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What Does UX in Education Look Like? [July 14 2024]
What Does UX in Education Look Like? [July 14 2024]
Additional lens for UX of educational product: learner efficacy (effectiveness of the product in helping students learn)
Tensions on efficiency and effectiveness
Students are masters of efficiency; the problem is that their speed in getting things done may come at the expense of their effectiveness in achieving their long-term learning outcomes.
“Desirable difficulties”is the notion that introducing certain difficulties into the learning process can greatly improve long-term retention of the learned material (Bjork, 1994)
Designing for “desired difficulties”
If we want students to go against their natural tendencies and knowingly increase their effort in the pursuit of learning, designers might think about how to address motivation e.g. through variable rewards, goal-setting, and feedback-driven metacognition.
This chart gives context to the topic performance scores so students can see which behaviours are blocking them from reaching their goals.
Designing for learning
Minimising extraneous load - reducing wasted cognitive effort on material or details that don’t support the learning outcomes
Managing intrinsic load - address the complexity or difficulty inherent to the learning materials
Optimising germane load - focuses on the effort required of learners to actually understand the material (strongly affected by their motivation)
1. Minimising extraneous load
People learn better when extraneous material is excluded.
Tip: reduce, simplify, and clarify
People learn better when there are cues that highlight the organisation of the material.
Tip:
Highlight important words; use animated arrows to point out significant information
Use slides to separate learning sections
People learn better with narration and graphics, as opposed to narration, graphics, and text.
Tip: Try to only include graphics or text, but not both together. Or if they are together, make the text minimal.
People learn better when relevant text and visuals are physically close together.
People learn better when corresponding words and visuals are presented together, rather than successively.
2. Managing intrinsic load
People learn better when a multimedia message is presented in user-paced segments rather than as a continuous unit.
Tip:
Adding next buttons or allowing changing of speed which a video plays
Adding sections (e.g. YouTube video)
People learn more efficiently if they already know some of the basics (e.g. names and characteristics of the main concepts).
Tip:
Create an introductory “guide” or “cheat sheet” for learners to use throughout the course
Create an entire lesson up front dedicated to understanding the basics
People learn better from pictures and spoken words than from pictures and printed words.
Tip:
Limit the amount of text on screen overall.
Rely more on visuals, unless you need to define key terms, list steps, or provide directions.
3. Optimising germane load
People learn better from words and pictures than just words alone.
Tip: Be very thoughtful about image selection -- these images need to enhance or clarify the information.
People learn better from a more informal, conversational voice than an overly formal voice
Tip:
Keep your language simple and casual; avoid jargon, or long, complex words.
Use the first person (you, I, we, our).
Consider your audience demographics and try to match the tone of your voiceover to enhance personalisation.
Humans learn better from a human voice than a computer voice.
People do not necessarily learn better from a talking head video.
Note: Talking heads can provide some value for the instructor by building credibility and trust.
UX Pyramid [June 30 2024]
UX Pyramid [June 30 2024]
Levels 1-3 focuses on user’s capacity to accomplish a desired task: Can they effectively utilize the system to attain a favorable outcome?
Levels 4-6 focus on user’s experiences during product/ service use: Are they enjoying its use? Does it enhance their quality of life?
Link to article here.
Functional (Useful):
Does it serve a clear purpose or solve a problem?
Is it meeting the user’s needs or fulfilling their goals?
Are there any critical functionalities missing or ineffective?
Is it stable and free from errors or crashes?
Reliable:
Does it work consistently and predictably?
Can users trust it to perform as expected in various situations?
Can you trust the data or content used?
Usable:
Is the interface intuitive and easy to understand?
Can users accomplish tasks efficiently and effectively?
Are there any pain points or obstacles hindering smooth interaction?
Convenient:
Does it accommodate users’ preferences and habits?
Is it accessible across different devices or platforms?
Does it minimize user effort without sacrificing functionality?
Pleasurable:
Does it evoke positive emotions or satisfaction in users?
Is the design aesthetically appealing and engaging?
Does it create an enjoyable user experience?
Meaningful:
Does it resonate with the user’s values or beliefs?
Does it create a connection or emotional engagement?
Does it contribute to a deeper sense of purpose or fulfillment?
When Should You Integrate Technology? [June 14 2024]
When Should You Integrate Technology? [June 14 2024]
Have I started with purpose and pedagogy instead of the tech?
What do we want students to think about and learn and what tools can better help us do that? Sometimes, teachers are directed to use a certain tech tool more often, or perhaps they’ve just learned about it in a recent workshop. In this scenario, we often find teachers trying to figure out a way to use that tool without first considering their purpose and it usually feels like trying to fit a circle into a square.
Is this a toy or a tool? Will my students find this tech boring after the initial exposure?
Just because a tool has captured our imagination doesn’t mean it necessarily has a place in our classroom. Beware that myth about how great technology is at engaging students. Yes, new technology can indeed grab the attention of all of us but the novelty can also be quick to wear off.
Will this tech lead to non-productive struggle and frustration?
We want students to struggle productively and frustration can be ok if the work interests them, but we don’t want to lose them because the tool keeps halting their progress (e.g. the technology is glitchy and problematic or too difficult for the students to navigate).
Will all students be able to access and leverage this tech?
Do you have any students whose struggles to use certain technology tools might hinder their learning? That doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t use that particular tool but are there similar tools that might be more accessible? Or are there workarounds or supports you might consider to help them access the learning process? How might you make accommodations that don’t leave students behind?
How long will this tech be relevant and supported?
The speed at which technology evolves is staggering and while it’s unlikely that your tools will be outdated in a lesson or even a year, there are instances where resources go away unexpectedly (or become inaccessible behind a paywall!) Better to be sure before starting than have to devise a workaround.
Is this the best tech to prepare students for the modern world?
We have to be focused on preparing students for the modern world (21CC skills). Whenever possible we want to engage students with technology that is closer to the cutting edge (or simply technology that will still be relevant to them in the future).
How might I combine this tech with other tools to grow learning?
Sometimes we get so focused on new technology that we don’t consider how we might creatively combine it with other tools (digital and analog) to better grow learning. (P.S. not all learning has to be done using tech!)
What will you do when this tech doesn’t work?
“The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Be prepared for the inevitable tech glitches. Do you know the technology well enough to navigate through the glitches? Will you be able to continue with the learning you’d planned without the technology? Are there alternate activities and work your students can do before returning to the planned work later?
Link to article here.
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