego ka go thuto ya godingwana le ya inthaneteng ba thoma go e somisa. Go akaretswa ga diswantsho tsa tshedimoso tsa go tsweletswa ke morutisi ka go dingwalwa tsa go ithuta inthaneteng tsa baithuti di ka somiswa go hlabolla bokgoni bja bona bja bokgabo bja titsithale. Dinyakisiso tse di nyaka go hwetsa maikutlo a baithuti ka ga boleng bja go ruta bja diswantsho tsa tshedimoso ka go dngwalwa tsa go ithuta inthaneteng tsa kgrata ya Molao ka Yunibesithing ya Afrika Borwa. Teori ya go ithuta ya go fana dikgopolo ke yona e somisitswego ka mo dinyakisisong, yona e beilwe ka gare ga seemo sa dinyakisiso tsa kamano ya tsa leago. Mokgwa wa dinyakisiso tsa bontsi o latetswe, gomme gwa somiswa mokgwa wa dinyakisiso tsa tlhaloso. Mokgwa wa go dira disampole tsa tlhokego ya kgonagalo, tsa nepo o somisitswe go kgetha baithuti ba 196 go araba dipotsiso tsa dinyakisiso tsa inthaneteng tsa go se fetoswe. Tshedimoso e sekasekilwe ka go somisa mananeo a softewere a Dipalopalo a Qualtrics XMTM le IBM© SPSS®. Ditshepediso tsa tshekatsheko ya dipalopalo ka go hlalosa le ka tshupetso di ile tsa somiswa go sekaseka tshedimoso gore mafelelong go hwetswe dipoelo tseo di arabilego potsisokgolo ya dinyakisiso. Diteko tsa ditsopolwa tsa chi-square le tsa Fischer di ile tsa somiswa go fihlelela dipheto tseo ka tsona go ka rarollwago haephothesese ya dinyakisiso. Dipoelo tsa dinyakisiso di laeditse gore baarabi ba be ba bona diswantsho tsa tshedimoso bjalo ka dingwalwa tsa go thalwa tsa go ithuta tsa mohola, eupsa gape gore ba nyaka mehuta ya tlaleletso ya dingwalwa tsa go thalwa gore le tsona di akaretswe. Baithuti ba ile ba thekga go akaretswa ga dikarolo tsa tlaleletso tsa go thalwa ka go dingwalwa tsa bona tsa go ithuta inthaneteng, gomme mengwaga ya bona goba go tseba polelo ya Seisemane ga bona ga se gwa ama kgetho ya bona mabapi le se. Maikutlo a makaone a baithuti a laeditse gore diswantsho tsa tshedimoso di ba thusitse go kwesisa bokaone dingwalwa tsa thuto tse bothata le go oketsa go ipshina ga bona ka motsule wa HFL1501. Dipoelo di laeditse gape gore tekano ye e nyakilego go ba seripagare sa baarabi ga se ba ipona bjalo ka bao ba nago le bokgoni bja go thala go holega go diswantsho tsa tshedimoso bjalo ka dingwalwa tsa go ithuta, gomme se se laetsa gore go na le tlhokego ya gore baithuti ba be le bokgoni bjo ka maikemisetso. Dipoledisano tsa nakong ye e fetilego tsa mabapi le diswantsho tsa tshedimoso ka seemong sa thuto di ile tsa kaonafatsa bokgoni bja baithuti bja go kwesisa diswantsho tsa tshedimoso, eupsa maemo a bona a dithuto ga se a kgona.

Die tradisionele, teksbelaaide benadering tot regsonderrig gee nie aandag aan die noodsaaklikheid daarvan om ontwikkelende regstudente se digitale, visuele geletterdheid te ontwikkel nie, wat ’n deurslaggewende vaardigheid is wat hulle moet verwerf om gegradueerdes te word wat gereed sal wees vir regspraktyke in die huidige digitale wêreld. Infografika (inligtingsgrafika) brei sosiale, digitale en nuusmedia uit en derhalwe omarm opvoeders in hoër en aanlyn onderrig dit ook. Die insluiting van instrukteurgeskepte infografika by die aanlyn leermateriaal van studente kan gebruik word om hulle digitale, visuele geletterdheid te ontwikkel. Hierdie studie wil studente se sienings bepaal ten opsigte van die pedagogiese waarde van infografika in die aanlyn leermateriaal van die graad, baccalaureus in die regte, by die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika. Die leerteorie van konnektivisme het die studie, wat in ’n positivistiese navorsingsparadigma gesetel is, geïnspireer. ’n Kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering is gevolg en ’n beskrywende navorsingstrategie is gebruik. Nie-waarskynlike, doelbewuste steekproefneming is gebruik om 196 studente te kies om aan ’n gestruktureerde aanlyn vraelys deel te neem. Data is met behulp van die Qualtrics XMTM- en IBM© SPSS- statistiese-sagtewarepakkete ontleed. Beskrywende en afgeleide statistiese ontledingsprosedures is gebruik om data te ontleed ten einde resultate te bekom om die hoofnavorsingsvraag te beantwoord. Die chi-vierkanttoets en Fischer se presisietoetse is gebruik om gevolgtrekkings te maak om die navorsingshipotese te ondersteun. Die resultate van die studie het daarop gedui dat die respondente infografika as nuttige visuele leermateriaal sien hoewel hulle sal verkies dat addisionele visuele materiaal ingesluit moet word. Studente het die insluiting van addisionele visuele elemente by hulle aanlyn leermateriaal ondersteun en nóg hulle ouderdom nóg hulle taalbeheer van Engels het hulle voorkeure in hierdie opsig beïnvloed. Studente se positiewe sienswyses het aangetoon dat infografika hulle help om die ingewikkelde kursusmateriaal beter te verstaan en dit vir hulle aangenamer maak om die HFL1501-module te voltooi. Die resultate het ook gewys dat byna die helfte van die respondente hulleself nie as genoegsaam visueel geletterd sien om baat te vind by infografika as leermateriaal nie, wat die behoefte om hierdie geletterdheid doelbewus by studente te ontwikkel, illustreer. Vorige interaksie met infografika in ’n onderrigkonteks het die studente se waargenome vermoë verbeter om die infografika te verstaan, hoewel dit nie hulle vlak van kwalifikasie verbeter het nie.