Navigation is as important as the content itself. Resewarch reflects that in an online enviornment users quickly migrate away to another web site when they can't easily find desired information.
I highly agree that the look and feel of an online classroom play a big role in learning and student success. I can compare this to a student walking into a face to face class where things are clean, easy to find, colorful, decorated, etc versus a classroom that is cluttered, dark, disorganized, noisy, etc. We need a supportive non distracting environment in order to be able to focus on learning and online that means an online classroom that has a sound, solid, creative, and clear look and feel.
PPT slides should only use bullet points. Cluttered information on slides is off-putting!
If the look and feel is not appealing, chances are that the students will not continue on to learn the knowledge and skills contained in the course. So time and effort needs to be put into the course (Navigational simplicity, etc) to ensure that students advance through the course and learn the material.
Joseph,
The bottom line is to educate our students in our classes. It is fun for them to play games and have fun reviewing, but you are right.....we must have knowledge transferred.
Shelly Crider
Douglas,
We have many visual learners. An amazing presentation is very helpful in keeping your students in class.
Shelly Crider
Tom,
oh so true! The platform is the first step in deciding what and what does not go into a course.
Shelly Crider
The look and feel is important but it cannot interfere with the material to be presented. There is a world of difference between a computer science course in advanced object oriented software development and English Comp 101. Logic classes aren't helped by a specific look and feel.
Along with an interesting presentation you always need a good projector and screen so the presentation does "daze 7 amaze"
The look and feel is fine as long as the content of the material is relevant to students. It also depends on the learning management system that is being used. For example when I design a course using open source, the look and feel might not be my top priority. Using multimedia and other interactive media can enhance the look and feel. Thanks, Tom
robert,
I like your analogy! You are so right about store websites. It is easy to exit out of a website that is not easy to figure out!
Shelly Crider
The look and feel of the online course is analogous to the user experience we expect when entering or engaging in any web site. The “look†should have appeal that is appropriate for the target audience and encourage them to interact through specific graphical elements that are strategically placed within the interface. These are referenced as ‘calls to action’. Additionally, the ‘feel’ of the course should be consistent wit the overall message of the college or university.
As we progress into the next phases of online education and we witness larger Ivy league schools employ online delivery of credit-bearing courses, some of the key differentiators with be the content of the class as well as the experience of the user.
I agree that the look and feel of an online course is very important. Just like a store website has to be appealing to the customer, an online course has to be inviting and attract students’ attention. Students can easily loose interest if faced with a dull site.
I use animated clipart in my announcements and have received great feedback from my students about it. Animated images of a checklist, a tip and a live chat invitation have helped me to get my students more engaged.
Lotlamoreng,
This is true. I have seen classes that have lots of bells, but little content. It is nice to have a balance.
Shelly Crider
Raouf ,
Excellent post! I like your detail that you give your students.....and to us!
Shelly Crider
To me, the simpler the better. I have seen very eye-catching online courses, which, unfortunately, were not rich in content. In the end, it was not easy to understand the materials from week to week since they were not aligned with the objectives of the course. I think easy navigability of a course and rich content should be paramount in creating a quality online class.
Lotlamoreng
Hello Shelly and all - This is very important and correct statement. The look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart. Course designer needs to give the students the impression that the course was prepared by individuals who are professional and possess experience in the field. It is very important for the course developer to attract students to the content materials within the course.
When designing an online course, the course developer or the instructor should create an "introduce yourself" discussion board, This allows students to introduce themselves to the instructor and to other students, talk about their experience, and whether they have prior knowledge concerning the learning outcome of the class. It is also important for the course developer to creates a starting up points, which facilitated students understanding about what they expect during the following weeks of the class. A visual calendar of course work and assignments is very important to be communicated by the course developer or by the instructor at the beginning of the course
Mike,
Good point. People have different types of computers and different speeds which could be a pro or con for the student.
Shelly Crider
Dan,
We hope that the student will focus more on content this way.
Shelly Crider
I agree...if the course content is coherent, easy to follow and is aesthetically pleasing, then the learner will experience less difficulty following the lessons. They will typically be more engaged as well.
