analysis and design document

EdWeb Analysis and Design Document of 1

EdWeb Analysis and Design Document

Executive Summary Amy Jane Priest 3-28-09

• Instructional setting Appreciation for cultural diversity is necessary at the middle school in our rural locale. A self-paced online instructional course could offer many benefits for achieving curricular goals.

• Goals and outcomes The course will teach students about culture and provide a broader cultural perspective.

• Learner needs and characteristics This course would be piloted at the sixth grade level, since many students have limited exposure to other cultures but have a positive attitude toward the exploration of world cultures in the social studies curriculum.

• Instructional content The initial scope of the instruction would be a group of lessons covering culture, cultural traits, cultural traditions, and cultural symbols. The content would be tied to Colorado model content geography standards, specifically 2 and 4.

• Project management The management of the project will be carefully considered. Project needs will be researched and addressed, involving review by a team of content experts. Supervision of the project will take a collaborative approach.

• Instructional design model The instructional design will be interactive and learner-centered. The learner will guide his or her own learning toward achievement of instructional goals. The learner will define culture, explore the relationship between culture traits and cultural traditions, and create a meaningful cultural symbol in the context of place.


Instructional Setting 1. What is the instructional need or opportunity? What business or learning

problem needs to be addressed?

Many sixth grade students with limited knowledge of world cultures come to middle school in my rural community. This limited knowledge affects classroom community building within the first few months of school, as we devote time to developing cultural awareness and understanding of each other’s cultural values. Recognition of and respect for cultural diversity is the learning problem that specifically needs to be addressed.

2. Why is it important to address this instructional need or opportunity? What will happen if you do not address it?

This instructional need is critical, because efforts to promote global awareness within my rural environment promote cultural understandings within our larger community. Montrose, Colorado continues to have an ongoing challenge of building bridges between the dominant “white” culture and the Latino culture that has a pervasive growing presence in the region. This community problem is obvious at the middle school level, where ethnic harassment, whether hidden or overt, contributes to discipline issues within the classroom and in the school culture. If I do not address this need, then I am not fulfilling my role as an educator. The cycle of intolerance will continue to perpetuate itself, and this problem only increases bullying in the middle school setting.

3. Assuming this instruction is online (i.e., hosted on a website), what hardware and software (including access speeds and browsers) do potential learners have?

Learners would have to have access to computers that would access the Internet. Since our school just funded a class set of laptops, I believe that we would have the necessary hardware and software. I will have to investigate this issue by doing some research, as I am not sure what security site blockages would prevent the online instruction. Achieving curricular goals in a certain timeframe could also impose some constraints with access to laptops or computer labs.

4. Why did you decide to deliver this instruction online? What are the benefits and potential drawbacks of that decision?

Cultural values are very personal for students, families, and teachers. In our school wide bullying prevention program, I know kids are hesitant to talk about their personal experiences concerning their identities. In the social studies classroom, however, students are very willing to share their cultural values as it relates to our curriculum. One benefit of delivering the instruction online is that it could reach a larger audience; for example, every sixth grader could have access to the instruction. The online instruction could be integrated into the current curriculum and would be more relevant to my learners. Students might be more willing to share personal


experiences about identity and apply their knowledge if they felt there was a degree of anonymity, which online instruction provides to a certain degree. There would be a wide variety of instructional strategies that would be applicable in the elearning environment that may not be in the regular classroom. For example, in the classroom students might be more reluctant to participate in a role-play scenario in front of their peers. The online environment would provide a context to explore role-playing without learners worrying about how they would appear to their friends. Games and simulations might be more efficiently utilized in the elearning environment, because I would not have to spend a class setting up roles and expectations, a class doing the simulation, and a class to debrief the process.

Some of the potential drawbacks are the challenges that come with using technology. Some technical issues in the computer lab have not been easily solved. My project management plan would need to consider technical glitches and implement a plan that offers alternative resources. Another drawback would be the context in which the topic is delivered. Since culture is a dynamic, interactive concept, the “human component” is important for real-world application; this “humanity” may be difficult to achieve in the elearning environment. Follow-up classroom discussions and activities would help translate the content into application for interpersonal skills and human relationships. A face-to-face sharing and discussion of cultural values within the classroom may have more of an impact in the achievement of curricular goals.

5. Will this be a self-paced, online course or a group-paced, online course? For example, IT5660 is a group paced, online course. What is your rationale for that decision?

