A review of diagramming in systems practice and how technologies have supported the teaching and learning of diagramming for systems thinking in practice
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paper_title: Frameworks for understanding diagrams: enriching the debate

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This paper responds to renewed interest in the centuries old question of what is a diagram. Existing status of our understanding of diagrams is seen as unsatisfactory and confusing particularly when responding to problems of accounting for the variety of diagrams, handling change in diagrams in a well formed way, and all of this in the context of semantically mixed diagrams. Existing frameworks (Peirce, Bertin, Engelhardt) for understanding diagrams are discussed and evaluated against these problems. These frameworks are then contrasted for similarities and differences with our proposal which is based on, SySpM, Symbolic and Spatial Mapping. Potential and contributions of the proposed framework are briefly mentioned.
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paper_title: Knowledge Cartography: Software Tools and Mapping Techniques

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Focuses on the process by which manually crafting interactive, hypertextual maps clarifies ones own understanding, communicates it to others, and enables collective intelligence. The authors see mapping software as visual tools for reading and writing in a networked age. In an information ocean, the challenge is to find meaningful patterns around which we can weave plausible narratives. Maps of concepts, discussions and arguments make the connections between ideas tangible - and critically, disputable. With 22 chapters from leading researchers and practitioners (5 of them new for this edition), the reader will find the current state-of-the-art in the field. Part 1 focuses on knowledge maps for learning and teaching in schools and universities, before Part 2 turns to knowledge maps for information analysis and knowledge management in professional communities, but with many cross-cutting themes: reflective practitioners documenting the most effective ways to map conceptual frameworks for evaluating representations real world case studies showing added value for professionals more experimental case studies from research and education visual languages, many of which work on both paper and with software knowledge cartography software, much of it freely available and open source visit the companion website for extra resources: books.kmi.open.ac.uk/knowledge-cartography Knowledge Cartography will be of interest to learners, educators, and researchers in all disciplines, as well as policy analysts, scenario planners, knowledge managers and team facilitators. Practitioners will find new perspectives and tools to expand their repertoire, while researchers will find rich enough conceptual grounding for further scholarship.
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paper_title: Teaching Diagramming at a Distance: Seeing the Human Wood Through the Technological Trees

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The Systems Group at the Open University has always seen diagramming as an essential skill for students to learn and use properly if they are to become effective systems practitioners. However, teaching students at a distance to use diagramming effectively has posed challenges to both Lecturers and Students alike. While we have tried to provide some face-to-face opportunities to help teach this skill we have had to rely heavily on technological means most of the time. This paper reviews the role of diagramming in systems studies generally and specifically in Open University courses and assesses the advantages and disadvantages of the various technological methods used to teach diagramming over 30 years by the Systems Group. In so doing we try to determine how much the technology hinders or helps budding systems practitioners.
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paper_title: Pictorial Illustrations Still Improve Students' Learning from Text

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Research conducted primarily during the 1970s and 1980s supported the assertion that carefully constructed text illustrations generally enhance learners' performance on a variety of text-dependent cognitive outcomes. Research conducted throughout the 1990s still strongly supports that assertion. The more recent research has extended pictures-in-text conclusions to alternative media and technological formats and has begun to explore more systematically the “whys,” “whens,” and “for whoms” of picture facilitation, in addition to the “whethers” and “how muchs.” Consideration is given here to both more and less conventional types of textbook illustration, with several “tenets for teachers” provided in relation to each type.
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paper_title: Effects of a cooperative learning strategy on teaching and learning phases of matter and one-component phase diagrams

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This study aims to determine the effects of cooperative learning (using the jigsaw method) on students' achievement in a general chemistry course. The Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) and Phase Achievement Test (PAT) were used. The questions on the CAT relate to solids, liquids, gases, bonding, matter, and matter states. This test was given to students who were not participating in the study although they had previously taken the course, and had studied the topics listed above. The reliability coefficient for this test was 0.79. The PAT, developed by the author and three chemistry teachers, has four modules; each module consists of four multiple-choice questions. This study included a total of 108 chemistry students in two different classes during the 2004–2005 academic year. One of these classes served as the experimental group (n = 52), which was taught using cooperative learning (jigsaw) methods, while the other class served as the control group (n = 56), which was taught using traditional learning met...
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paper_title: Animated Diagrams: An Investigation into the Cognitive Effects of Using Animation to Illustrate Dynamic Processes

