Visual learning and graphic design: a cooperative strategy

Abstract

The article discusses an exploratory study implemented at three campuses of the Vaal University of Technology, Vanderbijlpark, in response to weak examination results in one of the subjects in the graphic design curriculum. The aim of the study was to investigate the feasibility of utilising a combination of visual learning and cooperative learning strategies in this setting. A comparative assessment methodologies framework was utilised to measure how graphic design first-year learners experience these. The results suggest that although the learners enjoyed and saw value in some aspects of the visual learning and cooperative learning strategies, a combination was seen as disruptive to the learning environment and is thus unlikely to lead to a significant improvement in examination results in the long term.

South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 21 (4) 2007: pp. 628-639