A friend of mine from high school recently posted a study of his 2.5-year-old using the iPad and then wrote a blog entry about it called “What My 2.5-Year-Old’s First Encounter with an iPad Can Teach the Tech Industry.” One of the points he makes is that consistency matters. He makes the point that simple things like uniform standards for buttons and sliders are very important. This is something that has broad applications in everything from street signs to Web navigation to course-design elements. While many will argue that standardizing these things eliminates creativity, one can argue, successfully I believe, that consistency in the design means better usability.
When designing courses, should we really be concerned with creativity in button colors or navigation bars? Isn’t it better to spend our energy making sure that the content is interesting, the interactions are engaging, and the assessments are relevant? Think about what would happen if you were in an unfamiliar city, and the city planners allowed every neighborhood to design its own stop sign. Now, instead of the familiar octagon-shaped, red sign, every corner had a different type of sign. What if it wasn’t just the stop signs but all the signs that appear at intersections that were nonstandard? Would you be able to experience the city, or would you be more focused on making sure you always stopped when you needed to? While this may be an extreme example, we can produce the same effect in course design if navigation and course elements are not standard within the course, and in some cases even between courses in the same program. Sure, it may mean that the course looks more “cookie cutter,” as some would argue, but think about the physical classrooms themselves—aren’t they all the same or at least pretty similar? Isn’t it better for students to spend their cognitive energies not deciphering the course but instead interacting and engaging with the content?
Does this mean that every course needs to be the same? I would argue not at all, but it is likely that classes in the same program have similar needs, from both the student and faculty perspective. Standardizing courses in online programs can have additional benefits beyond simple usability. First, support is easier, as standard navigation and language makes it easier for help-desk staff to easily help a user resolve issues. Second, documentation can be standardized and created once for the entire program, allowing staff time to be spent on other training and support endeavors.
As we think about design in online classes, let’s look at ways we can simplify and standardize navigation and directions. Creativity should be revealed in the content and not whether you can make tiger-striped buttons.
Melissa,
I could not agree with you more. As an online graduate student and as a professional in the distance higher education industry, consistency does have some major advantages. One of which you touched on. Students need to focus their energies on the content of the course. If they cannot easily navigate throughout the areas, the learning focus is redirected. This can be frustrating, especially for the adult learner that may not have as many technical skills.
This is a great post and hope to pass along this information to my peers in my Learning Theories class.
Suzanne
Melissa,
Consistency is very important in the learning process overall. One of the challenges I face as a learner from time to time is focusing when in a classroom setting or meeting. After reading several course materials in my current online graduate program and actually evaluating my challenge in this area I arrived at the reason why focusing and consistency go hand and hand when it comes to learning. When I am attempting to process information as a learner, I am trying my best not to decrese my focus. When my focus begins to decline, I have less chance of retaining information I have learned in the learning setting. “Attention is a necessary prerequesite of learning” (Ormrod, Schnunk, & Gredler, 2009, p. 56). As a learner I need consistency as it forces me to focus on material learned in the classroom. The distractions of trying to figure out where the instructor is going do not become so taxing on my brain.
Reference:
Ormrod, J. Schunk, D., & Gredler, M. (2009). Learning theories and instruction (Laureate custom edition). New York: Pearson.