Visual literacy for engineering undergraduates

• Main Author: Pun, Siu Kay.
• Other Authors: School of Art, Design and Media
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2012
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering; DRNTU::Visual arts and music
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/94196; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/7936; http://www.naun.org/journals/educationinformation/2007.htm
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper explores visual literacy and its place in the basic literacy skills required in today’s society. It presents the situation in the Singapore educational system highlighting the reasons for the lack of visual literacy training in the schools. As Singapore moves more into its knowledge-based economy, her previous successful policy in training engineers to meet its industrial needs is being challenged. This paper then studies, based on an elective visual literacy course introduced at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the need for visual literacy training for engineering and business undergraduates. Observations and conclusions are drawn from the results of a survey of the effects of this course on the graduates in their jobs and in their lives.