The Course Glancer - Leveraging Interactive Visualization for Course Selection

Lifelong learning requires the consistent and continued development of one’s knowledge, skills, competencies. However, due to extensive choice courses offered at today’s institutions higher learning, students face a risk overload in their selection (elective) courses. As current findings literature do not refer student samples educational settings nor they consider use interactive visualization formats, education organizations seems promising way support course that fits needs. All more as previous approaches overcome table-based visualizations or online catalogues primarily aim communicating curricular content structure different university stakeholders, while disregarding students. We thus introduce our work-in-progress on an tool called Course Glancer. The Glancer supports students’ decision-making ability when confronted with variety offers taking electives bachelor’s degree program business administration. provides for gaining overview all available categories, rapidly comparing alternatives. In doing so, it can help clarify preferences finally foster confidence having overlooked important option. This is line Shneiderman’s information-seeking mantra must-have effective cognitive processing: Overview first, zoom filter, then details-on-demand. this connection Norman’s usability principles discoverability, affordances, feedback, constraints, mapping, consistency. An example how we constraints comparison limited juxtaposing two only. functionality considers latest evidence from using eye-tracking studies revealed human beings tend distribute attention unbalanced manner focus mainly options seem most To enrich empirical research overload, plan psychological effects These include subjective, moderating factors (e.g., decision style) behavior-related measures. latter subjective states (choice satisfaction, regret, confidence) behavioral outcomes deferral, option selection). Beyond these, group-related should also be analyzed future research, example, if interacting stimulate information exchange processes within expert groups context accreditation procedures curriculum planning).