This will be a self-paced online course. Instruction will take place in the school setting where resources might be limited to certain time frames or in the home, where students and their families would need to access the course. Group-paced, online instruction would be ideal but not very realistic. Also, given the sensitivity of the topic, I think individuals would be more willing to share personal experiences in a self-paced course. I think that a self-paced online course combined with teamwork activities and collaborative structures in the classroom setting would be effective at achieving curricular goals.

6. Who are the stakeholders?

The stakeholders are primarily the administrators, students, and teachers, but could also include the families of students, the school board, and community business owners.

7. What other instructional context issues, challenges or problems are important in this situation?

I would have to consider accommodations and modifications to the curriculum. I would have to keep in mind that not all of my students have access to a computer at home.


Goals and Outcomes

1. What do each group of stakeholders need to see to consider this instruction successful?

2. What indicators will you use to determine if the instruction meets the desired outcomes of each group of stakeholders?

Stakeholder group

Results stakeholders need to see to believe the EdWeb is successful

How you will collect data and measure changes

Administrators The EdWeb achieves curricular objectives based on Colorado content model social studies standards.

Baseline data collected August 2009-October 2009. Data collected after students complete the course by February 2010.

Teachers, Students

The EdWeb achieves curricular objectives based on Colorado content model social studies standards.

Baseline data collected August 2009-October 2009. Data collected after students complete the course by February 2010.

3. What other outcomes do you need to measure?

Assessment data will need to be collected and measured against baseline data. Having students complete a survey to reflect on their own learning from the instructional course could be part of the formative evaluation. In addition, student attitudes toward culture, linked to appreciation of cultural diversity, could be evaluated. This data analysis would have to have a pre and post evaluation process that would offer meaningful information.


Learner Needs and Characteristics 1. What are the demographics of the learners?

a. Age range: 11-12 years old

b. Education levels and/or types of college degrees: 6th grade

c. Other important demographics, e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, languages, disabilities?

Mostly Caucasian, but about 40% Latino. Gifted and talented learners, ESL students, and SPED populations would need to be included, so appropriate accommodations and modifications would have to be considered in the development of a self-paced online course.

2. What prior experiences do potential learners have with this content or related areas? From diagnostics and assessment data from the beginning of the school year, most of my students have very limited exposure to other cultures. By the middle of the school year, nearly all of my social studies students have been introduced to the concept of culture, cultural values, and cultural geography. The second half of the school year’s curriculum is devoted to a cross-cultural analysis of various cultures in the Eastern hemisphere. In terms of technology use, students have completed research using computers and other various technology tools, and many have completed web quests. At least 25% of sixth graders will have taken their technology elective class by mid-year.

3. What are the technology skills of the learners?

a. Approximately what percentage of learners have taken online instruction before?

I would estimate that about 25% of sixth graders have taken online instruction before, but this question would have to be answered through further research.

b. Do the learners have the needed technology skills to be successful in this course?

If I consider the level of their skills in the design of my EdWeb, then they will have the needed technology skills. If not, then prior classroom instruction of how to use the technology would be necessary.


4. What are the learning styles and skills of the learners?

c. Generally, what are the learning styles of your learners? If you have no idea, how/where can you find that information?

In the past five years of teaching sixth graders, I have learned that learning styles vary greatly. Incorporating the multiple intelligences into instruction usually reaches the majority of learners. Since I also have ESL, gifted and talented, special education learners, and severe needs learners, the more visual and interactive the content, the better. I would assess the learning styles of next year’s sixth grade class by administering a diagnostic to collect data at the beginning of the school year. This data would help me in the development phase of the EdWeb.

d. Do they have self-directed learning skills?

Most of the learners come with learning skills acquired at the elementary level. (Some are definitely more self-directed than others.) Skills include literacy, organization, communication, compare and contrast, and creativity.

e. What other learning styles or skills issues are important to consider for the design of this instruction?

The instructions within the design need to be simplified enough for sixth graders to follow, but interesting enough to keep them on task. I think that it is critical not to rely too much on auditory skills. Sixth graders, in general, do not have the best listening skills. Modeling processes and giving examples would be important. Also, I need to consider how I would accommodate all the possible needs of my learners. For example, I have hearing and visually impaired students, so my design should offer learning choices.

5. What are the reading skills/level of the learners?

The learners have a wide range of reading skills and levels. I have struggling readers reading at a kindergarten level, and I have students reading up to a 10th grade level. The reading level of my content should probably target a below sixth grade reading level, to reach the majority of learners. Reading fluency checks that gauge the reading level of all incoming sixth graders would offer data to help develop instruction at the appropriate reading level.


6. What are the expectations and/or assumptions your learners have about instruction and/or this topic?

a. Do they have a positive attitude toward instruction?

