Exploratory visualization of science in an academic context: development of an interface applied to languages

Abstract

This work presents a web-based platform developed as part of the DIAL4U project, funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union. The project aims to assist foreign language teachers during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on designing and deploying a web-based interface for delivering multimodal academic content in foreign language education, emphasizing collaborative knowledge creation. Drawing from Scientific Communication, Data Visualization, and Digital Humanities, this project seeks to create an interactive and multimodal interface to support language educators in adapting their teaching to pandemic scenarios. The platform's concept of data visualization in a hierarchical structure, radial tree layout, as a source of interaction and knowledge discovery enhances user navigation and access to content visually and interactively. The development process involved creating a medium-fidelity prototype, implementing a radial tree data visualization, designing the web page, and integrating content using HTML, CSS, JS, JSON, and the E-charts visualization library. In addition, the DIAL4U project incorporates a curated podcast series and diverse pedagogical resources to engage the audience. The development used User Interface Design and User Experience. The project culminated in a workshop designed for foreign language educators to experience the resource and gain a deeper understanding of the intended user base. The workshop provided an opportunity to get educators' feedback and identify issues for further improvement.