Redefining visual literacy in an era of visual overload: The use of reflective visual journals to expand students’ visual thinking

In an era in which “all media are mixed media” (Mitchell, 2002), visual information is central interpersonal and mass communication. Despite this daily consumption of information, “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001) not prepared to critically engage with images (Brumberger, 2016). Scholars the field literacy identified a curricular bias towards written texts (Elkins, 2007), need for more training higher education (Metros & Woolsey, 2006). However, discussion dominated by studies that measure teaching strategies (Bowen, 2017; Johnston et al. 2017) but rarely discuss meaning from student perspective. Visual reflection learning experience involves reading, writing, thinking, feeling through images. This study investigates undergraduate students’ class phenomenographic approach 29 journals thematic analysis 9 semi-structured interviews students. The objective discussing potential contribution multimodal literacies. contends promotion needs be systematically implemented all fields engaged knowledge production as enhances academic learning, fosters literacies, promotes visualization knowledge.