Usability & Reflection
Involving stakeholders in the process and encouraging them to actively engage and participate in the unit can be incredibly beneficial for continuous improvement. By inviting stakeholders, such as instructional coaches, students, and fellow educators, to participate in activities and discussions, we create opportunities for them to gain firsthand experience of the course content and instructional approach. This involvement allows stakeholders to provide valuable feedback based on their observations and perspectives, enabling us to identify areas for improvement and refinement.
Their reflections on the effectiveness of activities, clarity of objectives, and overall engagement can inform adjustments to subsequent weeks, ensuring that the unit evolves to better meet the needs and expectations of all learners and stakeholders involved. Collaborative feedback loops with stakeholders foster a culture of continuous improvement and enhance the overall quality and impact of the online poetry unit.
To take a look at the plans made for this unit click the button below.
To view how the unit would be used and a descriptive video walkthrough, click the button below.
Reflect on who you were able to have conduct the usability testing? Were you able to get the right people? Why or why not? What can you do to better improve this in the future?
I had many people take the usability test. I had teachers in my grade level who would use it review it, I also had my instructional coach take a look at it and I had my group members look at and review my unit. I feel like I had the best range of people I could gather to take a look at my unit because they were knew the goal and TEKS of the unit and were able to provide valuable feedback. I also had my son who is in third grade complete the first week. I was not able to have my students look at it though. With the end of the year testing and events, it was too hard to find time for them to perform a usability test.
What impact did your platform (LMS, Google Docs, or other digital sharing) have on the testing and results?
Because we use Google Classroom as our LMS throughout the upper grade levels at our school, I feel like it was exceptionally easy for all of the people who looked at it. However, Google Classroom does not have great sharing features. I was able to go around that by including Padlet and Flip in the assignments to make sharing more engaging and interactive.
What were the lessons you learned from the usability testing feedback?
I had someone mention adding due dates to the assignments which I think would be helpful to keep students on track. I also had another say to put the weekly videos in their own section as well as with the modules and I think that could be beneficial to my students.
What have you done to your design to address the usability issues revealed in the testing? What have you added or taken away?
I will be adding due dates to each assignment as well as adding a section for the recorded videos. I will also be contacting our GT teacher to include extensions and activities for early finishers.
How has this process improved your course and your learner's experience?
When adding another area for students to be able to easily access the recordings of our lessons and meetings together, I think it will make it more accessible for them and easier to locate. Adding due dates to the assignments will help them be more accountable for their learning and plan their time better. Adding additional learning opportunities for students who finish earlier in the week or would like to learn more about the topic will benefit their learning.
How has the testing impacted your alignment of outcomes activities and assessment?
The alignment of the outcome activities each week is very similar. When I had the stakeholders view it that was the main compliment that I received. It made it easy to navigate and know what to expect each week so we could spend our meeting time learning the subject and not how to use the LMS. I think that is very beneficial especially when you are teaching third graders. Although they have experience in technology, changing the plan every week would make it confusing and hard to navigate.
How will you address the infrastructure, system, and support needs and issues the learner may face?
Any time a student has an issue they are able to email me. We could also use our meeting time or conference time to address any issues.