Eye tracking classroom program takes off at Peking University

Assistant Professor Pu Yan from Peking University has launched a “Data Storytelling” course, teaching students how to transform data-driven insights into effective communication. In this course, Professor Yan used Tobii Pro Spark eye trackers to cultivate students’ professional perspectives and empower them to leverage eye tracking insights in their careers.

The era of big data has created exciting opportunities for scientists, social scientists, and policymakers to explore and understand nature and society. However, practitioners in data science often struggle to translate data-driven insights into powerful storytelling for creating web content, news reports, science briefs, or policy guidelines.

Assistant Professor Yan Pu, from the Department of Information Management at Peking University, specializes in computational social science. She has introduced the “Data Storytelling: Description, Analysis, and Narrative” course for undergraduate students. The course is focused on transforming data-driven insights into effective storytelling, aiming to teach undergraduates how to use big data toolkits to produce informative, effective, and compelling storytelling projects. Professor Yan pioneered the large-scale use of eye tracking technology in university courses in China, by collaborating with Tobii China.

Eye tracking adds a new dimension to data storytelling

In the course, students use eye tracking techniques to evaluate each other’s data storytelling projects, learning to analyze eye tracking data and effectively communicating their findings on audience attention mechanisms. They learn how to collect, analyze, and interpret eye tracking datasets using Tobii Pro Lab software, using Tobii Pro Spark eye trackers to collect audience feedback data on data storytelling projects.

When discussing eye tracking findings, students discovered differences between the attention flows of the data storytelling audience and the key messages authors intended to convey through data infographics. These findings encourage students to reflect on data visualization design and tailor data storytelling messages to their target audience. Moreover, they have learned that eye tracking techniques can be used to explore audience focus and leverage this information when visualizing data, or creating effective communication pieces.

Enriching academic careers with eye tracking expertise

Through collecting and analyzing eye tracking data in the course, students acquire skills to independently design experiments and draw meaningful conclusions based on the eye tracking data.

Many have recognized the unique advantages of eye tracking and have seen the potential of incorporating eye tracking method in future research projects.