TY - JOUR
T1 - Determining effective distance learning designs through usability testing
AU - Miller-Cochran, Susan K.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the Maricopa Institute for Learning for funding that helped to complete this study. In addition, we would like to thank the Center for Teaching and Learning at Mesa Community College, especially Naomi Story, Ken Costello, and Bob Farwell, for providing materials and space in which to conduct the testing sessions. Finally, we would like to thank Lisa Cahill and Veronica Pantoja for their help with interpreting data and their close reading of earlier versions of this article.
PY - 2006
Y1 - 2006
N2 - To add to the developing understanding of Web-based writing instruction, we conducted usability testing to assess the design of our online first-year composition courses at a large community college in the Southwest. Beyond the course-specific results, this study offers two primary contributions. First, it offers a model for conducting usability testing of Web-based writing classes to diagnose potential design problems in a course. This includes providing an indication of what kinds of results and data teachers should expect to gather, how to interpret that data, where to go for assistance, whom to involve in the testing process, and what to do with the results. Second, this study provides an initial understanding of guidelines for course design using Web-based technologies. These guidelines were developed by examining writing classes in the study and then comparing the results with already established principles of design from usability engineering.
AB - To add to the developing understanding of Web-based writing instruction, we conducted usability testing to assess the design of our online first-year composition courses at a large community college in the Southwest. Beyond the course-specific results, this study offers two primary contributions. First, it offers a model for conducting usability testing of Web-based writing classes to diagnose potential design problems in a course. This includes providing an indication of what kinds of results and data teachers should expect to gather, how to interpret that data, where to go for assistance, whom to involve in the testing process, and what to do with the results. Second, this study provides an initial understanding of guidelines for course design using Web-based technologies. These guidelines were developed by examining writing classes in the study and then comparing the results with already established principles of design from usability engineering.
KW - Community college writing instruction
KW - Course assessment
KW - Course design principles
KW - Course management systems
KW - Usability testing
KW - Web-based distance learning
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U2 - 10.1016/j.compcom.2005.12.002
DO - 10.1016/j.compcom.2005.12.002
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:32144432633
SN - 8755-4615
VL - 23
SP - 91
EP - 107
JO - Computers and Composition
JF - Computers and Composition
IS - 1
ER -