Running head: MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

My Comprehensive Design Plan: Health Science

Jessica Walker
University of West Georgia

MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

My Comprehensive Design Plan: Health Science

Client Description
Pat Rutherford is a Health Science teacher at Hart County High School (HCHS). Prior to
entering the field of education, Mrs. Rutherford spent 34 years practicing as a Registered Nurse,
working with many professionals in the field of medicine. Mrs. Rutherford taught 4 years at
HCHS prior to leaving for a brief period to teach at Maxwell High School. She returned to
HCHS in 2007 and plans to retire in the next few years.
Instructional Problem
Each semester, students in Mrs. Rutherfords upper level Health Science course must
create a hand drawn poster or PowerPoint that describes an illness/disease (that they have been
assigned) and provide information on prevention, treatment, et cetera. Due to the push to
increase the use of technology in all classrooms at HCHS, teachers are encouraged to incorporate
more technology based assignments, which is why Mrs. Rutherford decided to add the
PowerPoint aspect into her disease and illness project initially. However, PowerPoints can
become lengthy, and students have expressed that they have grown bored of this type of
presentation. For this reason, I believe moving the assignment from posters and PowerPoints to
creating infographics will be beneficial. Using infographics will allow for a more condensed
form of information that one might find in a PowerPoint, while incorporating the technological
aspect that one would not have in a hand drawn poster.
Redesigned Lesson
Mrs. Rutherford and I have worked together to plan a redesign of illness/disease project
that we believe will greatly benefit the students and also fulfill the instructional technology
component that will enhance students learning. Due to the fact that our school is on a 90 minute

MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

block schedule, we have the ability to cover more information in one day. The following are
activities that will take place along with the amount of time it should likely take (depending on
the pace of students).
Step 1: (Day 1 10 Minutes) Introduction
Mrs. Rutherford will first present the Artifact (found below) to students and allow them
a few minutes to look at the infographic prior to beginning the lesson. She will then ask students
for input on the image, its message, the layout, colors used, and other aspects of the infographic.
The infographic will be available for students to utilize throughout the duration of the project as
a resource for how to create an infographic.
Artifact

MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

Step 2 (Day 1 20 minutes) Presentation of project, review of citations

Next, Mrs. Rutherford will introduce the lesson to students (this will be an end of the
semester project in order to allow students to pull in information that they have learned through
different units), providing students with a detailed rubric (found in the Methods to
Assess/Evaluate the Lesson section below) that will specify exactly what is required and how
the infographic will be evaluated.
NOTE: Mrs. Rutherford will briefly review the process of referencing images or
information that they incorporate from other sources (this is something she covers
earlier in the year, therefore only a brief review is necessary). Students will use
the https://owl.english.purdue.edu/ website to assist with issues they have with
correctly citing their sources.
Step 3: (Day 1 20 to 30 Minutes) Review examples of infographics
Mrs. Rutherford will present students with the following resources and together they will
discuss components of good and bad infographics.
Resources:
The following links provide information to students on how and how not to create
infographics.
Click the link below to see examples of what not to do when creating your
infographic:
http://www.designyourway.net/blog/inspiration/when-infographics-gobad-or-how-not-to-design-data-visualization/
Click the link below to see an original example of an infographic, and the
better redesigned version:

MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

https://venngage.com/blog/forget-about-your-data-creating-greatinfographics/
Step 4: (Remainder of day 1) Piktochart tutorials
Students will be directed to Piktochart and Mrs. Rutherford and I will assist students in
learning how to use Piktochart infographic design software, encouraging students to watch the
tutorial videos and play around with the different components available on the website. Mrs.
Rutherford will move around the classroom and assist students as needed.
Resources
The following link provides instructions on how to create an infographic in five
easy steps:
http://support.piktochart.com/hc/en-us/articles/202363710-How-can-I-make-anInfographic-in-Five-StepsStudents are also encouraged to find other tutorials on the website to assist them with
gathering ideas on how they would like to design their infographic.
Step 5: (Day 2) Elements, principles of design.
I will assist Mrs. Rutherford with introducing students to the elements and principles of
design, as well as, the Gestalt theories (Golombisky, 2013). Mrs. Rutherford again use the
Artifact in Step 1, as well as, the resources provided in Step 3, to review infographics and
encourage students to review each of the examples for their use of the above design elements,
principles, and theories.
Resources
Students will also be able to access my Weebly site that was created through this course,
as a resource throughout the completion of the project.

MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

http://jwalk1visualmedia.weebly.com/
Step 6: (Day 3 4 (depending on the pace of the student)) Research
Following the tutorial on how to use Piktochart, as well as introduction to theories of
design, students would begin to gather information on their topic (from their notes that they have
taken throughout the semester, as well as, from other resources) and begin designing their
Piktochart. Mrs. Rutherford will move around the classroom and assist students as needed.
NOTE: As they work, students will be able to utilize the classroom computers or BYOT (bring
your own technology) to complete all of their work.
Step 7: (Days 4 5 (more days can be added depending on the pace of the student))
Infographic Creation
Students will continue working on designing their Piktochart, seeking constructive
criticism from fellow students. Mrs. Rutherford will move around the classroom and assist
students as needed. After they have finished, they will submit their infographic by saving it as
an image and dropping it in their dropbox for Mrs. Rutherford to assess using the rubric below.
Methods to Assess/Evaluate the Lesson
Students will be graded formatively throughout the project, simply to provide Mrs.
Rutherford with an idea of which students are understanding the different elements of the
project, and which students may need more help in specific areas. No actual grade will be taken
during the formative assessment period. The final project that students turn in will be graded in a
summative fashion utilizing the following rubric (as stated above, this rubric will be presented to
students prior to their beginning the project).
The following are required for your project, this section will be graded based on whether
or not the content is present in your infographic:
Total Points

MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

Content (Each section is worth 5 points each)

Infographic contains a minimum of 2 sections

Yes

No

Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation is used

Yes

No

The infographic contains a combination of graphics

and text

Yes

No

A minimum of 2 graphics are incorporated in the

infographic

Yes

No

Based on the infographic, the student appears to

have grasped the concept of what it means to create
a functional graphic that will inform others about
their topic.

Yes

No

This section will be graded by area based on level of achievement:

Criteria
Content
Understanding

Use of Imagery

Theme and
Content

Beginning
Level 1
Student work
displays little to
no understanding
of the disease or
illness.

Developing
Level 2
Student work
displays limited
understanding of
the disease or
illness.

Accomplished
Level 3
Student work
displays a
general
understanding of
the disease or
illness.
Student use of
Student use of
Student use of
imagery does not imagery shows
imagery shows a
support the
limited
general
disease or illness. understanding of understanding of
the appropriate
the disease or
disease or illness. illness.
The theme used
The theme used
The theme used
in the students
in the students
in the students
work does not
work does show work is
flow with the
some connection connected with
content or
with the material, the material
material.
however, this
being presented.
connection is

Exemplary
Level 4
Student work
displays clear
and in-depth
understanding of
the disease or
illness.
Student use of
imagery shows a
mastery of
understanding
the disease or
illness.
The theme used
in the students
work is very well
connected to the
material. It is
clear that the
student has paid

MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

minimal.
Organization and
Structure

Student work
shows no
organization or
thought structure.
Information
appears to be
thrown together
and the meaning
is unclear.

Student work
shows some
organization and
structure,
however, some
areas could be
reorganized for
balance and
flow.

Student work
shows good use
of organization
and structure.
The project is
appropriate and
appealing, and
follows some of
the elements and
principles of
design.

Works Cited
(MLA
FORMAT)

Student does not

provide
references to
photos.

Student provides
some references,
however they are
not properly
cited.

Student provides
references that
are cited,
however some
citations have
mistakes.

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS:

45

TOTAL POINTS ACHIEVED:

_____

FINAL GRADE:

_____

8
attention to
detail.
Student work
shows mastery of
organization and
structure. This
project is
appealing to the
eye, and does a
good job of
following the
elements and
principles of
design.
Student provides
accurate
references and
they are
appropriately
cited.

