I absolutely eel the look and feel of a class matter. Making sure the class is welcoming and that students are comfortable communicating with one another is paramount fro their learning experience. As instructors we want to make sure our student understand the rules on engagement so that we create a foster a "safe' environment to share ideas.
I do believe that the usability and also interface design and tools are crucial to successfully involving students. If the learning management system is cumbersome, difficult to use or navigate, students will often slow their pace and sometimes drop away. Certainly ample technical support and user/student training can help ease the learning curve but ongoing faculty support and tools are also crucial.
Yes I completly agree that the look and feel is equally as in important. A student needs feel that they are aquiring thier education from a trusted source. If the look and feel of the environment is not professional and engaging, then the student will lose that trust in believing what they are learning is lagitament.
@s101crider Absolutely. The students must be excited and compelled to interact with the online learning environment, and important course information and concepts must be presented in such a manner that they are digestable and easily accessible.
@s101crider,
Yes, indeed...I strongly concur. While it may seem superficial, the "look and feel" of the online course is what creates that first impression which is so important to human beings. Thus, this threshold element cannot be overlooked.
Rob
@s101crider
I do agree that the look and feel of an online class is important. I once taught a class wehere I had to write all the questions, assignments, resources in html. The classroom itself was then just a long thread of responses. So boring and confusing. I finally color-coded all of my posts and sent a key to the students so they would be able to find assignments, comments and resources, etc. Today's classrooms are much more sophisticated. The increased use of smart phones and tablets has further impacted how we access classroom material as well.
The easier to navigate and the more clear the area designations, the better students will navigate their classes and therefore they will be more successful. With highly interactive classroom design, students will spend more time -- and again this will increase retention and success.
