LTEC 690, Spring 2021
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
1 - 10 of 21
-
ItemEvaluating a Mobile-based Genetics Learning Platform in K-12 Educators Teaching After-School Programs( 2020-05-07)This project was a usability study which included the prototyping and the evaluation of a mobile-based genetics learning platform designed for K-12 students and educators. The target audience was K-12 educators teaching the after-school programs. In the development phase, a mobile-based application was developed using the integrated development environment Xcode. The content of the application included mini-learning games developed by the investigator and open-source educational videos. The purpose of this study was to prototype and evaluate the user-friendliness of the developed mobile-platform. In the evaluation stage, individual iterations of the usability test of the mobile-based app were conducted per participant. The participants for each round consisted of educators who are currently or previously have taught after-school programs. Prior to the usability test, participants were asked to sign a consent form. A pre-survey was administered after each student was cleared to participate. During the usability test, each subject was asked to complete five tasks on the mobile-based app. Following the completion of the tasks, the participants answered a post-task survey. Screen user-activity and audio was recorded, anonymized, and stored on an encrypted-protected hard drive for consequent data analysis.
-
ItemA Usability Study of a Community College's Testing Center Website( 2021-05-10)The purpose of this project was to design and evaluate a website for a testing center at students at a community college in Hawaiʻi. To design the website, the researcher applied principles of user-centered design to ensure the target audience—community college students—would be able to find information about the testing center quickly and easily. Using Gestalt principles, the website was designed to work to help students by being functional and user-friendly. To evaluate the website, a usability study was conducted with 18 (n = 18) college-aged adults. During the study, the participants completed three usability tasks designed to measure the website’s usability. Specifically, the study evaluated if the participants found the site to be navigable, satisfying, and interesting. The usability study evaluates the participants’ navigation, satisfaction, and interest. Data were collected through questionnaires and think aloud sessions. The results suggests that the new website was easy to navigate, satisfied with the content, and interested in using the website.
-
ItemStatistical Literacy for Educators: Usability Study( 2021-04-15)The role of data in many fields and areas of modern life is significant. Gathering, shaping, storing, and analyzing data is becoming a very important industry. This importance of data analysis implies that even people who are not employed in analytic positions would benefit from understanding at least basic concepts of data analysis. This fact increases demand in statistical literacy, especially for those who are dealing with data during their workflow. Educators, and especially teachers are among those who collect data from their students and might benefit from understanding the basic principles of statistics. This project aimed to develop and evaluate an online based resource where basic statistical concepts are paralleled with scenarios of their use in a classroom. The usability study explored ease of use of the website and satisfaction rate of the content presented on the website. The usability study confirmed the need in a resource introducing basic statistical concepts in a simple and highly approachable manner for those employed in the field of education. At the same time, it revealed that simplicity shouldn’t be extreme, and the resource should take advantage of modern web-tools, thus keeping a good balance between accessibility and functionality.
-
ItemThe Sensemaking Model for Airline Pilot Training: Building and Maintaining Expert Flight Path Management( 2021-04-15)Abstract: Airline flight training focuses on the pilot who is flying the airplane, leaving the other pilot in the two-pilot flight deck to independently develop crew-oriented flight path monitoring strategies. Lapses in monitoring can lead to incidents and accidents when crews misinterpret the aircraft’s state and mismanage flight automation systems. To address this, NASA human factors researchers developed a monitoring framework based on the organizational psychology concept of “sensemaking.” This approach teaches crews to monitor their flight path through a three-part process of; 1) develop a situation model, 2) manage tasks and attention to more efficiently allocate attention resources, and 3) communicate effectively as a crew. An asynchronous learning module using task-based learning and design for motivation introduced this sensemaking monitoring framework to airline pilots. Twenty participants used the module and answered survey questions measuring the effectiveness of design for motivation and task-based learning. The pilots responded favorably to the design, with positive survey responses for relevance, integration, and acceptance.
-
ItemEvaluating an Online Module: Using Social Media as a Professional Development Tool for Graduate Students in the Learning Design and Technology Department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa( 2021-05-13)The Learning Design and Technology (LTEC) program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa focuses on integrating and evaluating educational technology in various learning environments. With the increase of online technologies, social media can be utilized as a professional tool to connect, network, and collaborate with peers, colleagues, and other professionals, especially within the professional world of learning design and development. Currently, the LTEC Department has yet to provide instruction and guidance for LTEC graduate students on why and how to use social media effectively for professional purposes. The purpose of this learning assessment is to evaluate the impact of the online module on the interest and willingness of LTEC graduate students to use social media as a professional development tool within and beyond the LTEC Department. The project was designed using Krathwohl’s Affective Domain Taxonomy and the Keller’s ARCS Model and tested through asynchronous retrospective surveys and one-on-one interviews. Results show a positive change in interest and willingness to utilize social media to for professional purposes within and beyond the LTEC Department. Recommendations for further research include implementing higher level educational objectives, incorporating active participation strategies to observe behavior changes, and widening the target audience to encourage cross-departmental buy-in.
