Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Where is the Design in Instructional Design? The Role of Visual Aesthetics in the Field

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Educational Media and Technology Yearbook

Part of the book series: Educational Media and Technology Yearbook ((EMTY,volume 37))

Abstract

Aesthetics is the artistic quality of a design that contributes to an enhanced appreciation or experience. Aesthetics in instructional design refers to mainly visual aspects that contribute to the learning experience. This chapter discusses the marginal role aesthetics has had in the field, provides a theoretical and historical narrative of aesthetics, and suggests an increasing need to integrate aesthetics due to its potential impact on learning. Throughout history, aesthetics has added value to many design fields. Relating visual aesthetics back to its philosophical, artistic, and educational roots can provide a basis for its value to instructional design.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Design. (1989). Oxford English dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, L. W., Krathwohl, D. R., Airasian, P. W., Cruikshank, K. A., Mayer, R. E., Pintrich, P. R., & Wittrock, M. C. (2000). Taxonomy for learning, teaching, and assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aristotle. (1996). Poetics (M. Heath, Trans.) London, England: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley, A. D. (1992). Working memory. Science, 255, 556–559.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumgarten, A. G. (1954). Reflections on poetry; Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten’s Meditationes philosophicae de nonnullis ad poema pertinentibus (K. Aschenbrenner & W. B. Holther, Trans.). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bednar, A., & Levie, W. H. (1993). Attitude-change principles. In M. Fleming & W. H. Levie (Eds.), Instructional message design: Principles from the behavioral and cognitive sciences (pp. 283–304). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals. In Handbook I, cognitive domain (pp. 201–207). New York, NY: David McKay.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunyé, T. T., Taylor, H. A., & Rapp, D. N. (2007). Repetition and dual coding in procedural multimedia presentations. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 22, 877–895. Retrieved from, http://ase.tufts.edu/psychology/spacelab/pubs/Brunye_Taylor_Rapp_ACP_impress.pdf.

  • Bull, P. (2009). Cognitive constructivist theory of multimedia design: A theoretical analysis of instructional design for multimedia learning. In G. Siemens & C. Fulford (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications (pp. 735–740). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/31581.

  • Burke, E. (1968). A philosophical enquiry into the origin of our ideas of the sublime and beautiful (J. T. Boulton, Ed.). Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carter, R. (2003). Teaching visual design principles for computer science students. Computer Science Education, 13(1), 67–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, M. S., & Fiske, S. T. (1982). Affect and cognition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, D. (1974). Kant’s aesthetic theory. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1934). Art as experience. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. New York: Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Else, G. F. (1986). Plato and Aristotle on poetry. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Good, T. L., & Brophy, J. E. (1990). Educational psychology: A realistic approach (4th ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gyselinck, V., Cornoldi, C., Dubois, V., De Beni, R., & Ehrlich, M. F. (2002). Visuospatial ­memory and phonological loop in learning from multimedia. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 16, 665–685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hegel, G. W. F. (1977). Phenomenology of spirit (A. V. Miller, Trans.). Oxford, England: Clarendon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hokanson, B., Miller, C., & Hooper, S. (2008). Commodity, firmness, and delight: Four modes of instructional design practice. In L. Botturi (Ed.), Handbook of visual languages for instructional design: Theories and practices (pp. 1–17). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Retrieved from http://hokanson.cdes.umn.edu/publications/vidl_FourModels021907.pdf.

  • Howard Bear, J. (2009). Introduction to the principles of design: The big picture. Retrieved from Scribd website: http://www.scribd.com/doc/25325758/Principles-of-Graphic-Design.

  • Huitt, W. (2003). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Retrieved from Valdosta State University, GA, website: http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/­topics/cogsys/piaget.html

  • Keller, J. M. (1997). Motivational design and multimedia: Beyond the novelty effect. Strategic Human Resource Development Review, 1(1), 188–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirschner, P. (2002). Cognitive load theory: Implications of cognitive load theory on the design of learning. Learning and Instruction, 12, 1–10.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirschner, P., Strijbos, J., Kreijns, K., & Beers, P. J. (2004). Designing electronic collaborative learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 52(3), 47–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohr, L. (2000a). Designing the instructional interface. Computers in Human Behavior, 16(2), 161–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lohr, L. (2000b). Three principles of perception for instructional interface design. Educational Technology, 40(1), 45–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lohr, L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance: Lessons in visual literacy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, B. L., & Briggs, L. J. (1986). The cognitive and affective domains: Integration for instruction and research. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R. (2001). Multimedia learning. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, R., & Moreno, R. (1998). A cognitive theory of multimedia learning: Implications for design principles. Retrieved from University of New Mexico website: http://www.unm.edu/∼moreno/PDFS/chi.pdf.

  • Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (1999). Cognitive principles of multimedia learning: The role of modality and contiguity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(9), 358–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mullet, K., & Sano, D. (1995). Designing visual interfaces. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: SunSoft.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parrish, P. (2005). Embracing the aesthetics of instructional design. Educational Technology Magazine, 45(2). Retrieved from Comet, UCAR Community Programs website: http://homes.comet.ucar.edu/∼pparrish/.

  • Parrish, P. (2008). Plotting a learning experience. In L. Botturi & S. T. Stubbs (Eds.), Handbook of visual languages for instructional design: Theories and practices (pp. 91–111). Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parrish, P. (2009). Aesthetic principles for instructional design. Educational Technology Research and Development, 57(4), 511–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pass, F., Renkl, A., & Sweller, J. (2003). Cognitive load theory and instructional design: Recent developments. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 1–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pass, F., Renkl, A., & Sweller, J. (2004). Cognitive load theory: Instructional implications of the interaction between information structures and cognitive architecture. Instructional Science, 32, 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearsal, J. M., & Trumble, W. R. (Eds.). (1996). Oxford encyclopedic English dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pierre, E., & Oughton, J. (2007). The affective domain: Undiscovered country. The College Quarterly, 10(4), 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rampley, M. (2000). Nietzsche, aesthetics, and modernity. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rand, P. (1985). Paul Rand: A designer’s art. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reiser, R. A. (2001a). A history of instructional design and technology: Part I: A history of instructional media. Educational Technology Research and Development, 49(1), 53–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reiser, R. A. (2001b). A history of instructional design and technology: Part II: A history of instructional technology. Educational Technology Research and Development, 49(2), 57–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutledge, A. (2007). Contrast and meaning. Retrieved April 24, 2007 from A List apart website: http://www.alistapart.com/articles/contrastandmeaning/.

  • Saw, J. T. (2000). Design notes, Art 104: Design and composition. Retrieved from http://daphne.palomar.edu/design/align.html.

  • Shellnut, B. (1998). John Keller: A motivating influence in the field of instructional design. Retrieved October 15, 1998 from Keller’s ARCS Model of Motivational Design website: http://www.arcsmodel.com/pdf/Biographical%20Information.pdf.

  • Simonson, M., & Maushak, N. (2001). Instructional technology and attitude change. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of research for educational communications and technology (pp. 984–1016). Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum. Retrieved from http://www.aect.org/edtech/ed1/pdf/34.pdf.

  • Skinner, B. F. (1954). The science of learning and the art of teaching. Harvard Educational Review, 24, 86–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorden, S. D. (2005). A cognitive approach to instructional design for multimedia learning. Informing Science Journal, 8, 263–279.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sweller, J. (1999). Instructional design in technical areas. Camberwell, VIC: Australian Council for Educational Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talbot, D. (2011). The problem with design education. Technology Review. Retrieved April 6, 2011 from http://www.technologyreview.com/business/37216/.

  • Tufte, E. R. (1990). Envisioning information. Cheshire, CT: Graphics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. (2008). The non-designer’s design book. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, B. G. (2005). Broadening our foundation for instructional design: Four pillars of practice. Educational Technology, 45(2), 10–15. Retrieved from http://carbon.ucdenver.edu/∼bwilson/Pillars.html.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, USA

    Lori A. Brown, Linda L. Lohr, James E. Gall & Anna Ursyn

Authors
  1. Lori A. Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Linda L. Lohr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. James E. Gall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anna Ursyn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lori A. Brown .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Educational Psych & Instructional Tech., University of Georgia, Aderhold Hall 604, Athens, 30602, Georgia, USA

    Michael Orey

  2. , Dept. Leadership, Tech. & Dvpmt, Georgia Southern University, PO Box 8131, Statesboro, 30460, Georgia, USA

    Stephanie A. Jones

  3. , Educational Psychology and Instructiona, University of Georgia, Athens, 30602-7144, Georgia, USA

    Robert Maribe Branch

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Brown, L.A., Lohr, L.L., Gall, J.E., Ursyn, A. (2013). Where is the Design in Instructional Design? The Role of Visual Aesthetics in the Field. In: Orey, M., Jones, S., Branch, R. (eds) Educational Media and Technology Yearbook. Educational Media and Technology Yearbook, vol 37. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4430-5_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation