Yes, like a messy office or bedroom, it can instill an amount of "noise" to the learned that decreases their success in learning. I realize that there will always be some amount of confusion (less instructor interaction) but I think a well planned and well executed course (and syllabus) can be the first step in a successful online career. Especially for introductory courses...
The look and feel on an online course is extremely important because students and instructors both need to be able to navigate it with relative ease in order to find important information that is relevant to the course.
It is very frustrating when it is difficult or challenging for students or instructors to follow instructions and to truly understand various assignments and their requirements.
Quite often, the design of many online courses is not user friendly and although the students and instructors may be highly competent and motivated, poor navigational design can diminish the motivation of either a student or the instructor.
I agree with the following: the look an feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart. I think the look and feel of an online course determine how successful the course will be. If the information is hard to find or the course is not user friendly, then the students will not be able to gain that knowledge you wish them to.
Alan,
I have to agree with Shelly, your game analogy is an apt one. We have to consider who the new online student is and what their frame of reference is. Some of our students were born into the trial that is the technological crucible - they are constantly connected 24 hours a day. They can learn one interface just as easily and quickly as another - they are unfazed by change.
While others stumble over every little hiccup and become completely demoralized and give up. Your standardization idea is a good one because it would in effect level the playing field.
I would wholeheartedly agree that the look and feel of an online course is just as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart.
From a design standpoint the online classroom has to have an aesthetic appeal along with uncluttered navigation. Just as any other website/user interface has to appeal to its core users so does the online classroom. On a basic level the look of the classroom represents to the student the quality of learning that will take place.
Now, when considering the feel of the classroom - the navigability of the online platform is essential. The students must feel as if the classroom is easy to navigate or they won’t participate. If students fail to participate in the class then it doesn’t matter how stellar the quality of the education.
So in short, the look and feel of an online course is just as important as the knowledge and skills because it is another step toward making education more accessible.
Online instruction can be a bit challenging at times. The look and feel of an online course can have a direct impact on the success of the student. Knowledge and skills are important but students need to attain that comfortable interaction while remaining engaged in the classroom. The setup of your online classroom can help facilitate this need for the students.
I believe the look is very important. As far as feel, it would fall under navigational simplicity, which is a given. But more to the point of the feel, I believe our society as a whole is very visually motivated. If a student is looking at a mundane, boring setup on a website, their attention will not be kept for long. On the other hand, a visually interesting website generally retains them. I also believe it is a balancing act. In other words, we must be careful as to not make it too visually stimulating, i.e., too much information. Most people do not like to look at confusing websites. Simplicity is key while still being visually interesting. A delicate balancing act.
Christopher,
Good point.....the syllabus is our guideline for our classes!
Shelly Crider
Dmitriy,
I hear you speaking orgainzation here!! Yes, we definately need organization in our classes.
Shelly Crider
Fialishia,
I, too, am familiar with the ADDIE process and like it very much!
Shelly Crider
Yes, James. it is a problem of our times: students know technology must better then learning. Technology is of course important but it is a tool not the purpose of academic world. I think that there is an overall stress on the importance of technological knowledge much then the actual respect for knowledge. Why for example programmers make twice as much as educators? What kind of knowledge do they have? How to click the right buttons in the right time?
Yes,
Eric the design of the course is absolutely crucial in the online learning environment. Students need to have a clear idea of the course objectives and purposes in order to succeed.
I agree how a course appears and the ease with which a student is able to access information has a great deal to do with student satisfaction and success with a course. Having had first hand experience with online learning through several universities I can truthfully say the courses which were designed for ease of navigation, provided the information necessary and were visually appealing are the classes I felt provided the best opportunity for success as well as providing the information promised in the syllabus.
Yes, I totally agree with this notion. For online course to be the most efficient some strategies must be utilized in order to increase the efficiency of a learner and facilitator. There are many things but some of them include the following:
Consider how students will get ready for your course. For instance, in many programs it is customary to email students an introduction and key information before the official course start.
Create a clear starting point for your course. You might, for instance, create a heading at the top of your course menu and put key course start-up information in that section. This can include a welcome message, technology requirements for the course along with key dates, instructions on reviewing the syllabus, and books to order.
Create an "introduce yourself" discussion board, blog or wiki due in the first few days of the course. This lets you see who has made it to your course. It also begins a process of student communication that can continue throughout the course.
Organize the course menu with meaningful names and clear, logical order for all menu items. In an online course, the menu is very often designed by week. So all materials for Week 1 go there, Week 2, Week 3, etc. You delete or change any of the default menu items in Blackboard and give them more descriptive and meaningful names by which to students. Create Dividers or Sub headers to segment the menu, if appropriate.
Sabahudin, what are some of the software tools that you use to develop online courses? I've used Lectora before, however, I'm also working on Articulate as an option.
Fialishia
Lyn, yes - I too believe that its "our job" to keep students motivated and interested in the material we teach. Presentation really is everything and it goes a long way in how Learners retain the information we present. For example, something as simple as the colors or font size we choose to use can have a positive or negative impact on the student's perception of the lesson being taught.
Fialishia
QUESTION: The look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.
ANSWER: Absolutely! I definitely agree that the look & feel of an online course is just as important. In my opinion, if the online course is not well designed and organized in the first place, students will not be motivated to work through the content or knowledge that is being presented. For example, if the overall design is confusing and the navigation structure is not intuitive or maybe the audio sync is off a bit--this can be very distracting to the Learner. As a result, the course is never completed successfully. One of the tools I like to use when designing an online course is to utilize the ADDIE process. This basically walks you through Analysis of the Learner Profile and course requirements & objectives, Design & Development of the course, and Implementation/Testing & Evaluation. I believe that all Instructional Designers should have a methodology for creating online courses. Otherwise, the design (plus overall look & feel) can definitely suffer and have a negative impact on Learners.
Fialishia O'Loughlin
Nancy,
We most certainly are! That is why so many food commercials are shown during family hour!!
Shelly Crider
We are a visual species. We humans can be easily manipulated by what we "see." Marketing and advertising are multi-billion dollar businesses for this reason. What we perceive through our eyes has the most influence of all our senses. What we "see" and ultimately perceive is directly imprinted on our brain either negatively or positively often lasting a life time (Davis & , 2008). Creating visually appealing online courses must be a priority.
I'm an artist and designer with a Master's Degree in Visual Studies. Designing visual communications that are eye-catching, visually stimulating and engaging and contextually effective must be the objective of any project, including the look and feel of online format.
I've taken several courses online and find myself wondering what the designers were thinking...or not. In many cases, the courses did not look to be created by experts in the field of graphic design as the overall composition of various pages was lacking in both visual and aesthetic appeal.
Two of the four major qualities of an online course are "Structural Integrity" and "Learner-Centered Learning." The way in which to keep a attention in any situation is to use basic design principles that not only get the viewer's attention (after all, as e-learners we are all viewers) but engage that attention long enough to maintain interest, hence "Intellectual Interaction." If it doesn't look and feel right based on the tried and true principles of aesthetic design, keeping viewer interest will be a challenge and may result in an unsuccessful course.
Davis, B., & (2008). Visual stimulation in your accelerated learning environment . Retrieved from http://www.acceleratedlearningmethods.com/visual-stimulation.html
Ronda,
Frustrating the student can lead to frustrated instructors as students will give up or give a bad review!
Shelly Crider
