Mark Woodroffe

Experience with developing multimedia courseware for the World Wide Web

The phenomenal growth of the Internet over the last few years, coupled with the development of various multimedia applications which exploit the Internet presents exciting opportunities for educators. In the context of distance education, the World Wide Web provides a unique challenge as a new delivery mechanism for course material allowing students to take a course (potentially) from anywhere in the world. In this paper, we describe our approach to the development of an Internet-based course designed for distance education. Using this experience, we provide general observations on the opportunities and constraints which the web provides and on the pedagogic issues which arise when using this delivery mechanism.We have found that the process of developing web-based courses is one area which requires careful consideration as technologies and tools for both the authoring and the delivery of courses are evolving so rapidly. We have also found that current tools are severely lacking in a number of important respects?particularly with respect to the design of pedagogically sound courseware.

Interaction factors in software development performance in distributed student teams in computer science

This research in progress paper compares the characteristics of high and low performance distributed student teams doing software development in Computer Science. The distributed student teams were involved in a software development project that was part of a Computer Science course at two universities located in different countries.We developed a set of categories to examine the email communication of distributed student teams. This paper tracks the progression and changes in the categories coded for each teams communication throughout the projects timeline, particularly during key decision periods in the software development cycle.

Designing for the Web

This chapter provides an insight into core design principles and guidelines for the creation of Web site and detailed tips and examples on how to apply these principles and guidelines. The good design of a Web site is essential for its success, as user only needs to select the back button on the browser to leave the site. Thus a designer should create a site that is usable and useful, providing content and functionality that are of value to the users. Content is a critical component of a Web site. If the developer does not provide the information or functionality that the target users want, they may never visit the site again. Most sites need to be updated regularly. The frequency of the update will vary according to the nature of the site Users need to be able to find the information or services they need quickly and easily. The site must allow the users to carry out the tasks they want to perform.

Inspections of the User Interface

This chapter discusses the procedure for heuristic evaluation and also provides several other inspection methods that practitioners can use, either individually or with groups, to eliminate usability defects from their products. The primary goal of a heuristic evaluation is to reveal as many usability or design problems as possible at relatively low cost. The evaluation also aims to train members of the product team to recognize potential usability problems so they can be eliminated earlier in the design process. Theoretically, collating and summarizing data from a heuristic inspection is a relatively simple matter of gathering together the forms that the inspectors have used. There are several benefits of conducting heuristic evaluations and inspections: inspections can sometimes be less expensive than the user observation, during an inspection, inspectors more often than not suggest solutions to the usability defects that they identify, and inspecting the user interface (UI) first can help in revealing a large number of defects. Besides heuristic, other techniques such as guideline reviews, cognitive walkthrough (CW), and peer review can also be used to reveal usability defects.

CHAPTER 9 – Final Preparations for the Evaluation

This chapter discusses important roles, procedures, and documents that developers need before they begin their evaluation session with the participants. For an evaluation process, a developer may be the sole person involved and therefore have to do everything. A developer can also assign different roles to different people. A good facilitator is the key to a good evaluation session. If the participants feel comfortable and welcomed, then they are more likely to relax and comment constructively on the interface. A notemaker can be assigned to make a record of what is happening in the evaluation. Observing a usability evaluation is an excellent way to help stakeholders understand the importance of user-centered design. A meeter and greeter is the person who meets the participants when they arrive for the evaluation, and is generally responsible for all the domestic arrangements The recruiter is the person or organization who finds the participants for the evaluation and who gets permission to go to the participants home or work environment if this is a field study. A developer should also run a pilot test as a way of evaluating session and to help ensure that it will work. It is a process of debugging or testing the evaluation material, the planned time schedule, the suitability of the task descriptions, and the running of the session.

Analysis and Interpretation of User Observation Evaluation Data

This chapter discusses best practices and suggestions for analyzing and interpreting user observation evaluation data. The process of analysis is concerned with turning the evaluation data collected into information from which one can make decisions. There are three steps in the analysis of evaluation: collating the data, summarizing the data, and reviewing the data to identify any usability problems. Quantitative data are more eye-catching for the readers of evaluation report and are often regarded as more objective than qualitative data. Reporting is relatively simple if usability metrics are clearly defined. There are three groups of methods for summarizing quantitative data including tabulations, charts, and rankings, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics such as tests of statistical significance that give the probability that a claim arising from the data can be applied to user population as a whole. On the other hand, quantitative data can reveal the existence of a defect, and perhaps the extent of its impact.