Visualization Tools for Learning Environment Development

This brief discusses and explains how an educator can use various tools (Use Case, IPO diagrams, flowcharts, entity-relationship diagrams, information mapping) to help visualize how a learning environment will work. Such tools were originally developed for use by software engineers but as the complexity of learning environments has increased with various interfaces and processing, both educators and students have developed a need to understand the design and development of visualization tools. The primary audiences for this text are K-12 and post-secondary educators and instructional designers who want to use tools that will allow them to develop effective learning environments in an efficient manner. Undergraduate and graduate students in an educational technology class can also employ these tools and techniques to develop their own materials.

Joseph J. Frantiska Jr. is a contributing faculty member at Walden University. He has undergraduate degrees in mathematics, business, software engineering and artificial intelligence along with graduate degrees in computer science and business administration. He possesses a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Prior to entering the field of instructional technology, he spent over 25 years in industry as a systems and software engineer with experience in all aspects of the software and system development lifecycles generating more than 20 technical publications. He has taught at the college level for over twenty five years in both educational technology and computer science in both online and face-to-face environments.