Explanation of Why this is the Optimal Solution

Throughout this course, we have discussed the importance of teaching visual literacy in
classrooms across the nation. When teaching students to be visually literate, I believe teaching
students how to code an image is just as important as teaching students how to decode and
decipher the message an image is attempting to convey. When creating infographics, students
must understand how the text and images they are utilizing, send a message to the viewer. They
must be able to understand balance, flow, line, shape, and other visual elements and principles of
design (Golombisky, 2013).

MY COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN PLAN: HEALTH SCIENCE

In addition to the importance of visual literacy, teaching coding and decoding, as well as
teaching students how to adhere to the elements and principles of design, I believe the
infographic is the best choice for this project redesign because of the ability to incorporate
technology into the classroom in a meaningful way. Students are able to access online
information and resources to incorporate into their project and they are also able use technology
to create an infographic to convey a message. This is a huge deal for Hart County High School
because of the large push we have faced over the last few years to incorporate technology into
the non technology classrooms; this project will provide students with hands-on technology
training in their Health Science course.
Finally, I believe that this project displays effective multimedia instruction. By providing
students with both text and images, students are able to gain deeper understanding of what is
required of them when completing the project (Mayer, 2008). Also, by encouraging students to
incorporate both text and images into the creation of their infographic, it allows them to gain
deeper understanding of how to effectively reach their audience.
ACRL Visual and Literacy Competency Standards
Standard One
The visually literate student determines the nature and extent of the visual materials needed.
In order to meet this standard, students work with infographic images, and investigate the
usefulness of the format. Students also work to articulate how infographics meet the
elements and principles of design.
Standard Two
The visually literate student finds and accesses needed images and visual media effectively and
efficiently.

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Students meet this standard through researching and locating images and media that will
assist in conveying their message in regards to the illness/disease they are covering in
their infographic.
Standard Three
The visually literate student interprets and analyzes the meanings of images and visual media.
This standard is met in the first day of the project, where students work to interpret the
components of the artifact provided, as well as, as they review other infographics and
determine what works, and what does not work to effectively convey their message.
Standard Four
The visually literate student evaluates images and their sources.
Again, this standard is met as students work to review infographics and the message they
attempt to convey. Students also must evaluate images that they choose to incorporate
into their infographic as they work to code a message for others to decode.
Standard Five
The visually literate student uses images and visual media effectively.
Students demonstrate understanding of this standard through the creation of their
infographic. Guidelines for the project require students to incorporate images
appropriately into their infographic, as well as, incorporating text and helping them meet
Mayers (2008) theory of multimedia instruction.
Standard Six
The visually literate student designs and creates meaningful images and visual media.
This standard is met as students work to create their infographic, while meeting standards
and guidelines.

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Standard Seven
The visually literate student understands many of the ethical, legal, social, and economic issues
surrounding the creation and use of images and visual media, and accesses and uses visual
materials ethically.
This standard is addressed through the review of proper citation of resources. Also, in
order for students to meet this standard, they must meet their specified guideline of
providing proper citations for the images and resources they have used, but have not
created themselves.
Challenges and Application
I really enjoyed working on the creation of this project. I have always found it interesting
to learn about different content areas, and how projects are taught in other classrooms. This
project allowed me to think outside of the box, and gave me the ability to design an interesting
project for students to showcase information they have learned throughout their upper level
Health Science course. I believe that working on this project will help me become more
adventurous when assisting other teachers as they work to incorporate more technology into their
classrooms; having broadened my view of techniques that can be used to incorporate visual
media into the classroom.

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References
Golombisky, K., & Hagen, R. (2013). White space is not your enemy: A beginner's guide to
communicating visually through graphic, web & multimedia design. 2nd edition, Boston,
MA: Focal Press.
Mayer R. E. (2008). Applying the science of learning: Evidence-based principles for the design
on multimedia instruction. American Psychologist, 760 769.