In most disciplines, students learn how to communicate using a mix of text, tables, and figures—how their instructors were taught to communicate. But today, complex infographics are among the most powerful means of communicating the significance of information. They take brute data, distill it down to its significance, and convey that significance through visuals that capture the reader’s imagination. Our eyes tend to gravitate to the infographics in articles first, and thus infographic assignments train students to not only look for the significance in information but also communicate that significance in a persuasive way. This is a skill that can serve students in their professional lives as well as in their roles as citizens.
