Visual Literacy in Bloom: Using Bloom’s Taxonomy to Support Visual Learning Skills

Abstract

Vision and Change identifies science communication as one of the core competencies in undergraduate biology. Visual representations are an integral part of science communication, allowing ideas to be shared among and between scientists and the public. As such, development of scientific visual literacy should be a desired outcome of undergraduate instruction. We developed the Visualization Blooming Tool (VBT), an adaptation of Bloom’s taxonomy specifically focused on visual representations, to aid instructors in designing instruction and assessments to target scientific visual literacy in undergraduate instruction. In this article, we identify the need for the VBT, describe its development, and provide concrete examples of its application to a curriculum redesign effort in undergraduate biochemistry.