‘ICreate’: Preliminary usability testing of apps for the music technology classroom

In the world of music technology where, “music practice is challenged, mediated and redefined through performers’ and composers’ uses of ICT” (Savage, 2005, p. 168), curriculum change is necessary if the world of the classroom is to keep pace with the world outside (Cain, 2004, p. 219). For newcomers to music technology, the glittering array of increasingly sophisticated flashing, emulated, and modulated interfaces can invoke virtual interface dyslexia before giving way to options anxiety. Change is the only constant in the ever-evolving techno-scape of sound and music applications. This paper proposes that the development of an introductory tertiary music technology unit curriculum using loop-based music iPad apps may effectively engage non-traditional music (NTM) students in both music and technology. The course design was underpinned by two intentions. Firstly, the aim was to stimulate student creativity and secondly, to encourage immersion (focused attention) in sonic composition (Witmer & Singer, 1998). This paper reports on the preliminary usability testing of five loop-based music iPad applications. It is administered to a sample of one, namely the author, using the System Usability Scale (SUS) (Brooke, 1996) and is guided by the following questions: Would this testing methodology be appropriate? What factors specific to loop-based music app design might be pertinent for educators? Would this testing method indicate the potential for student immersion and creativity? While the pilot study, described here, is conducted solely by the researcher to determine the effectiveness of the method, future research intends the study to be administered to a small classroom group if determined appropriate

Student-designed Texts and Classroom Mediation: A UX Analysis of Clinical Nursing Simulations

This experience report draws on a unique pedagogical contextclinical nursing simulations-to examine how student texts can mediate a classroom exchange. Focusing on 52 student handoffs, I analyze frequency of text use, correlation between text use and student talk, and the impact of a text’s content on its mediating role. This methodology centers student texts and in the process, reimagines possibilities for UX pedagogy and assessment

Online Group-exercises for Older Adults of Different Physical Abilities

In this paper we describe the design and validation of a virtual fitness environment aiming at keeping older adults physically and socially active. We target particularly older adults who are socially more isolated, physically less active, and with less chances of training in a gym. The virtual fitness environment, namely Gymcentral, was designed to enable and motivate older adults to follow personalised exercises from home, with a (heterogeneous) group of remote friends and under the remote supervision of a Coach. We take the training activity as an opportunity to create social interactions, by complementing training features with social instruments. Finally, we report on the feasibility and effectiveness of the virtual environment, as well as its effects on the usage and social interactions, from an intervention study in Trento, Ital

Textual Mediation in Simulated Nursing Handoffs: Examining How Student Writing Coordinates Action

In clinical nursing simulations, a group of students provide care for a robotic patient during a structured scenario. As care is transferred from one group to another, they participate in a patient handoff, with outgoing students passing key information onto incoming students. In healthcare, the nursing handoff is a critical and perilous communication moment that is mediated by a range of participants and texts. Drawing on observations and video recordings of 52 simulation handoffs in the United States, this article examines how two student-designed texts – a collaborative patient chart and individual notes – are leveraged during the handoff. I also consider how handoff talk and writing changes as student nursing knowledge increases over the course of a year. By focusing on textual mediation of the simulated nursing handoff, this article contributes to existing research on professional writing pedagogy and to nursing scholarship on the handoff. Ultimately, it argues that a textual mediation framework can help bridge class room and professional contexts by evaluating student writing not for how successfully it meets a set of imposed criteria but for how effectively it supports classroom activities

Perspectives on Usability Testing with IoT Devices in Technical Communication Courses

This Article Offers Perspectives on Adopting Smart Home Technology into Usability Testing for Technical and Professional Communication (TPC) Courses. Usability is a Valued Skill for Technical Communicators. However, Usability Testing Methods Have their Problems as Pedagogical Tools. Internet-Of-Things (IoT) Devices and Smart Home Technology (SHT) May Offer Instructors Tools to overcome Some of Those Problems. This Article Details Advantages and Concerns Associated with using SHT for Curricular Usability Testing

Connecting the Old with the New: Developing a Podcast Usability Heuristic from the Canons of Rhetoric

Though a relatively new form of communication technology, the podcast serves as a remediated form of the classical orator—merging the classical practices of oration with current methods of production and delivery. This study draws connections from the historical five canons of rhetoric and current usability studies to build a heuristic for developing and evaluating usable podcast design

eduGraph: A Dashboard for Personalised Feedback in Massive Open Online Courses

Learning Analytics is concerned with the design and implementation of tools and processes for collecting, analysing, and communicating information about teaching and learning. It is enabled by data, but not driven by it, rather it tries to empower human judgements by presenting meaningful facts. This thesis explores the data generated in Open edX courses to understand how it can be analysed and used to impact learners' motivation in online courses. It is carried out using Design Science, a research methodology aiming to produce artefacts that can improve the interaction with problems. In this thesis I present the eduGraph dashboard, a dashboard that uses Learning Analytics to present meaningful insights about learners' learning process in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Results indicate that learners perceive the dashboard as useful and effective at motivating them to take part in online courses, and that it enables them to keep track of their progress in the courses. I posit that the biggest problem facing Learning Analytics today are the lack of accessible data, and that it is possible for reasearchers to create more accurate learner models by using Learning Anaytics theories and methods in combination with the iterative and technical process of Information Systems development.Masteroppgave i informasjonsvitenskapINFO390MASV-INF

Usability Evaluation of Online Educational Applications in COVID-19

COVID-19 is a pandemic faced by almost every country in the world, this has resulted in health crisis. Due to COVID-19, all the countries around the world have decided to close all educational institutes to prevent this pandemic. Educational institutes have taken every possible measure to minimize the impact of the closure of schools and introduce the concept of an online education system which is not only a massive shock for parents but it also affects the children's learning process and social life. The educational applications (Apps) are very important, because they offer more opportunities for development and growth to society. In this pandemic situation, educational Apps like Zoom, HEC LMS, Google Classroom, and Skype, etc. are the need of the hour when everything goes online. In this paper, the usability features of online educational Apps are thoroughly discussed including the effectiveness and usability for students. Using the results obtained from the survey, this paper observes the student's perspective of usefulness of online educational Apps in student’s learning process of different age groups. It also analyzes the easiness for students to understand, interact and use these Apps

The preschool teachers' perspective of digital technology use in classrooms: A case study of North Maluku province, Indonesia

The significance of information and communication technologies in the educational sector in the last few decades has tremendously increased. The current study aims to examine the significance of various individual factors such as teachers' self-concept, self-efficacy and ICT-related subjective self in predicting their perceptions of ICT usability leading to enhance preschool children’s learning outcomes. To achieve the study objectives, the authors applied a quantitative research methodology. After surveying 386 preschool teachers in 55 preschools, the data were analyzed using SmartPLS software. Most educational institutions have transformed their traditional modes of education into virtual classrooms. Technological intrusion in the educational sector has increased during COVID-19 and is persistent in the post-COVID era. Similarly, in universities and colleges, the inclusion of digital technologies in preschools has remarkably increased. The current study adds value to the existing body of literature by extending the existing TAM3 to TAM3+ by adding a new domain of subjective self and predicting preschool teachers' ICT usage in the classrooms and the interaction of this usage with technical support to enhance the preschool children’s learning outcomes