Exploring Student Perceptions of Infographic Creation in an Undergraduate Social Inequalities Course

Abstract

Infographics help students develop transferable skills such as visual literacy, an increasingly important educational outcome. This paper examines the use of infographics as an educational tool in higher education, focusing on a semester-long project in a social inequalities course. The project, grounded in Kolb’s experiential learning theory, aimed to help students communicate social scientific information on inequality in the United States. Survey data gathered from 34 students at a southeastern university revealed that most students lacked prior infographic experience but reported increased knowledge and a preference for infographics over traditional assessments like PowerPoint presentations and research papers. This paper discusses the project’s structure, benefits, limitations, and future directions for integrating infographics into higher education courses to improve student engagement and learning outcomes.