Jon,
I agree. In an online environment presentation plays a big role. If online classroom or discussion area looks comfortable and is not cluttered I feel the student will be more at ease spend more time on learning and less on trying to figure out what all of clutter is.
--Joe Gilkerson
I think online courses provide much more intellectual interaction.
I agree. It's too easy to become frustrated and quit.
Let's merge the rich content and the simplicity.
I definitely agree that the "look and feel" of an online course is as important as the other aspects of the course. Many online learners still want that "educational" experience that traditional institutions offer, so if instructors can create a course that is user-friendly, as well as a course that gives the student that "connection" to the "classroom," it will be a benefit to the students.
Yes, I believe the online course should have an attractive look and feel, and certainly be easy to navigate. I'm not sure if it is as important as the actual "knowledge or skills it is designed to impart." I think those who enroll in online study should be concerned primarily with the "knowledge," and not be so critical of the "look." Some might tend to blame the interface instead of just making a sincere effort to learn.
In today's society we are inundated with flashy graphics and catchy slogans.... the online classroom should probably steer clear of any such gimmicks etc. Navigational ease is paramount in online learning, so the graphics should help enable this, but not be too distracting.
It also depends on the target age group of the course (some classes for children might look like video games). I do believe that college level and continued education courses for adults need to have the primary focus be on the subject matter.
I currently teach an online class using Moodle. It is rather clunky and laborious. Do you have any suggestions for other formats.
What is the interface used in the MaxKnowledge site? I think it is a great online example!
our university has developed its own interface, but has integrated Adobe Connect for the classroom platform. Works pretty well, but like all systems it will occasionaly hic-cup.
I agree - information presented in an engaging manner will first attract and excite a student to engage in learning a particular topic. From another perspecitve, "look and feel" helps address multiple learning styles in a multi-sensory online manner.
I totally agree. The look and feel is paramount to getting the knowledge and skill across. Its the face of the teacher and their teaching ability. A poorly designed course (website) is like a bad teacher, no matter the degree of interest of the student the teacher/website is the interface to the knowledge being offered.
Poor teaching/usability of an online course will detract from the intellectual interaction.
I would agree to a certain extend, as there are some fields that require hands-on learning and to say the least it is difficult for an online environment to accommodate that.
I think the content is much more important because content is the reason for learning, but at the same time the presentation quality can can either add or detract from the learning mission and impact knowledge retention.
Yes, I would agree. Although students take courses online, they still want to feel that they are in a physical or traditional classroom. Depending on the subject, they are already a little nervous about taking an online class. What ever we as instructors can do to decrease their anxiety, the more relaxed the student will become and the more the student will be able to benefit from the class.
I agree that the look and the feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart because students need to feel comfortable with the layout. That said, they also need to be able to navigate the system with ease.
Relaxing the students is imperative to helping them learn. With the online classes I teach, I use humor as often as possible to relax them.
I agree and definitely the most eloquent course can be poorly taught by an inexperienced professor or vice versa. I like the idea of humor too.
I agree as well - a great instructor can compensate, but why when you can just make it right from the beginning? - Jon
The issue is like any other question of 'design': how inviting the surface presentation is; to what extent it engages with the visitor, drawing him or her further into the 'experience,' and utilizing various sensory channels to accomplish that aim. One can't rely on the student, or 'visitor,' assuming that what the presentation has to offer is worthwhile -- the presentation, through its style, through its design, has to create that impression itself. A barren, ugly, or uninviting 'surface' suggests that there isn't much 'inside'; while a visually stimulating design suggests that something beckons from within.
Robert: I should have read your post before posting my note; precisely what I mean, but with greater detail! Kelly
Your 'objections' are extremely well-taken; one of the issues with the early use of Flash and other multimedia devices for Web sites was that, ultimately, they were so 'hot' as to be distracting. Appealing and interesting is one thing; annoying (music, overladen design, files slow to load) is another.
I agree - it is really helpful if you know this up-front when you are designing. I've seen one class work internationally, or different classes for different areas.
Jon
