Carol,
I agree with your statement about a "hands on" approach. I teach mathematics online and having a section of the class which is interactive is essential. We had a program companion site for our fundamentals class that gave students an explanation of a topic, then an example was worked through, then they were given an exercise to do, which was then evaluated, and if they did it incorrectly, the exercise was done step by step so they could see where they made an error. In this way they had an explanation, a "show me", a "let me try it", and then an assessment of how they did. A student could stay on a topic, getting lots of practice and feedback until they felt comfortable moving on to the next topic. We don't have that program this quarter as the publisher is upgrading their product. I hope we have it back very soon because all the students who've used it, just love it.
Jon:
I agree with your statement.
The "look and feel" can be just as important as course content.
The ability to easily navigate a course is something that, I believe, today's students are looking for. They want a quality education but also want their courses to have the "look and feel" that allows for increased retention and success in the course.
Kim
I agree. I think the look and feel certainly helps to enhance online experience and stimulate end-user state of mind. Certain colors for example are known to make people feel better.
Yes, I agree that the look and feel of the online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart because you really need to keep the attention of the student. The diversity of look for the course is so important so that the student continuely be motivated to participate in the course. When the course looks plain and boring it is very hard for the student to stay interested. Also we are made up of alot of visual learners in our present society. If a product does not catch the eye the sales of said product is not going to be very good. As an instructor in a college I feel that our product is the course and we must continuely strive to make it appealing to the student. Also our student population seems to be very distracted with things and we are in a battle to keep their minds focused.
The first impression is always the most important, even when it comes to online training. If apprehension is the purpose of online training than it is important that the student have confidence in the material being taught. Presentation is really the key to instilling confidence in the material covered, so I would agree that presentation is equally as important as the material covered.
I completely agree because not all students are tech savvy and you need to keep students engaged throughout the course.
Given the conditions under which students have to work on their online courses, the more guidance the better: there's no reason why the design of the course can't be essentially sequential, with each successive task arranged -- successively! That means the student doesn't have to decide whether a quiz, etc., is coming up; it's simply next on the list. Of course, there might be some choice within any given few-day period; but the choices should be limited, so students don't have to 'worry' about what is due next. All that is easy enough in the online, 'interface'-oriented environment.
I completely agree. It is difficult for students to learn when they are too busy and are frustrated from finding the necessary materials to begin learning. While I have seen instructors organize the class materials by type (quizzes, handouts, etc.) I find it easiest to arrange by weeks. (All of the handouts, quizzes, etc. for week 1 are under the category "Week 1", and so on.) That way the student knows quickly and easily everything that is needed to complete each assignment each week.
Overwhelming the student is a relevant point to discuss. Having too little can make the student "feel" alone as well.
This is true to a degree, as the ease of use and connection to the learners is important for engagement. Without engagement the learning event will not be as effective.
I assume you meant the look and feel is the "layout and presentation that is visually appealing" for the learning and that includes navigational simplicity.
Other attributes of what I think is "look and feel" includes that the content is:
- organized logically
- presented in a user friendly way to digest the information in useful chunks,
- easily located with opportunities for further research
- contains a variety of multimedia and interactive content
As technology improves to enhance the learner experience such as 3-D interactive learning (post Second Life), what other technologies or learning strategies can be used to accelerate the learning process through online activities
I agree with that. If the look and feel of an online course is not organized, consistent and intuitive, the course may come across as poorly created and thereby create a sense that it is not very professional, and if students develop that sense, they lose their motivation feeling that this is a just another cheap degree granting mill and not worth spending time to fully participate. They may look to "just get it over" with instead of participating in an engaging manner.
I totally agree. A well-designed classroom also fosters the propensity to stay longer in a virtual classroom. In addition, students tend to find it intellectually stimulating.
My response applies to the online setting. Although logical arrangement of course contents will speed up knowledge acquisition in a traditional face-to-face classroom, the look and feel of course contents, (including the easy of navigation and use of hyperlinks) pertains only to the online setting. In a traditional classroom, the combination of logical arrangement and presentation approach is the key knowledge acquisition effectiveness.
I agree. To be able to see what a learner is required to do to acquire the knowledge and skill in a course, the learner should be able see all sections of the course. This can only be possible if the virtual classroom can be easily navigated. Also, acquisition of knowledge can enhanced if the learning objectives for the course is organized in a logical sequence.
I aggree that the look and feel of an online course is very important. It should include multimedia technologies with very good navigational usage. I belive that it should also go beyond the traditional mode of education and incorporate a structure of modality as well.
Peter
Kelly - Thanks, I'll give the text a look. I'm completely unfamiliar with it.
I agree that the look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills that are being conveyed in that course. It is important that learners feel comfortable within the learning environment and that they are not intimidated by the technology. You do not want the technology to interfer with the transference of knowledge.
Belinda
I agree. In order to make students comfortable, it is important to pay attention to important details such as these. Otherwise, students will not become engaged in the course, and the learning outcomes desired will be much more difficult to achieve, and will thus call into question the overall validity of the approach which the course designer has chosen to take in the completion of his task and the methodology which he has adopted.
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.
I have taught in classrooms where the look and feel (and also the underlying technology) did not support the course. Students participate less, are less inclined to spend time in the classroom and less receptive to information.
A well-designed classroom is intuitive, and, in a subtle way, encourages the students (and instructors) to excel, it models good behavior and a serious approach.
