Using Eye- Tracking and Data Visualization to Enhance the Study of Medieval Manuscripts

Medieval manuscripts are handwritten books produced primarily between the 6th and 16th century, are a rich source of historical, artistic, and cultural information. For modern readers, however, the elements found in these manuscripts are quite challenging to engage with and understand, especially for students being introduced to the material. Among several attempts to enhance manuscript comprehension using technology, eye tracking has recently been explored as a promising way to analyze how individuals navigate manuscript pages. While eye tracking has been used as a means of collecting gaze data from students to improve their reading experience, there are many different methods of data visualization for gaze patterns that have yet to be applied to medieval manuscript viewing. The goal of this study was to improve the engagement of college students with medieval manuscripts by using eye-tracking technology and various data visualization techniques to better understand their viewing patterns. Analyzing students' gaze patterns while viewing manuscript pages can be used to refine how medieval manuscripts are taught and allow students to better understand their own viewing patterns, increasing comprehension and engagement.