About 70% of my sixth graders have a positive attitude toward instruction; about 30 % have a negative attitude. I would estimate that effective online instruction would increase the learners with positive attitudes by 20% or more.

b. Do they have a positive attitude toward this topic?

One of the reasons that I chose this particular topic is that I think students have a very positive attitude toward the topic of culture. In fact, when I have assigned a culture project presentation in the past, I have had less than 5% of students who chose not to participate.

c. What do they want or expect from instruction?

This is an amusing question, because one question that I always ask my sixth grade classes from day one is “what do you expect of your teacher? “ I have never thought to ask what they expect from instruction. Most want fun learning activities that immerse themselves in the content. In my experience, they enjoy guided instruction, hands-on learning, games, simulations, role-plays and dramas, visuals, video clips, research, and collaborative learning. They expect instruction to offer expectations, clear directions, choices, and opportunities to think and question. They often want to and expect to be entertained.

7. What are the incentives and disincentives for learners to successfully complete this instruction?

a. Will learners take this instruction in their free time or during their regular work

hours?

The incentives would be designated class times with the opportunity to explore the instruction in their free time and at home.

b. Do learners need the instructional information? Do they get rewarded for using it?

According to the Colorado model content standards, some of the instructional information would be necessary. It is foundational knowledge that will allow cross-cultural analysis. The reward would be having fun while learning and getting out of the classroom setting for a while.

8. What other learner needs or characteristics are important and/or relevant to this project?

N/A at this time


Instructional Content 1. What is the scope of this instructional product, i.e., is it a lesson, a group of

lessons, a full semester course, a multi-course curriculum, etc.?

Initially, I want to design and implement a group of lessons. The topics would cover culture, cultural traits, cultural traditions, and cultural symbols. Eventually, I could expand this into a group of lessons tied to each unit of my second semester curriculum.

2. What are the formal instructional objectives for the instruction?

Objective

#

Condition

Behavior

Degree

1 Given definitions of culture from online resources

learners will explain culture

by writing their own definition of culture

2 Given examples of culture traits from online resources

learners will analyze culture traits

with at least five examples of their own culture traits

3 Given examples of cultural traditions from online resources

learners will discover how culture traits exemplify cultural traditions

by categorizing at least ten culture traits with their respective cultural traditions

4 Given examples of cultural symbols from online resources

learners will create their own symbol of culture

within the context of place, reflecting both physical and human characteristics.

3. Complete the following table.

Knowledge dimension

Cognitive Process Domain

Remember

Understand

Apply

Analyze

Evaluate

Create

Fact

Concept

1 3 2 4

Procedure

Metacognition


4. Write the mastery test question(s) for each objective, using the table below.

Objective

Mastery test question(s)

Given definitions of culture from online resources, learners will explain culture by writing their own definition of culture.

1. What is culture? Be sure to site at least three examples from your resources in your definition.

2. How do you define culture? 3. What is your culture?

Given examples of culture traits from online resources, learners will analyze culture traits with at least five examples of their own cultural traits.

1. What are the characteristics that most cultures share? Give at least five examples from your resources.

2. Choose five of the culture traits from

this list and explain how each relates to your own culture.

Given examples of cultural traditions from online resources, learners will discover how culture traits exemplify cultural traditions by categorizing at least ten culture traits with their respective cultural traditions.

1. In the following culture, match the culture traits with the traditions that they best exemplify.

Given examples of cultural symbols from online resources learners will create their own symbol of culture within the context of place, reflecting both physical and human characteristics.

1. What physical characteristics would you use to describe your culture?

2. What human characteristics would you

use to describe your culture? 3. Using at least two physical and two

human characteristics, draw a symbol reflecting your own culture. Label the physical and human characteristics with brief descriptions. Include and label at least one culture trait and one cultural tradition in your symbol.


5. What learning resources (databases, tools, documentation, articles, books, job aids, people, etc.) will learners need during this instruction? How will you obtain these learning resources?

Although I have not specifically chosen the best learning activities to assess the course objectives, learners will need a computer with Internet access, a notebook and writing utensil, Word program, and links and articles on culture, culture traits, cultural traditions, and cultural symbols. I will need to collect images of culture traits, cultural traditions, and cultural symbols with explanations. I will obtain these learning resources by investigating the following resources: Google searches for culture, culture traits, cultural traditions, and cultural symbols; online articles and websites such as the National Geographic website; current curricular materials such as resources from other social studies teachers, Unitedstreaming video clips, bookmarked images and inserted Powerpoint images already used in class for analysis and discussion; images from digital photos from travels, clipart, travel calendars, travel brochures, geography calendars, National Geographic magazine collection, postcards, Jing, and digital archives from the Smithsonian, museums, and NEH. I will also obtain learning resources by creating them, if necessary. To make the resources more accessible and relevant to students, I would also like to incorporate images from local culture or have students create some of the learning resources.

