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Cited by 81Science Education and PedagogyVisual and Cognitive Learning ProcessesGenetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Research

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Lighten the Load: Scaffolding Visual Literacy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

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Offerdahl, Erika G., Arneson, Jessie B., Byrne, Nicholas·2017·CBE—Life Sciences Education
DOI 10.1187/cbe.16-06-0193PMC PMC5332056
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Abstract

The development of scientific visual literacy has been identified as critical to the training of tomorrow’s scientists and citizens alike. Within the context of the molecular life sciences in particular, visual representations frequently incorporate various components, such as discipline-specific graphical and diagrammatic features, varied levels of abstraction, and spatial arrangements of visual elements to convey information. Visual literacy is achieved when an individual understands the various ways in which a discipline uses these components to represent a particular way of knowing. Owing to the complex nature of visual representations, the activities through which visual literacy is developed have high cognitive load. Cognitive load can be reduced by first helping students to become fluent with the discrete components of visual representations before asking them to simultaneously integrate these components to extract the intended meaning of a representation. We present a taxonomy for characterizing one component of visual representations—the level of abstraction—as a first step in understanding the opportunities afforded students to develop fluency. Further, we demonstrate how our taxonomy can be used to analyze course assessments and spur discussions regarding the extent to which the development of visual literacy skills is supported by instruction within an undergraduate biochemistry curriculum.

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FIGURE 1. Various semiotic resources, or modes, provide access to different facets of disciplinary ways of knowing. (Adapted from Airey and Linder, 2009.)
FIGURE 1. Various semiotic resources, or modes, provide access to different facets of disciplinary ways of knowing. (Adapted from Airey and Linder, 2009.)CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
FIGURE 2. Three different modes, each representing a different facet of enzyme inhibition: (a) Michaelis–Menten equation expresses initial velocity of enzyme reactions as a function of substrate concentration; (b) Lineweaver–Burk plot of an enzyme in the presence of varying concentration of inhibitor; and (c) schematic representation of competitive enzyme inhibition. (Adapted from Lehninger’s Principles of Biochemistry, 5th ed.)
FIGURE 2. Three different modes, each representing a different facet of enzyme inhibition: (a) Michaelis–Menten equation expresses initial velocity of enzyme reactions as a function of substrate concentration; (b) Lineweaver–Burk plot of an enzyme in the presence of varying concentration of inhibitor; and (c) schematic representation of competitive enzyme inhibition. (Adapted from Lehninger’s Principles of Biochemistry, 5th ed.)CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
FIGURE 3. Example of a single concept (reaction coupling) represented by multiple images with varying levels of abstraction. (Adapted from Lehninger’s Principles of Biochemistry, 5th ed.)
FIGURE 3. Example of a single concept (reaction coupling) represented by multiple images with varying levels of abstraction. (Adapted from Lehninger’s Principles of Biochemistry, 5th ed.)CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
FIGURE 4. Sigmoidal curves are all line graphs and are similar in their level of abstraction, but represent different biochemical phenomena.
FIGURE 4. Sigmoidal curves are all line graphs and are similar in their level of abstraction, but represent different biochemical phenomena.CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
FIGURE 5. Characterization scheme for abstraction in biochemical and molecular biology representations. (a) l-α-Alanine (V8rik, 2007). (Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en.) (b) G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) in membrane (Repapetilto, 2010). (Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en) (c) Michaelis–Menten S P E ES (U+003F, 2011). (Licensed under CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en.) (d) Acetylcholinesterase rainbow (Sussman, 2012). (Licensed under GPL: www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html.) (e) Unspecific PCR (Retama, 2008). (Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.)
FIGURE 5. Characterization scheme for abstraction in biochemical and molecular biology representations. (a) l-α-Alanine (V8rik, 2007). (Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en.) (b) G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) in membrane (Repapetilto, 2010). (Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en) (c) Michaelis–Menten S P E ES (U+003F, 2011). (Licensed under CC0 http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en.) (d) Acetylcholinesterase rainbow (Sussman, 2012). (Licensed under GPL: www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html.) (e) Unspecific PCR (Retama, 2008). (Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.)CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
FIGURE 6. Example of a double coding of multimodal figures. The figure represents ligand binding through the use of both conventional cartoons and schematic representations. DHFR methotrexate inhibitor (Shafee, 2015). (Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.)
FIGURE 6. Example of a double coding of multimodal figures. The figure represents ligand binding through the use of both conventional cartoons and schematic representations. DHFR methotrexate inhibitor (Shafee, 2015). (Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.)CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
FIGURE 7. Sample assessment items containing visual representations with different levels of abstraction: general chemistry (symbolic), introductory biology (schematic), and biochemistry (cartoon).
FIGURE 7. Sample assessment items containing visual representations with different levels of abstraction: general chemistry (symbolic), introductory biology (schematic), and biochemistry (cartoon).CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central
FIGURE 8. Percentage of coded visual assessment items demonstrating each level of abstraction within the specified course. (Bars do not total 100%, as some items were multimodal and were therefore double coded.)
FIGURE 8. Percentage of coded visual assessment items demonstrating each level of abstraction within the specified course. (Bars do not total 100%, as some items were multimodal and were therefore double coded.)CC BY-NC-SA · PubMed Central

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Metadata

Authors
Offerdahl, E. G., Arneson, J. B., & Byrne, N.
Affiliations
  • North Dakota State University (US)
  • Tufts University (US)
Corresponding author
Offerdahl, Erika G.
ORCID
Venue
CBE—Life Sciences Education
Publisher
American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB)
Published
2017-03
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
es1
ISSN
1931-7913 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1187/cbe.16-06-0193
PMC
PMC5332056
OpenAlex
W2581920511
Cited by
81
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 8
FWCI
33.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc-sa
Locations
  • CBE—Life Sciences Education (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Science Foundation (1010619, 1062701)
  • Division of Chemistry
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Science Education and Pedagogy
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Visual and Cognitive Learning Processes
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Research
Keywords
visual literacy, scientific visualization, cognitive load, levels of abstraction, visual representation, biochemistry education, molecular biology education, undergraduate science curriculum, scaffolding
MeSH terms
Literacy, Biochemistry, Curriculum, Educational Measurement, Humans, Learning, Molecular Biology, Students, Molecular Imaging

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Lighten the Load: Scaffolding Visual Literacy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1187/cbe.16-06-0193
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Offerdahl, E. G., Arneson, J. B., & Byrne, N. (2017). Lighten the Load: Scaffolding Visual Literacy in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. CBE—Life Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-06-0193