Effective pedagogy has long been grounded in established methods of content delivery, active learning, and assessment. However, there's a noticeable gap in the literature regarding the role of data visualization and aesthetics in supporting and enhancing these teaching strategies. As digital literacy becomes increasingly important in higher education, traditional presentation tools like static PowerPoint slides and insignificant transitions are no longer sufficient to engage students or support meaningful learning. Today’s learners, accustomed to the dynamic visual storytelling of YouTube, TikTok, and other media-rich platforms, require more engaging and visually intuitive content to foster comprehension and retention. This presentation investigates the integration of data visualization techniques with deliberate aesthetic design as a means of addressing a significant gap in current pedagogical practices, thereby enhancing both the delivery and comprehension of course material. To this end, I introduced a novel module within my graduate-level music theory pedagogy course, aimed at demonstrating how the design of visually compelling interfaces (through tools such as Adobe apps, PowerPoint, Keynote, and other advanced presentation software) transcends basic aesthetic considerations to transform passive learning into active engagement. Furthermore, the paper presents examples of how students applied the principles from the module to refine their own teaching strategies in subsequent semesters, illustrating the broader pedagogical impact of these approaches.

Authors:
Richard Desinord, Georgetown University, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Richard Desinord is an Assistant Professor of Music at Georgetown University. His research interests include gospel and R&B, pedagogy, and the visualization of music theory. He's completing a monograph that examines harmonic functions in gospel.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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