Visuals are often used in presenting language concepts with the pedagogical rationale that visual, non-linguistic support can serve to make such concepts comprehensible across linguistic boundaries. Comic books contain conventions related to visual design as well as visual content which, it has been argued, denote durations of narrative time. This paper starts with the proposal that such conventions might be used then to present narrative tenses. However, such a project depends on relative literacy in comic book conventions among language learners. This qualitative research study involved creating a comic book story which integrated comic book conventions to represent certain durations of time to teach different past tenses. The outcome was that only with a small number of conventions was there general agreement on meaning in an experimental group, whereas with other conventions multiple interpretations were provided. Furthermore, with a specific convention which did have agreement, namely frame order, a significant difference existed in understanding the sequence of past perfect and past simple between the experimental group using the comic book and a control group working without visual support. Keywords: comic books, narrative tenses, visual literacy
Developments in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in Higher Education (HE) have sparked debates regarding its potential to enhance teaching, learning, and administrative processes while raising concerns about ethical, pedagogical, and institutional implications. This qualitative case study explored faculty perceptions of GenAI through three focus groups with 17 multidisciplinary faculty members, representing non-users (NU), low-engagement users (LEU), and users (U) of GenAI. Conducted as part of a larger mixed-methods study on GenAI adoption in HE, the study employed visual metaphors and projective techniques to elicit deep-seated attitudes and beliefs that may not surface through traditional research methods. Findings revealed a spectrum of perceptions, ranging from optimism about GenAI’s potential to enhance productivity and creativity to concerns regarding autonomy, cognitive overload, dehumanization, and ethical dilemmas. The study stresses the need for institutional policies that support faculty GenAI literacy, ethical frameworks, and discipline-specific guidance. By leveraging qualitative insights into educators' engagement with GenAI, this research provides evidence-based recommendations for its responsible adoption into HE.
