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Design factors for educationally effective animations and simulations

Journal of Computing in Higher Education volume 21, pages 31–61 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

This paper reviews research on learning from dynamic visual representations and offers principles for the design of animations and simulations that assure their educational effectiveness. In addition to established principles, new and revised design principle are presented that have been derived from recent research. Our review focuses on the visual design and interaction design of these visualizations and presents existing research as well as questions for future inquiry.

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Acknowledgments

The research presented in this paper was supported in part by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), U.S. Department of Education (DoEd) through Grant R305K050140 to New York University, and by Microsoft Research through a grant to the NYU Games for Learning Institute. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of IES, DoEd, or Microsoft, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government or by the Microsoft Corporation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CREATE–Consortium for Research and Evaluation of Advanced Technologies in Education, New York University, 239 Greene St. Suite 300, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Jan L. Plass & Elizabeth O. Hayward

  2. Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, USA

    Bruce D. Homer

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  1. Jan L. Plass
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  2. Bruce D. Homer
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  3. Elizabeth O. Hayward
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Correspondence to Jan L. Plass.

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Plass, J.L., Homer, B.D. & Hayward, E.O. Design factors for educationally effective animations and simulations. J Comput High Educ 21, 31–61 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-009-9011-x

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Keywords

  • Simulation
  • Animation
  • Visualization
  • Design
  • Science
  • Learning
  • Cognition