-
ItemA Curated Wiki for Technical Resources( 2021)The purpose of this web design project and usability study is to improve the process of obtaining technical resources and assistance for the faculty, students, researchers, and staff of the Atmospheric Sciences Department of UH Manoa. The researcher, an IT Specialist and the maintainer of the Departmental website, designed and implemented the technology wiki that provides the needed information. A wiki is a specialized collection of web pages that serves as a valuable tool to support the learning community and learning organizations. The wiki contains a knowledgebase of information about technical resources available to the Atmospheric Sciences Department. The wiki knowledgebase grows organically with input from the members of the Department and the curation of the IT Specialist. The wiki is a repository of institutional knowledge for the Atmospheric Sciences Department. The project leans heavily on asynchronous and multimedia learning theory. The wiki was evaluated by a usability study to determine its effectiveness and suggest improvements. The participants in the usability study were members of the Atmospheric Sciences Department. They responded to a usability survey and participated in usability interviews that found the wiki to be useful, helpful, and easy to navigate. Forty percent of the survey respondents said they felt less frustrated and/or confused about obtaining technical resources because the wiki is now available.
-
ItemONLINE ORIENTATION EXPERIENCE FOR INCOMING HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS AT LEEWARD CC( 2021-05-10)The Health Information Technology (HIT) profession offers a variety of administrative positions in healthcare. Leeward Community College (Leeward CC) is the only accredited HIT program in the state of Hawai'i. The program is a 2-year degree specializing in HIT. This project aimed to create an orientation experience website for incoming HIT students at Leeward CC. The website was created using WIX, a cloud-based web deployment service, YouTube videos, and customized LOOM videos, with resources and networking links directly related to the HIT program. Based on the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and the Attention Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction (ARCS) Model of Motivational Design (Keller,1984), this site was designed to capture the viewer's attention. This study involved fifteen participants (ages 18 to 85). Through pre-screening, data was collected using questionnaires, exit surveys, and testing. After the first two rounds of usability tests, data was analyzed, and the site's revisions were made according to Neilson's Severity Rating scale. The investigator’s goals were to improve the ease of use, quality of content, and navigation of the site. The investigator's personal vested interest in the HIT program and the participants' enthusiasm led to a positive response to the project.
-
ItemDesign Building Blocks: A Usability Study on an Introduction to Commercial Graphic Design Website( 2020-05-09)It is crucial for college students pursuing a degree in the graphic design-related field to get as much work experience to help them in their professional work post-graduation. Thus, there is a need to substantially provide graphic design training for students interested in a graphic design position or are currently in one. To meet the needs of these individuals who are pursuing student graphic design positions, the researcher created an online asynchronous module. This online website, Design Building Blocks, provides training in four introductory sections: research & imagery, composition & layout, typography, and color. This usability study measures the navigability and organization of the site and the usefulness of the content. Three iterations of testing occurred with participants and qualitative analysis of information received from the study helped benefit any learning strategies and future modifications to the site.
-
ItemLearning About Online Geometry Resources: A Usability Study on Website for McKinley High School Teachers( 2021-05-07)Math courses are major classes in high school and are often required for graduation. Geometry is one of the math courses required for graduation and it is crucial for students to pass this course in order to graduate on time. However, in some high school geometry classes with more than 30 students, there are some students who struggle to grasp the content. To facilitate student learning in geometry, teachers should accommodate students by using 21st century skills and providing more visual aid with animations. However, teachers need to be interested and know how to use these resources before presenting them to their students. The researcher utilized learning principles and visual design to develop an informational website about online geometry resources. The website targeted high school geometry teachers. After building the website, the researcher conducted three rounds of usability testing to evaluate ease of use and level of interest. The researcher collected data from 13 participants (n = 13) as they thought aloud about the website, completed four task-based scenarios, and completed surveys. The results from the usability study and the surveys indicated that participants found the website easy to use and helpful. The final product could be shared among geometry teachers and used as a place to find resources to use during class to help students increase their understanding of geometry.
-
ItemBut Did You Die? Developing Critical Thinking in Paramedics Using Interactive Branching Scenarios( 2021-04-15)The purpose of this project was to design and evaluate scenario-based instruction aimed at improving paramedics' medical assessment skills. Aimed at emergency medical technicians, the project used Keller's ARCS Model, Gagne's Nine Events of Instruction, and the basics of effective game design, to design instruction that presented various medical scenarios within an online platform. The goal of the instruction was to improve the technicians' critical thinking and decision-making skills. To evaluate the instruction, 12 (n = 12) emergency medical technicians participated in an evaluation of the instruction. As participants interacted with the online instruction, data related to the timing and accuracy of their performances were recorded. In addition, open-ended surveys were used to collect qualitative data with regards to the instruction. Results found participants exhibited increased speed and prioritization of questioning per scenario as a result of the instruction. Participants also exhibited increased accuracy in pre-hospital diagnoses and stronger justification of those diagnoses. While participants reported finding the instruction engaging, they indicated that the interactivity of the instruction played a more critical role. This report examines the study's findings in detail and explores possible explanations for training emergency medical technicians. Further study is needed to better understand how problem-based learning using interactive branching scenarios may be beneficial in medical education.