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.
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 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
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 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.
Tom,
oh so true! The platform is the first step in deciding what and what does not go into a course.
Shelly Crider
Douglas,
We have many visual learners. An amazing presentation is very helpful in keeping your students in class.
Shelly Crider
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
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.
PPT slides should only use bullet points. Cluttered information on slides is off-putting!
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.
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 agree that the look and feel of the course is very important because it sets that first imppression. You want students to be encouraged and energized and this is an important way to make the course look appealing.
I agree. The course content should be inviting to the students. It should be clear in its formatting so content can be easily located but the content should also be presented in a fun and interactive way. Audio and video is important to retain attention and even Flash type games can be used to offer information in a dynamic way for example.
Agreed George. There is nothing more frustrating for students to have the willingness to learn but not be able to find the content they need. If they first have to find help via their instructors, tech support or student advisors it is possible that an opportunity of learning has been wasted. We don't want students to experience a drop in motivation as a result.
I think voice PowerPoints are great as long as you have written notes for them as well. We are trying to appeal to different learning styles, so voice only does not help the linguistic learner very much.
Grace,
If we as instructors or developers create a class like we want students to work, then we do need to take time and create a class that is a well developed class.
Shelly Crider
Grace,
True, too much info and students will move on to the next slide, or skip right to the next task.
Shelly Crider
George,
We do live in an instant world. If we cannot find what we want in the first few tries, we will just move on.
Shelly Crider
Kenneth,
First impressions are everything....not just in online learning....but in life itself! Nice to push this on to the students as well.
Shelly Crider
