Usability Issues in Online Courses; User Tests of Web Course Tools

Date

2006-09-13

Author

Gündoğan, Mihraç Banu

Metadata

Show full item record

Item Usage Stats

184
views

0
downloads

In online learning, the learner is responsible for his or her own learning process in a virtual environment. Before learning can take place, the design of the virtual environment is important since the user may face troubles in understanding the interface. Alongside with content development and media selection, usability issues also need to be considered and user tests provide beneficial feedback at the design and development stages.This study aims to draw attention to usability in online learning environments by examining two different web course tools used by two State Universities in Turkey. User tests were conducted to observe usability from the learner’s perspective. Tasks selected cover the common features of both tools; lecture notes, announcements, chat and e-mail. Users, volunteer undergraduate students, from both universities had no experience in online course tools but were computer literate. All users worked with both tools. Usability was observed in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. User satisfaction and learnability were not included. In Turkey, many institutions offer online learning programs but the usability evaluation is a very new concept. This study aims to draw attention to this subject and underline the importance of usability in the development of online learning programs.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/71135

Conference Name

2nd International Open and Distance Learning (IODL) Symposium, 13 - 15 Eylül 2006

Collections

Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Conference / Seminar

Suggestions

OpenMETU
Core

EFL Preservice Teachers’ Online Flipped Task Design and Universal Design for Learning: Towards a More Engaging and Inclusive Learning Environment Kaçar, Işıl Günseli (2021-11-05) Online flipped learning is an innovative pedagogical approach prioritizing an active, dynamic and interactive learning environment for creative learner engagement. The extant literature on flipped classrooms mostly focuses on the impact of flipped learning on student achievement and teachers’ and students’ attitudes towards flipped learning in the tertiary context. However, the flipped task design and the benefits and challenges associated with it have been underexplored. Similar to the flipped learn...
Online collaboration: Collaborative behavior patterns and factors affecting globally distributed team performance Serce, Fatma Cemile; Swigger, Kathleen; Alpaslan, Ferda Nur; Brazile, Robert; Dafoulas, George; Lopez, Victor (2011-01-01) Studying the collaborative behavior of online learning teams and how this behavior is related to communication mode and task type is a complex process. Research about small group learning suggests that a higher percentage of social interactions occur in synchronous rather than asynchronous mode, and that students spend more time in task-oriented interaction in asynchronous discussions than in synchronous mode. This study analyzed the collaborative interaction patterns of global software development learning...
Seize the Moment: Turning Local Contingencies into LearningOpportunities Balıkçı, Gözde; Seferoğlu, Gölge (2019-04-10) Facilitating learning opportunities for learners is a complex task for teachers involving careful decision making skills in the natural flow of the classroom interaction. For pre-service language teachers in their first contact with learners in practice teaching, this task can be even more challenging. While studies on successful language teachers who open up learning opportunities for their learners in classroom interaction might be found in the literature, studies on missed learning opportunities are not ...
Multi-dimensional evaluation of e-learning systems in the higher education context: empirical investigations Köseler, Refika; Özkan Yıldırım, Sevgi; Department of Information Systems (2009) There has been little research on assessment of learning management systems (LMS) within educational organizations as both a web-based learning system for e-learning and as a supportive tool for blended learning environments. This study proposes a conceptual e-learning assessment model, HELAM (Hexagonal e-Learning Assessment Model) suggesting a multi-dimensional approach for LMS evaluation via six dimensions: (1) system quality, (2) service quality, (3) information (content) quality, (4) learner perspective...
Challenges Faced by Adult Learners in Online Distance Education: A Literature Review KARA, MEHMET; Erdogdu, Fatih; Kokoc, Mehmet; Çağıltay, Kürşat (2019-01-01) Although online distance education provides adult learners with an opportunity for life-long learning, there are still factors challenging them to engage in educational processes. The purpose of this study is to explore the challenges faced by adult learners in online distance education through the analysis of the relevant literature. The articles (N=36) published in the key journals in the fields of open and distance education, instructional technology, and adult education were reviewed and analyzed throug...

Citation Formats

M. B. Gündoğan, “Usability Issues in Online Courses; User Tests of Web Course Tools,” presented at the 2nd International Open and Distance Learning (IODL) Symposium, 13 - 15 Eylül 2006, Eskişehir, Türkiye, 2006, Accessed: 00, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/71135.