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With increased use of multimedia and computers in education, the use of animation to illustrate dynamics is becoming more commonplace. Previous research suggests that diagrams may reduce cognitive processing as all information is perceptually available, making it more explicit and therefore requiring less inferencing (e.g. Simon and Larkin 1987). Animation, therefore, may be expected to enhance learning, especially when illustrating dynamic processes, as motion is depicted more visually explicitly, thus reducing cognitive processing. However, although animation may increase explicit perceptually available information, it may not automatically improve understanding. Visual explicitness itself does not necessarily guarantee accurate perception of specific information, nor does perception of information guarantee comprehension. Initial studies suggest that certain characteristics of diagrammatic animation have significant effects on cognitive interaction with material and therefore on comprehension. Current computer technology not only enables improved graphical animated illustration, but also provides the facility to physically interact with information on the screen. This in itself may influence the kind of learning that takes place. This paper presents research investigating how different ways of both representing and interacting with animated diagrams influence the kinds of cognitive interactions that may take place.
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paper_title: The Effects of Presentation Mode and Colour in Teaching the Visualisation of Rotation in Diagrams of Molecular Structures.

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Abstract The experiment concerns a teaching method based on the use of overhead‐projection transparencies containing a sequence of diagrams to represent a three‐dimensional structure at different stages during a rotation. When the diagrams were exposed one at a time, or were monochrome, there was no significant learning by a sample of Bahraini students. However, when the transparencies contained multi‐coloured diagrams which were exposed simultaneously or individually in a cumulative manner, there was significant learning.
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paper_title: Learning from maps and diagrams

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This review of learning from maps and diagrams consists of two sections. The first section presents a theoretical framework for learning from maps and diagrams. The case is made that the symbol systems of maps and diagrams are sufficiently similar for them to be considered together. The theoretical framework is built around what is known of pre-attentive and top-down psychological processes. It accounts for the way people discriminate between symbols used in maps and diagrams and how they group them into clusters. The second section comprises a review of psychological and instructional research. This research provides support for a number of hypotheses arising from the theoretical framework. Many of these are based on the notion that maps and diagrams communicate a considerable amount of information by the way in which components are placed relative to each other and to the frame surrounding them. Evidence that configuration and discrimination are fundamental to learning from maps and diagrams is summarized in 10 concluding points.
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paper_title: Pictorial Illustrations Still Improve Students' Learning from Text

paper_content:

Research conducted primarily during the 1970s and 1980s supported the assertion that carefully constructed text illustrations generally enhance learners' performance on a variety of text-dependent cognitive outcomes. Research conducted throughout the 1990s still strongly supports that assertion. The more recent research has extended pictures-in-text conclusions to alternative media and technological formats and has begun to explore more systematically the “whys,” “whens,” and “for whoms” of picture facilitation, in addition to the “whethers” and “how muchs.” Consideration is given here to both more and less conventional types of textbook illustration, with several “tenets for teachers” provided in relation to each type.
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paper_title: Contextual Influences of Maps and Diagrams on Learning

paper_content:

In this study, we examined the influence of graphic patterns and their interpretive context on learning accompanying prose. Subjects examined a graphic figure identified as either a map or a diagram and were instructed either to label its vertices with 12 keywords provided or to simply list them below the figure. Groups practiced performing their specific task from memory and given corrective feedback whereupon the entire procedure was repeated. Subjects then heard a narrated story with a different keyword named every third sentence. Order of appearance by the keywords was either similar to or different than that suggested by the display studied. Memory for both story information and the keywords themselves was tested using constructed response questions and a serial recall task, respectively. Subjects were also asked to rate the usefulness of experimental materials and procedures for learning keywords and story content. Results suggest maps, unlike diagrams, are sequentially encoded and that abstract graphic displays can adopt map-like characteristics as a result of the context in which they are presented. Experimental outcomes are discussed in terms of interpretive frameworks and prior knowledge.
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Title: A Review of Diagramming in Systems Practice and How Technologies Have Supported the Teaching and Learning of Diagramming for Systems Thinking in Practice

Section 1: Introduction
Description 1: Write about the overall aims of the paper and the context of the research conducted at The Open University.

Section 2: The varying use of diagrams in teaching and learning
Description 2: Discuss the historical and varied application of diagrams in the context of education.

Section 3: How technology influences diagramming practice
Description 3: Explain the impact of technological advancements on the creation, sharing, and significance of diagrams in education and professional settings.

Section 4: Working with diagrams in practice
Description 4: Illustrate the practical application of diagrams within systems thinking and the feedback from professionals in the field.

Section 5: Teaching with diagrams
Description 5: Address the role of diagrams in instructional design and their relevance in educational settings.

Section 6: Learning from diagrams
Description 6: Provide insights from studies on how diagrams aid learning and the specific experiences of students learning systems diagramming through different modes.

Section 7: Conclusions
Description 7: Summarize the key findings, emphasizing the importance of diagramming in systems practice and the evolving role of technology in teaching and learning.