more effective elements

Boerner, et. al. (APU):More Effective Web Page Elements

Syllabus 2000July (2000)

Copyright©2000 — G.L. Boerner, et. al. — All Rights Reserved 1

More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support

Gerald Boerner, Grace BoernerDavid McGill, Patricia Skalnik &

Paul VerdugoAzusa Pacific University

Syllabus 2000 Conference

Copyright©2000 • G.L. Boerner, et. al. • All Rights Reserved

Questions to Ponder about Effective Sites

A number of serious questions need to be addressed by any instructional

support web site…

July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 3

Think about These Issues…

n What organizational objectives and resources are available on the site?

n What do you want the site to do (short & long term) for the class?

n Who is your intended audience for this class web site? Can the audience be segmented? If so, how?


Think about These Issues… (Cont’d)

n Review other web sites. What do you like/dislike about other sites? What would your audience(s) like/dislike?

n What is your vision of the web site? How would it “feel” (aesthetics)?



n What content and functionality will the site contain? How will users find information on the site — organization, navigation, labeling, searching systems?

n How will you monitor and maintain the site? How often will this be done?



n Is the site “professional” looking?n Are your audiences returning? How will

you know?n Did you copyright your ideas?

(The above questions are contributed by Dr. Patricia Skalnik , School of Business, Azusa Pacific University)




M.A.P. for Effective Web Page Elements

We must consider the following context for determining whether a

web page element is effective or not…


Basic Rules of Web Page Design

n Rule #1:u The purpose of having your Web site is the

foundation for all your design decisions on content and design

n Rule #2:u Your audience’s wants and needs come first,

yours come second! Usability is #1!


MAP out your Web site

n Messageu What is the message you wish to convey

through your web page or web site?n Audience

u Who is your intended audience? What are their characteristics — both demographic and psychographic?

n Purposeu What is the purpose of having a web page or

a web site?

Top 10 “Pet Peeves” of Web Site Users

Let’s proceed to examine what “bugs” web users and how we can

address these issues…


Before we start…

n Excellent References on Web Site Effectiveness…u Fleming (1998) Web Navigation: Designing

the User Experience. O’Reilly [15659-23510]

u Nielsen (1999) Designing Web Usability. New Riders Publishing [15620-5810X]

u Rosenfeld & Morville (1998) Information Architecture for the World Wide Web . O’Reilly [15659-22824]


Other References…

n Web Sitesu Jakob Nielsen’s AlertBox (ZDNet) —

http://www.zdnet.com/devhead/alertbox/index.htmlThis is an all-around good site for web design issues…

n Our Articleu Boerner, et. al. “Elements of Effective Web

Pages,” Syllabus Magazine, April, 2000.





The Approach to our Analysis

n The following “Top 10” List will present key user “pet peeves” in the order of importance, stressing:u What DON’T users like…

u What can be done to remedy the problem with the web site, and

u Examples of the principle, with a focus on GOOD examples!


Confusing Web Site Organization

n If the web site developer does not understand the structure of their information, how can the user?

n Decisions:u Breadth vs. Depth

u Logical Grouping vs. Flat Structureu “Chunking” (Short Pages) vs. Articles

u Static vs. Dynamic Web Pages

1


Difficulty in Navigating the Web Site

n Can the user FIND appropriate information on your web site?

n Decisions:u Uniformity vs. Uniqueness

u Logical Navigation arises from a logical Web Structure

u Is the site “Bobby” (ADA) compliant?

u KISS Principle!

2


Poor Graphic & Layout Design

n Does the site use good graphic and layout design, or is it just “flashy”?

n Decisions:u Color scheme, typography, etc.

u Maintaining graphic “integrity”u Consistency on element placement

u Compatible with the user’s visual tendencies!

3


Inappropriate Content for Audience

n Does your site “reach” your intended audience(s)?

n Content is irrelevant if the user doesn’t stay on the page

n Decisions:u What is “tone” of the site?u How will multiple audiences respond?

u How can the site “shape” behaviors?

4


Lack of Attention to Details

n Mechanics, mechanics, etc.n Academic sites MUST model good

use of language, spelling, grammar, etc.

n Decisions:u Language of the user (English vs. ??)u Globalization of site…

u Display & Browser issues

5





Lack of Content Currency

n The core of an class support web site!

n Must be revised or it becomes irrelevant…

n Decisions:u How maintained (FP2K, HTML, etc.)u Limited access to class members

u Timeliness of content for discipline…

6


Broken or Inappropriate Links

n The constant problem with web sites — external sites change & so must your links!

n Decisions:u How do you check your links?

u How often do you check links?u Maintaining vigilance on external

content

u Content becomes out-of-date

7


Gratuitous Use of “Bells & Whistles”

n Remember, animation is a “pre-potent” web page element!

n Animation and activity is, by itself, neutral; the value comes in “the details”

n Multimedia is GOOD when it enhances the message!

8


“Bells & Whistles” (Cont’d)

n Decisions:u When do animations enhance your

site?

u Should you use GIF Animations, JavaScript Animations, or Flash?

u When is video needed and justified?u What requirements does the use of

multimedia require a certain browser and/or plug -ins?

u What is the effect on bandwidth?

8


Web Sites as Showcase for Designer

n The difference between “vanity” sites and good class support sites lies in usability!

n Does the site promote content or just show off the latest web “widgets” and techniques?

n Basically, for whom is the site designed?

