User Assumptions

The Money Management unit was designed for high school juniors and seniors who have been identified as having mild/moderate disabilities. The students qualify for special education services because they meet the criteria in one or more of the thirteen categories required to receive services. The majority of the students qualify as students with specific learning disabilities; however, the unit has been designed to meet the needs of all students. Some of the students are also classified as English Language Learners (ELL) in addition to their special education status. They range between fourth and eighth grade reading levels in fluency and comprehension. Participating students have been placed in a transition class because they are on track to graduate with a certificate of completion in lieu of a high school diploma. A certificate of completion is an alternative path for students receiving special education services who are unable to meet the districts requirements for a high school diploma. As part of their special education services, federal and state law require that a transition plan and services be included in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). The purpose of the transition class and curriculum is to help students meet their postsecondary transition goals. The majority of instruction will be in a traditional classroom setting with some components of instruction online.

Graphic Description
Typography The typography images include four words: money, budget, banking, and credit. The lettering in money has a fill of dollar bill images with a dime as the o. Budget has a large B with a belt cinching the middle section to convey the idea of tightening up. The budget image is also colored with black at the top and a reddish tone on bottom. The circular gold lettering of banking is emblematic of a coin being dropped into a piggy bank. Credit is written between two hands shaking with the last couple of letters being squeezed in order to symbolize both the agreement and strain of credit. Students have some background knowledge with regard to the words money and banking, however, budget and credit are relatively new concepts. In her article Visual Literacy in Teaching and Learning, Suzanne Stokes notes because visual literacy precedes verbal literacy in human development, it is the basic literacy in the thought processes that are the foundations for reading and writing (Stokes). Typography helps students to formulate these thought processes and piece concepts together. Each design was chosen for legibility as their intended uses are for headings and to convey meaning. According to Lohr (2008) contrast is created by establishing differences between elements in a visual," (p.221). Contrast helps students to discern between the text and their symbolic representation. Proximity is also used to help establish association between the concept and the word (Lohr, 2008, p. 199).

Shape The shape assignment includes two images. One is a large arrow pointing up and down with interior of the arrow divided into sections that indicate credit ratings (green fades to red as the credit scores go down). The second image is a rectangular chart that reflects the cost of making minimum credit card payments. Because common shapes can be used to organize and unify (Lohr, 2008, pg. 250) the arrow is an effective shape to indicate credit rating scores which range from high to low and good to poor. The rectangle in the minimum payment chart is used to facilitate comparisons. Shape can help viewers bridge the act of physically seeing something with creating an intellectual interpretation of what they are seeing (Felton, 2008, pg 61). Both the arrow and the comparison chart help students to cognitively construct what would otherwise be abstract information. Analyze-Create-Evaluate with Principles-Actions-Tools The ACE it with PAT image consists of a person climbing a ladder with key unit concepts between the rungs (income, budget, savings, financial independence). The person is trying to break free from the chains of credit. Analysis: The purpose of this visual is to help students conceptualize and synthesize the key elements of the unit. The visuals are intended to represent "steps" in personal finances that will lead toward independence. Create: Credit is emphasized as something that can hold a person down, and financial independence as something to move toward. Ideally students will understand that once they begin earning income, people are willing to lend to them, thus increasing debt. Evaluate: While the distinction between good and bad credit is not made, it is preferential to establish financial independence as the more "ideal goal." The students also understand that income should lead to budgeting and saving, and that is what ultimately leads to financial independence. Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity A budgeting worksheet was designed to help students identify and categorize the areas in which they will likely need to allocate income. Contrast: Contrast is created "by establishing differences between elements in a visual." (Lohr, 2008, pg. 203). There is contrast between the colors for income and expenses. The black is intended to represent a positive value and the red a negative to correlate with bank statements (e.g. "in the red" means the account is negative, the red items on the worksheet are those that need to be deducted).

