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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?
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 4
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)?
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 5
Think about These Issues… (Cont’d)
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?
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 6
Think about These Issues… (Cont’d)
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)
Boerner, et. al. (APU):More Effective Web Page Elements
Syllabus 2000July (2000)
Copyright©2000 — G.L. Boerner, et. al. — All Rights Reserved 2
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…
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 8
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!
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 9
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…
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 11
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]
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 12
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.
Boerner, et. al. (APU):More Effective Web Page Elements
Syllabus 2000July (2000)
Copyright©2000 — G.L. Boerner, et. al. — All Rights Reserved 3
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 13
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!
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 14
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
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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
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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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 17
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?
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July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 18
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
Boerner, et. al. (APU):More Effective Web Page Elements
Syllabus 2000July (2000)
Copyright©2000 — G.L. Boerner, et. al. — All Rights Reserved 4
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 19
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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 20
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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 21
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!
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July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 22
“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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 23
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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 24
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
Boerner, et. al. (APU):More Effective Web Page Elements
Syllabus 2000July (2000)
Copyright©2000 — G.L. Boerner, et. al. — All Rights Reserved 5
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 25
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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 26
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…
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 28
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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 29
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…
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 30
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…
Boerner, et. al. (APU):More Effective Web Page Elements
Syllabus 2000July (2000)
Copyright©2000 — G.L. Boerner, et. al. — All Rights Reserved 6
Contact Information
For more information, and/or to exchange your thoughts and ideas,
use the following…
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 32
Gerald Boerner, Group Leader
n APU Officeu (626) 815-5322
n Emailu Jboerner@apu.edu or
u Jboerner@boerner.net
n Web Siteu http://www.boerner.net
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 33
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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 35
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…
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 36
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…
Boerner, et. al. (APU):More Effective Web Page Elements
Syllabus 2000July (2000)
Copyright©2000 — G.L. Boerner, et. al. — All Rights Reserved 7
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 37
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”
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 38
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.
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 39
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)
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 40
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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 41
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)
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 42
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)
Boerner, et. al. (APU):More Effective Web Page Elements
Syllabus 2000July (2000)
Copyright©2000 — G.L. Boerner, et. al. — All Rights Reserved 8
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 43
Scenario #4 (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)
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 44
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)
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 45
Scenario #5 (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)
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 46
Scenario #5 (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
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 47
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…
July (2000) More Effective Web Page Elements for Classroom Support 48
Questions & Answers
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