Page 163 - Keys To Community College Success

■ Imagery. How does the author use imagery as part of the theme?
■ Theme. What is the goal of the work? What is it trying to communicate?

Visual Aids

Many textbooks on many subjects use visual aids—tables, charts, drawings, maps, and
photographs, for example—to show, clarify, or summarize information. Pay attention
to these visuals as you read; they often contain important information not found else-
where. Visual learners may expecially benefit from information delivered in a format
other than text.
Certain types of visual aids, such as word and data tables, as well as charts and
graphs, are designed to compare information and statistics that show the following
information:

■ Trends over time. For example, the number of computers with Internet connec-
tions per household in 2010 as compared to the number in 2002.
■ Relative rankings. For example, the sizes of the advertising budgets of four major
companies.
■ Distributions. For example, student performance on standardized tests by
geographic area.
■ Cycles. For example, the regular upward and downward movement of the
nation’s economy as defined by periods of prosperity and recession.
Key 5.7 demonstrates the appearance of common types of charts: pie, bar, and line.

Online Materials

Almost any student’s success in college depends on being able to effectively read both
printed and on-screen materials. For some “digital natives” who grew up with technol-
ogy and the Internet, screen reading comes naturally and may even be preferable. Others
may prefer to read printed materials they can hold in their hands and write on. Either
way, you are likely to have to read some material online.
Students have more choices than ever before about how they access reading mate- Reading and Information Literacy
rials. Digital tools for reading include desktop or laptop computers, touch screen
smartphones, and tablets such as the iPad. Many, although not all, reading materials
are available in formats and applications that can be used on these devices. Although
college students are more likely to use digital devices for research and studying than
for reading, a recent survey of students who own digital devices indicated that over
60% had used them to read an electronic textbook at least once, and almost half did
so regularly. 5

KEY 5.7 Charts come in several formats.

Pie chart Bar chart Line chart

125