The study investigated the impact of a graphical redesign on student engagement, perceptions, and performance in an online Psychology course. Although there were minimal differences in engagement measures and overall grades, students overwhelmingly perceived the graphics as enhancing engagement, clarity, and learning. The findings offer insights for educators and designers.

The purpose of this research study was to examine the graphical redesign of an online Psychology course and determine the impact of that redesign on student engagement in the course, students’ perceptions of the course and their perceptions of the impact of the redesign elements on their learning. It also examined whether this redesign impacted students’ performance in the course. The results from this study could provide insights for instructors, instructional designers, and graphic designers on how the inclusion of such graphics affects student engagement and learning. In addition, how the students view their own engagement and learning with the addition of purposeful graphics can impact their interaction with and attitudes toward the course and instructor. Research has shown that there is a significant relationship between course structure and perceived student learning (Gray & DiLoreto, 2016). Student perceptions of learning achievement and their achievement has a positive correlation (Kuhn & Rundle-Thiele, 2009). This positive correlation exists even when studies have shown that students often overestimate their own perception of their achievement compared to their performance (Clayson, 2005). While the results showed very few significant differences in the engagement measures used in this study or the students’ overall grades, the students’ perception of the impact of the graphics used in the redesign was overwhelmingly positive with the majority of students stating that they felt that the graphics and multimedia made the course more engaging, that action icons helped organize the course information and made directions more clear, and that UCF branded graphics made them feel more connected to the university.