The look and feel of an online course set the tone for participants' level of engagement and hence success. This concept is akin to the physical environment which plays a large role in traditional settings.
Susan
Virginia....these are excellent links! I hope those others view these!
I absolutely agree because if it looks inviting and feels easy to use, it makes for a more user friendly site that the students are more likely to feel comfortable in and will be better able to learn in. A site that is difficult to get around in is very frustrating for students (and faculty) and if they start out frustrated, they usually stay that way!
I recently witnessed a virtual reality training series published by Pearson. In this online course one could create an avatar and choose his/her scrubs, hair color and gender. Inside each hospital room were interactive games, vocabulary games and so forth. http://www.pearsoned.com
Additionally, I went to a workshop by Pat Wolf in Venezuela. She is an expert on brain research and she emphasizes the importance of "affect" or feelings in learning.www.patwolfe.com
Humor and having fun are things I want to integrate into curriculum. Also see Dr.David
Vaillancourt's Math Bee. http://www.nationalmathbee.org/
I agree. The look and feel of a site make it easier to read and navigate. We have all been to sites which immediately turn us off, thus we leave the site without bothering to read the content.
In terms of first impressions and even student retention, I believe the look and feel of an online course is very important. Like many have already said, if the course is not easy to navigate or it isn't appealing, the students may quickly lose interest and it may even compell them to drop the course entirely.
However, in the long run, I think the content that the students learn is far more important than how the classroom was set up. I've gone to school both on-ground and online, and what I've learned has definitely exceeded how I felt about the environment in which I was learning.
Yes, I would add tutorials. I teach mathematics. I feel a set of guided practice problems are well worth the student's time to follow both in the classroom setting and online. In the class, we are building the in class guided practice has been translated to the online setting.
Would you add tutorials in the class?
It is as important in that if the course is unappealing or difficult to navigate, the student may disengage and not learn the content. Ultimately, the course content is the most important aspect of the course.
I've had interaction with several different discussion board forums. The ease in which students can see and respond to posts definitely impacts how much they engage with me as the instructor and with their peers.
I agree. Navigational simplicity structure in a well formed learning management system is critical for student success. Knowing what each link represents from course content, syllabus, discussion forum, assignments, email, etc. which is organized to help students to navigate to success in the course.
Michael Haws
I agree. If the online class is confusing or very hard to understand the flow, the students will not be as inclined to follow through with the class. It is especially important for those who are not as computer literate. If they already have concerns about taking classes online, the look and feel of the class could easily dissuade them from completing the course.
For many students the next online course they take will be the first online course they take so the look and feel of the classroom and the course certainly makes a significant difference and can have an impact on them.
It is important that a student can go into an online course and quickly know what they need to know and do and how to complete everything. Its not beneficial if students have to spend a lot of their studies time figuring out how to communicate, how to navigate around the classroom, and what to do.
I agree that the look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart. A poorly designed course can be difficult to navigate and follow. The student can spend a lot of time and energy focusing on locating information instead of learning the material. This difficulty may lead the student to abandon the course if they do not have the time to spend searching for the material then studying it based on a work schedule. A standard template for courses should be set by the institution. Each student accessing an online course at that institution will have the same expectation in terms of look and feel. I will have this expectation with future classes here.
I agree with you. It is hard to figure out how to fit all learning styles into an online course.
The look and feel of an online course plays a big part in the success of students. If students struggle to find the information they need they may stop looking and not learn what they are supposed to learn. Students also need to feel like it is still an academic environment in order to feel as though they are getting their academic needs met.
I agree with you up to a point. I am trying to figure out how the virtual classroom can be organized to fit all seven types of learners. What confuses me and has me concerned about your post is the kinesthetic learners. How do you arrange a virtual classroom around them? I think the best we can do as instructors is to not necessarily provide an enviroment (comptuer system) to fit all learners but to provide all learners activities/assignments that best fit their needs.
I completely agree with your statement. However, I think that the concept also applies to non-virtual classes. Take elementary students for example. If the classroom is not engaging at the first of the year when they walk into the classroom do you think that school will be considered "fun?" The same basic concept applies to online courses. If the students cannot find anything at the beginning of a quarter when exploring the classroom do you think that they will be engaged in the class? No! Students need to feel comfortable in what/where they are or the class is automatically going to become a challenge and not engaging at all.
David, you bring up a great point. The students have to be comfortable with the way the material is presented so they can easily navigate around the "classroom". But, if the instructor does not reply to emails or provide timely feedback then the look and feel of the course will become less important.
Carol, thank you for the examples. I teach accounting and making the online course more interactive would really help the students.
I agree. Once you enter the online course you are entering the "classroom". If we compare the online classroom to the traditional classroom, we want each to have a look and feel that makes us comfortable.