9


Web Sites as Showcase for Designer

n Decisions:u Does the site focus on the information

needs of the user?

u Do the techniques and “do-dads” contribute to the viewing experience?

u Have “good” elements been misused and/or abused?

u Do users have the bandwidth with which to view the page?

9





Sites “Under Construction”

n While a necessary transition, some sites never are finished!

n Placeholder pages may be required for a “good” web site architecture, but should you define them if you can’t support them?

10


Sites “Under Construction”

n Decisions:u Can your web editor perform some

update tasks automatically at specified intervals?

u How much functionality can a class support web site include within the full responsibilities of the faculty member?

u What is reasonable?

10

Some Final Thoughts…

Let’s examine a couple of overall techniques for maintaining “good”

web sites…


Determining User Characteristics

n Developing a web site must be based upon certain assumptions, such as:u Browsers to support

u Languages to supportu Time Zone issues

u Operating Systemsu Technologies that can be used


User Characteristics (Cont’d)

n An example: SiteMeteru A free web monitoring service at

http://www.sitemeter.com

u Provides weekly reports of web and page “hits”

u A very usable function for determining the characteristics of your visitors…


Checking your Links

n Maintaining links must be a scheduled task, not an afterthought!

n Options vary from the simple (and cheap) to the sophisticated (and expensive)

n Some options…




Contact Information

For more information, and/or to exchange your thoughts and ideas,

use the following…


Gerald Boerner, Group Leader

n APU Officeu (626) 815-5322

n Emailu [email protected] or

u [email protected]

n Web Siteu http://www.boerner.net


Other Followup Mechanisms

n To receive more information, you may sign up for mailing lists, online message boards, etc. at:u http://www.boerner.net/syllabus

Using Technology in the Classroom

The following schemas present a framework for examining the

adoption of technology into the Teaching/Learning Process


Classrooms & Technology

n For sake of discussion, we identify five general types of classrooms as they relate to the use of technology, especially web-based technologies

n For each type of classroom, we will examine the general approach & the types of technologies used…


The Five Classroom Scenarios

n “Low -Tech”, Traditional Classroomn Technology -supported Classroomn Hybrid Classroomn Web-supported Classroomn Online, Web-based Classroom

Let’s take a closer look…





Scenario #1

n The “Low Tech”, Traditional ClassroomuMore traditional lecture methods, discussion

groups, hard copy handouts, etc. characterize this classroom

n Technologies:u In office, materials may be prepared via

computer

uClassroom presentation via overheadsuTV/VCR and Overhead are “technology”


Scenario #2

n Technology -based Classroomu Technology is used to present classroom

materials (PPT, Simulations, etc.)u Communication via e -mail

u Syllabus may be posted on web site, from word processing documents

n Technologies:u Computer -based presentations, email, etc.


Scenario #3

n The Hybrid Classroomu Face-to-Face Lectures, Discussion Groups

u Presentations via Computer, Online, and/or Paper

u Communication via email, Threaded Discussion Webs, etc.

u Syllabi AND assignments presented via web pages

(Cont’d)


Scenario #3 (Cont’d)

n The Hybrid Classroom (Cont’d)

u Testing from computer-generated tests and delivered either via paper or online

n Technologies:u Email and Web Browser essential

u Some course materials “exported” to HTML format

u Web becomes essential part of class


Scenario #4

n The Web-Supported Classroomu Face-to-Face interactions and information

sessions (“Lectures”) are used when appropriate

u Online lecture materials (PPT) and content (“Streaming”) used for class preparation

u Most materials (syllabi, assignments, etc.) delivered via web pages

(Cont’d)


Scenario #4

n The Web-Supported Classroom (Cont’d)

u Threaded Discussions and Chat-type Sessions are integral

u A “wrapper” online delivery systems like Blackboard.com or eCollege.com are used to create the web-supported environment

u HTML-friendly programs are used to prepare materials (MS Office, etc.)

(Cont’d)






n The Web-Supported Classroom (Cont’d)

u Online assessment, grade book, etc. takes the course outside of the classroom walls

n Technologies:u “Wrapper” programs for online course

managementu HTML-based materials

u Email & Web Browsers (with Plug -ins)


Scenario #5

n The Online Courseu This course is delivered via the web with little

or no Face-to-Face contactu Online, Course Management Environment is

critical

u Support Essential for developing course, maintaining server hardware & software, and keeping the course up on a 24/7 basis

(Cont’d)



n The Online Courseu The Advantages:

| “Anytime, Anywhere” Learning| Fits into the schedule of the student

u The Disadvantages:| High impact on teacher for both

preparation and delivery — up to 10 times the work!

| Lack of personalization for the students AND teacher — Personality Style Interactions

(Cont’d)



n Technologies: u Online Delivery Systems

u Online Communications, Testing, Materials Delivery, etc.

u Classroom Presentations using both Static (PPT) and Dynamic (“Streaming”) media

u New Teaching/Learning Paradigms


Some Teacher Characteristics

n Examine Yourself on these dimensions:u Structured vs. Unstructured Approach

u Constructivist vs. “By the Book” Approachu Interactive vs. Lecture Modes

u Textbook-based vs. Discovery-basedu Individual vs. Group Oriented

n These teaching styles will determine the most appropriate scenario…


Questions & Answers

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