By Dr Emma Heywood, Jesse Armstrong, Dr James Whitworth and Dr Jared Ahmad
If you don’t speak English as your first language, if you find reading volumes of words challenging, or, in the real world, you simply don’t have time to read articles, newspapers, whole blogs, an image can be an excellent way to convey what you mean simply, understand what others mean, and to make something attractive and interesting. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Many creative design tools are already used in our practical journalism modules in the School of Journalism Media and Communication, but this study is introducing graphic narratives and storytelling more broadly in our School. It has multiple aims including contributing to overcoming language barriers, addressing different pedagogical styles and learning types (visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, verbal etc.), broadening the range of assessment options for students and boosting the employability of our students. We also wanted to enhance seminars and engagement through improved communication and discussions using a light-hearted tool. In other words, we wanted to understand what role visual images and narratives have in student learning. Why might they be useful in teaching and which types of images or graphic narratives are favoured by students?
Many are familiar with Canva (other tools are available…), which is a good fun tool but not free. To bypass paywalls, we have introduced Adobe Express to students in two-hour introductory workshops. Adobe Express allows users to easily create posters, presentations, videos, mind maps, websites and social media posts in various visual formats. There’s even an AI image generator. Its main advantage is that it’s free to our students via a university licence, thus promoting inclusivity amongst cohorts, although we recognise that the more privileged students will always be able to access tools behind paywalls. They can now create storyboards to narrate concepts, or add images to their other resources. We are initially targeting two cohorts: MA students (mainly international) and Level 1 students, both being new to UK HE.
This is not a tool to be used in every class, every week. It is an option, an extra, but it’s fun. But it can enable teaching and enhance learning. As part of this project, we are using Adobe Express in seminars as icebreakers— for example, what are the main takeaways from the lecture?—to create mind maps, as part of group presentations, to trigger discussions about improving AI generated images. Students can also bring images, videos or storyboards they have prepared in advance, individually or in groups, for discussion in class.
We also aim to identify the limitations on using this new tool in class. Might there be resistance from staff? Might the time restrictions imposed by seminars prove too challenging to achieve anything worthwhile? Will the novelty wear off? Will new technologies take over? How can we future proof the learning approach? Whatever the limitations, students are currently enthusiastic. In a world full of technology, students are at home with digital tools. They find them engaging, simple and fun. If students are engaged in class and can participate more fully using tools which they are receptive to and are conversant with, their experience and learning will surely be enhanced.
While images are a central part to the work of many of the students in the School of Journalism, Media and Communication, using visual images as part of the pedagogical journey will be equally useful elsewhere. Our aim is to extend the project to other schools, particularly, in Sciences to introduce a comparative aspect. Please contact us (e.heywood@sheffield.ac.uk) if you would like your School or module to take part in semester 2.