Bruce,
I love your example! You are right too, content is the bottom line. Some students are distractable no matter what!
Shelly Crider
I do not believe that the look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart. Content is much more important than the look and feel of the course design-- A classical example is peered review journals versus those from the popular press. However, I would like to argue that a good course design can prevent student distraction. For example, a robust and colorful power point can be more attractive to the student than one that is mere black and white. This can reduce the student distraction (that is, and gain their attention) by allow him/her to read its content. One should be careful to ensure that there is not too much distraction (in the power point) to prevent the learning process. Additionally, look and feel can give the impression of a subject matter expert, which can add some professionalism to the discussion/content.
Allison,
Good point. There are times when we have to break things down into smaller chunks to be able to dissolve.
Shelly Crider
Joan,
That is the bottom line! Students must be engaged to then soak up the knowledge presented.
Shelly Crider
I agree. It seems that even though an online course is two dimensional, the graphics, pictures, verbal interactions via forums and discussion are what will peak the initial interest of the student. Especially with content that is very difficult or intricate, if it is presented in a manner that can break it down into pieces (structural integrity) then students are better able to comprehend and take the information in.
Yes, I agree or it would not engage the student
amanda,
It is easy to soak up information when we are relaxed.
Shelly Crider
Shelly,
Yes the look and feel will help determine how inviting the course is to the student. We need to put them at ease so that they will feel relaxed to learn and ready to gain the knowledge. If the design is to complicated and the student is unable to find items then they will get frustrated and give up. So yes the look and feel is highly important.
Amanda
Kirk,
The bottom line is the content. The content needs to be worthy of the class.
Shelly Crider
Diane,
Frustrated students lead to frustrated instructors which lead to more confused students....and the wheel continues!
Shelly Crider
Well sure it is important as are any first impressions. Not as important as the content/skills to be learned. If the navigation is easy and the process is set up very well for student learning, first impressions will be mostly forgotten.
I agree. It needs to be user-friendly thus attract and maintain the student's interest and attention
I agree ....if a course is not designed with consistency the students' frustration will run high and effect how they interact. I recommend that there should be multiple learning activities to keep the student engaged. I took several courses where there was consistency such as (lecture, power points and forums but the instructor's comments nor content was engaging. I felt lost. I have learned to add areas where the student feels comfortable to ask questions as they would in a classroom.
Diane
Yes, I agree. If the material is bold and exciting, the students want to access it more.
Rick,
Good point. I have seen classes that I have been in that all I did was get to the end.
Shelly Crider
Andrew,
That is oh so true! Even as little things as font and font size make a difference.
Shelly Crider
I believe the course should be intellectually stimulating and to be appealing to the eye, so that the learner is connected to the learning process instead of disconnected by just performing the rituals.
Yes, I do agree. The look and fell of an online course is very important when considering knowledge and skills. I would suggest the we need to have a different look and feel for an core business academic course compared to a culinary online course. Our intentions are the same which is to educate in an online classroom but we will present that in a different way.
Byron
Everything can affect the way you learn. Certain fonts can make someone aggravated as it can make reading the content difficult. Even the ease at which the words and sentences are structured can have a big impact on ones ability to capture a students attention and can greatly affect their retention!
I completely agree, if you are designing a course you need to make sure the materials match up each week. It wouldn't make much sense to discuss non topic content which is not covered in the reading materials and course content.
