Approximately 40% of college students are visual learners, preferring to be taught through pictures, diagrams, flow charts, timelines, films, and demonstrations. Yet marketing instruction remains heavily reliant on presenting content primarily through verbal cues such as written or spoken words. Without visual instruction, some students may be underperforming because of the inconsistency between teachers’ teaching styles and students’ learning styles. Because it has been suggested that some college students learn better from visual stimuli, an improved balance between verbal and visual techniques could offer significant learning benefits. This study investigates the use of visual summaries as an instructional technique for visual learners. Findings reveal that student performance on specific marketing topics and overall course satisfaction can be enhanced by combining visual summaries with more traditional instructional approaches. Pedagogical ideas are provided to help instructors use visual summaries in marketing education.
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