Writing Captions for Images

When assignments require students to include one or more images, it is important to use the images selected by the student as indicators of the student’s understanding of the content.  Each image must add to the understanding of the topic, not simply serve as an image for the sake of an image, or appear as an afterthought.   A properly written caption for each image serves as an indicator of how and why the image was selected.  All captions must include at least 4 of the 6 basics: who, what, when, where, how, and why, and they must be brief; a maximum of two sentences.  This also requires the student to write concisely.  Students should search and evaluate images with this caption in mind.  Knowing how they will use and, through the caption, justify its use, the searching and selecting process is elevated to an evaluation exercise.