The categories are separated with bold colors so they can be easily identified and grouped according to which expenses fit within each category. Repetition: The colors, formatting, font, etc. are consistent in order to create unity (Lohr, 2008, pg.203). Each item is on one line, a larger font is used for the comprehensive category and a slightly smaller font for the subcategories within each section. Alignment: The expenses are aligned on the far left, while the dollar amount is on the right in order to reflect a bank balance sheet. Lohr (2008) notes that "text should be left-aligned for easier reading (in western cultures)...an instructional benefit of alignment relates to the perception that aligned items are related," (pg. 201). Proximity: Each expense and dollar amount fits onto one line so the relationship can be easily delineated. The worksheet was intentionally limited to one page to reduce confusion from having additional items on multiple pages. Selection Lohr (2008) identifies principles of selection: Concentrated, Concise, and Concrete (the 3 "C's") (pg 102). A pie chart is used to emphasize the budget categories and represent how much should be allocated for each area. Initially the text labels were included within the slices; however, the image became too convoluted so they were put them into a key instead. Icons are used to represent the categories to make them more concrete for students. Because budgets can be complex and have several parts that need to be comprehended, visuals help facilitate knowledge and memory of the components. A strategy that can be used to do this is known as the key word method which helps to represent an interactive relationship between the definition of a word and its concept (Bos & Vaughn, 2006, pg. 320). Color Four images (an eviction notice, a house with a foreclosure sign, a man staring at a bill in front of a large sale sign, and the Wheel of Fortune wheel with bankruptcy in black and white) convey possible money situations that should be avoided. The images were created as an introduction to the unit in order to incite discussion of meaning. Color is used to demonstrate a negative connotation. The red on the "eviction" picture and the typography help students understand that eviction is a bad thing. The white in the foreclosure sign was used to create contrast against the brown, green, blue and black. Lohr (2008) states that "Color facilitates hierarchy through the creation of separate categories or layers of information" (p. 267). While there are several elements to the picture, the white space with the red lettering draw the readers eye to emphasize the purpose of

the picture. Again, the black and white in the "bill" photo help to establish the sense of anxiety that follows overspending. The wheel of fortune was used because it is a familiar image and therefore good for inciting discussion about the meaning of bankruptcy. Organization & Hierarchy A table is used to format the lesson sequence. Some students have accessed lessons online, though not all, and those who have struggle with where to find information. Sometimes several pages need to be opened to access directions, rubrics, learning materials, lessons, etc. Lohr (2008) writes that hierarchy can be created with three steps: chunking information, providing entry points to instruction, and using horizontal and vertical planes (pg 124). The table is intended to resolve some of the issues with accessing lesson materials and progressing through a lesson independently by having the steps clearly listed, the directions for each next to each step and the links associated with that step (e.g. websites, PDF downloads, etc.) next to the correlating task and directions. Although the unit has been designed to be taught in a traditional setting, ideally lesson components that are currently only accessible in the classroom (because of copyright) will be replaced with high quality materials available to the public thereby making the content usable in class and/or online. Color & Space ATM machines can be intimidating and confusing to people who have never used them, particularly those with special needs. A screen by screen representation was developed as part of the banking lesson in which students learn what an ATM is and common ATM prompts. Space was used to separate each of the common screens/prompts students will encounter when using an ATM. Lohr (2008) writes that "space can direct the eye to important information by chunking and separating instructional elements..." (pg 272). The screens are arranged symmetrically from left to right so they were followed intuitively by users. The screens were centered in the page in order to focus viewers attention. The focus of our attention is the figure, and whatever the mind is not focusing on is the ground. Instructional designers need to make the most important information stand out and to reduce the amount of information that memory needs to process. The use of big font, contrasting color, space, and shape are strategies that direct attention to what is important (Huei-Lien Chen, 2004).

Design Process
The Money Management unit begins with budgeting because students must first know how to manage their money before determining where it goes. The second lesson is banking which is included before credit in order to establish a sense of saving and spending within ones means. The unit closes with a lesson on credit so that students complete lessons with an understanding of the benefits and ramifications of good or poor money management, respectively. Lessons were designed based upon stages of learning and processing (inquiry, gathering, processing, and application) (Williams & Dunn, 2008). Each lesson was developed to first promote interest and/or establish relevancy, provide students with the necessary information, help them to understand and then use the information. The lesson navigation follows the same format with the tasks, directions, and relevant links clearly delineated. The table format helps students to navigate through the lesson components in an orderly fashion with all necessary materials readily available. This, in theory, will keep students from having to alternate between various screens and engage in unnecessary processing, thus reducing cognitive load. Students participating in the online version of the lessons will begin on the home screen which includes visual clues to help them identify each lesson. Once they click on the link for the desired lesson there is large, simple text confirming the lesson they have accessed. The objectives are laid out above the tasks so it is clear what students need to know and be able to do. Below the objectives students will view the table of tasks, directions, and links and complete the lessons step-by-step. Unfortunately, not all materials are open and/or accessible to the public due to copyright so some components of each lesson will have to be accessed via the instructor.

References
Bos, C., & Vaughn, S. (2006). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems. Boston: Pearson Education, inc. Felton, P. (2008). Visual literacy, change. (40 ed., Vol. 6, pp. 60-64). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3200/CHNG.40.6.60-64 Huei-Lien Chen, E. (2004). A review of learning theories from visual literacy. Journal of Educational Computing, Design & Online Learning, 5(Fall), 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.uni.edu/chenhaa/research/visual_literacy_final.pdf Lohr, L. (2008). Creating Graphics for Learning and Performance (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Stokes, S. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://ejite.isu.edu/Volume1No1/pdfs/stokes.pdf Williams, R. B., & Dunn, S. (2008). Brain compatible learning for the block. (2nd ed., p. 224). Thousand Oaks: Corwin.