Vanessa L. Peters
ABSTRACT
We report the results of usability testing on a professional modeling tool designed to support students' learning about climate change impacts. Using a questionnaire and test responses as data sources, we evaluated the efficacy of an interactive map activity that was completed by 84 middle school students. An analysis of the data showed that students had difficulties manipulating simple data overlays when answering questions about tree distributions with the model. The findings from this study have implications for researchers who wish to design interactive map-based activities for science education, and for technology developers seeking to improve the usability of complex learning environments for middle school students.
- Crowther, M. S., Keller, C. C., Waddoups, G. L. 2004. Improving the quality and effectiveness of computer-mediated instruction through usability evaluations. British Journal of Educational Technology, 35(3), 289--303.Google Scholar
Cross Ref
- Genov, A., Keavney, M., and Zazelenchuk, T. 2009. Usability testing with real data. Journal of Usability Studies, 4(2), 85--92.Google ScholarDigital Library
- Hix, D., and Hartson, H. R. 1993. Developing user interfaces: Ensuring usability through product and process. New York, NY: John Wiley. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Nielsen, J. 1993. Usability Engineering. San Francisco, CA: Morgan Kaufmann. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Nielsen, J. 2001. Usability Metrics. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox. Retrieved October 16, 2010, from: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010121.htmlGoogle Scholar
- Nielsen, J. 2003. Usability 101: An Introduction to Usability. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox. Base article retrieved November 2, 2010, from: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030825.htmlGoogle Scholar
- Nielsen, J. 2010. Children's Websites: Usability Issues in Designing for Kids. Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox. Article retrieved November 2, 2010, from: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/children.htmlGoogle Scholar
- Johnson, R. R., Salvo, M. J., and Zoetewey, M W. 2007. User-centered technology in participatory culture: Two decades "Beyond a narrow conception of usability testing". Proceedings of the IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 50(4), 320--332.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Poore-Pariseau, C. 2010. Online learning: Designing for all users. Journal of Usability Studies, 5(4), 147--156. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Seo, Y. J., and Woo, H. 2010. The identification, implementation, and evaluation of critical user interface design features of computer-assisted instruction programs in mathematics for students with learning disabilities. Computers and Education, 55, 363--377. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Shneiderman, B. 1998. Designing the user interface: Strategies for effective human-computer interaction (3rd ed.). Menlo Park, CA: Addison Wesley. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Shapiro, A. M. 2008. Hypermedia design as learner scaffolding. Educational Technology Research and Development, 56, 56--29.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Sullivan, P. 1989. Beyond a narrow conception of usability testing. iEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 32, 256--264.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Evaluating the usability of an interactive map activity for climate change education
Recommendations
Developing an informal science education activity based on edmodo
ICEMT '17: Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Education and Multimedia TechnologyWith the fast development of science and technology, science education is becoming more and more important. However, traditional science education methods are not effective and seems to decline interest among young people for science study. This paper ...
Pedagogical adoption of SVVR in formal education: Design-based research on the development of teacher-facilitated tactics for supporting immersive and interactive virtual inquiry fieldwork-based learning
AbstractAlthough spherical video-based virtual reality (SVVR) has gained attention as an effective tool for technology-enhanced learning, little research has been conducted on its integration in formal education settings and the role of teachers in ...
Highlights- Research on the integration of SVVR into formal education and the pedagogical role of teachers therein is in its infancy.
- This DBR formulated apt pedagogic tactics for scaffolding students in SVVR-supported inquiry fieldwork-based ...
Guiding Students to Discover CS Concepts and Develop Process Skills using POGIL (Abstract Only)
SIGCSE '16: Proceedings of the 47th ACM Technical Symposium on Computing Science EducationThis workshop is for anyone who teaches CS, and introduces process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) in computer science. In a POGIL classroom, teams of 3-5 learners work on activities with active facilitation by the teacher. Through scripted ...
Comments