Teaching and Learning Technology Resource

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DESCRIPTION OF INNOVATION:

The innovation consists of a choice of two out of three tasks which get students to observe themselves using software. One task is a usability study of GnuPlot - a command driven interface based on the metaphor of drawing on graph paper. The second task requires students to plot their learning curve for undertaking 40 error free trials using an unfamiliar text processor to edit a marked up document. Some students use diaries to help them keep a record of their learning experience. Students are then asked to reflect on the patterns revealed by their learning experience, and in particular to examine how their learning changes from problem-focused learning to procedural learning, and how difficult it can be to explore unfamiliar interfaces.

REASONS FOR DEVELOPMENT/INTRODUCTION OF THE INNOVATION:

To help students understand: that dealing with humans is different from dealing with machines; that some human behaviour can be predictable and systematised; and that the ease or difficulty of learning is related to the design interface.

TEACHING/LEARNING AIMS:

To provide students with a learning experience that would help them to externalise the learning problems associated with using new software, and thus help students appreciate the usability problems of software.

DESIGN PRINCIPLES:

Inclusion of an element of choice to support student motivation. The selection of software that has genuinely not been used before by students and which may also be of some use to them in its own right. Focus more on the learning achieved from experience rather than on structured outcomes, such as producing a 'good' learning curve.

USE:

Used as an assignment at the beginning of the Human Computer Interface second year unit, as an integral part of the course, for a three week period to illustrate to students the construct of usability; to provide a potted tour of cognitive psychology over 1 - 2 lectures; to inform students' understanding of design guidelines and heuristics; and to inform formal methods used later in the unit.

STUDENT SUPPORT:

Software accessible in computer lab at any time, though can also be worked on during supervised set times. Demonstrators provide support in the labs; lecturer is available to answer questions; lecturer brings up relevant issues related to the assignment in the lectures; tutorial time devoted to group work for critiquing usability theory.

ASSESSMENT:

The two tasks chosen by students constitute 20% of the assessment for the unit (10% each). The rest of the assessment consists of 20% for a second assignment and 60% for the exam. The second assignment builds on the first (described above), requiring students to construct a GNUPLOT manual in html for posting on the World Wide Web. Marks are allocated for task analysis, evaluation methodology and results, and web pages' structure and content.

EVALUATION:

Student Perceptions of Teaching (SPOT) surveys (averaging 3.65) and student impressions, indicating that the course is being perceived by students (appropriately) as a theoretically focused course rather than a technologically focused one.

EFFECTIVENESS:

Lower drop out rate and lower failure rate on exams. Students have also remarked that they are exposed to completely new ideas in the unit.

HINDRANCES TO DEVELOPING INNOVATION:

Difficulty in getting course accepted as academically appropriate; finding appropriate software applications for students to use; engaging students in a learning process that is alien to their normal work with programming and formulas; once students engage with usability issues it is harder to move them onto the drier technological content; reluctance on students' part to learn new software when already familiar with other perfectly adequate software.

ENABLERS TO DEVELOPING  INNOVATION:

Everyone can relate to the idea of computer usability; students bring prior knowledge of Java and Windows '95 and NT which they can build on.

COST/BENEFITS:

Not financially worth it, as expensive to run in terms of lecturer's time, but would be more effective if run as a 6 point unit. No-one else has the appropriate skills. Otherwise cheap to mount with not much specialist knowledge needed to support the lab work.

LESSONS LEARNT:

It is possible for students to learn how to introspect and to reflect, and to learn from these processes. Although a focus is on the innovation in teaching, it is important to 'go with the flow' of where the student wants to go; ie important to follow the students' learning processes rather than one's own teaching innovations. Reduce the amount of time you spend on preparing for lectures, eg. Find a textbook that can support the lectures especially with own overheads, and put all your energy into supporting students through tutorials and assignments. This is where the learning takes place.

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visitors since 20/6/97