I agree. An online course should have the same value to a student as a course taught the traditional way in a college or university. It may even provide more advantages to a student in terms of time and flexibility, plus learning at one's own pace.
I agree that the look and feel of an online class is just as important as the content.
Learning is difficult enough without having to struggle to navigate the site, or be distracted by too-small font.
I know how frustrated I become when websites I'm using to pay bills or track medical information are poorly designed and slow to load.
I would have misgivings about taking a poorly designed on-line course; it would raise doubts about the college offering such a course. I would question the value and validity of the education I was receiving.
As someone up-thread noted, we are a more visual society/culture. And we spend an inordinate amount of time on the computer/internet to begin with. Having something well-designed and easy to navigate gives a sense of control and confidence to the user.
Anton,
Good points - you need to pick interaction methods that are appropriate for the delivery method.
Jon
I would agree to the statement that the look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart.
You can have the best content ever but if it is not designed with some kind of structure, with a layout that supports the correct learning sequence then the work is for naught.
Being able to access the information in an intuitive fashion for sequencial learning and review can make or break the imparting of knowledge.
I agree. I believe there must be enough interaction as well, to make sure you as a student can understand your progress as well,ie..
Does it cover enough of the info that you might otherwise receive from a classroom enviroment, and/or such experiences that you may gain from that teacher/instructor as well. If this is a part of the criteria for e-learning then I believe it can work very well.
Thank you,
Tony
The look and feel of an online course can stimulate, engage and motivate a student to learn, thus enhancing the learning experience.
Beth,
Good point - its also important to know the audience - 18-25 year olds expect something different than 35 year olds.
Jon
I think as a person that did not grow up with a computer. It is imperative that navigation is simplistic and stimulating to the learner to engage in the information.l
I agree - thanks for sharing! - Jon
Agree, because students should have many resources and not feel alone. They need the flexibility of online, but they want the benefits of face to face, which may not always be the case.
John,
Great points, it needs to be easy to understand and navigate.
Jon
I do agree that the feel is a very important aspect. In some classes where the format uses modules that are not lined up with weekly goals or structure I find students are not happy with the course and reject the content. Customer satisfaction comes from a more user-friendly feel. Happy students stay which impacts retention greatly.
You make a good point. However, based on the demographics of the online student, using a computer can be very difficult.
Many feel they are going to "break" the computer and cannot get passed this to understand the applications and how to use them.
I am not sure how this can be accomplished but I feel the initial online class training should be more intense. At our school, one can move from section to section without developing compentency in navagation of the classroom. So, the students tend to move from subject to subject just to get through the process.
Yes, navigational simplicity is ideal but the complete online experience should be competency based.
I agree that the look and feel of an online course is very important. If the online environment is difficult to navigate and students cannot find the information they need quickly and efficiently, they will get frustrated very quickly. This frustration would impair their ability to learn and create a poor learning environment. Navigational simplicity is necessary for an online environment so that students can concentrate on learning course content, not wasting time searching for information. The look of an online course can be particularly important if the majority of the students taking the class are interested in a career in design and are more of a visual learner. They will be sensitive to the design of the online environment and will react negatively to poor graphic design or misuse of color or other visual elements of the environment.
I agree that tue look and feel of an online course is important. The look and feel are important to the extent that they motivate the student to engage and that it confirms to the student that the course has value to them.
Great - thanks for sharing! - Jon
Michael,
Good points - it is really a balance between learning and appearance.
Best,
Jon
Jon
I would agree with this statement.
Although the knowledge and skills available to an online course are very important, the look and feel of the course may be equally or even more important. The look and feel of the course may influence a student's decision to attempt the course or to complete the course once started. Obviously, students who do not complete the course do not obtain all of the knowledge and skills available in the course.
Becky
I agree that the look and feel of the online course helps the students feel more comfortable; however, I do not believe that the look and feel of the course is as important as the knowledge and skills the instructor works to impart on the students. It has been my experience as a student and instructor that the success or lack thereof of a course is tied directly to the instructor's knowledge and commitment. I believe that these two characteristics are the foundation of a successful course where the look and feel of the course adds the cosmetic homey touches.
I think the "look and feel" is critical to any online course, because a student needs to be able to navigate quickly and easily through each course. So if an online design is bad or difficult, then a student will give up and move on - or worse, just remain in a frustrated state of mind that won't be conducive to learning.