6. What other instructional content issues are important or relevant to this project?

Relying heavily on visual images and multimedia to communicate learning objectives, I need to be comfortable with tools like Jing and Voicethread. I need to research and know the guidelines for using images, especially those that are subject to copyright. Since the content can be sensitive to individuals and groups, I need to pay careful attention to the images and text chosen. Peer feedback and review will need to be critical parts of content development. In addition, I will need to involve experts from gifted and talented, ESL, and SPED teaching backgrounds to ensure that I am scaffolding my instruction to meet learner needs.


Project Management 1. For the purposes of the Certificate Program, your EdWeb should be ready to

implement at the end of the third course, IT5680. During the second course (IT5670), you will conduct a formative evaluation on a prototype of your EdWeb. Do those milestones fit with the needs and/or expectations of the organization sponsoring your EdWeb? If not, describe how you plan to handle the problem.

I think that implementation would be mid-December, according to the UC academic calendar. This does not coincide with my middle school calendar, unless I implemented the curriculum during the last few weeks before holiday vacation break. It would make more sense to implement the course in November, after fall testing but before winter Maps testing. The best plan to handle this problem would be to implement the course before the end of IT5680, if that is possible, or wait to implement the course at the beginning of January. I would meet with the principal and teachers to find out what time frame would be best for implementation.

2. Are you the content expert?

a. If no, is a content expert available to help you develop the content and review it for accuracy? Do you anticipate any problems in working with this expert, e.g., time available, schedules, time zone differences?

I am not a content expert. There would be several content experts, including classmates and instructors, to help me develop the content and review. My colleagues at the middle school also have many years of teaching experience in the development of curriculum. In addition, I have several friends with backgrounds in cultural anthropology that would be willing to provide feedback on the content. I do not anticipate problems in working with other experts.

3. What other types of experts do you need for this project?

Name/Title of Expert Approximate Date for Discussion With This Expert

Kim Redman/Anthropologist Daily Jeff Blacker/Literacy expert Daily Kay Rider/Content expert-6th grade April 2009 Joe Simo/Asst Principal and school site technology expert

May 2009

Kirk Henwood/District IT Dept May 2009 Mary K Richardson/Literacy expert June 2009


4. Who has to approve this project?

It would be wise to get permission from the current school administrators, Nancy Alex and Joe Simo. I should obtain their approval as soon as possible, as it will affect implementation of the EdWeb in the fall. Without their approval, I would need to consider alternatives for the implementation phase.

5. Organizational change issues:

a. Are you breaking new ground in your organization with your EdWeb? If yes, who may be threatened or intimidated by it?

Using an online course in the middle school setting will be ground breaking. I do not believe others will be threatened or intimidated by it; I believe others will be intrigued by it and will want to support the project. Those teachers who will need access to the computers during the time of implementation may feel most intimidated by the instructional course.

b. Who directly supervises the learners who will take your EdWeb? Does this person support and/or value the instruction and/or your approach to the instruction?

I used to supervise the learners directly, but I will be taking leave this next school year. If I am not able to supervise the learners, then Kay Rider, the other 6th grade social studies teacher, and Jeff Blacker, the reading teacher on my team, could implement the EdWeb for the entire sixth grade. I feel that both of these individuals would support and value the instruction; they are always seeking ways to integrate literacy and technology in the classroom. My approach to the instruction would need to be clarified for purpose with both instructors.

c. Are there people who want this project to fail? If yes, list their titles and why you think they want this project to fail.

I would hope that no one would want this project to fail; I would enlist support before proceeding with the project.

d. How and when will you inform each group of stakeholders about the project?

Administrators will be informed about the project through an initial e-mail as soon as possible, to enlist their support and give them a general overview. In May, I will set up an appointment to meet with both of them to discuss more detailed issues and logistical concerns.

Teachers will be informed at an appropriate time, based on input from administrators. Most likely in the fall, when everyone is generally much more enthusiastic about teaching and learning, I will address all staff at a PLC (professional learning community) meeting. Students, parents, and families will be informed in the fall through a letter from the instructor. If possible, an informational meeting will be held to invite community members, including district level representatives and school board members, who also could be stakeholders in this process.


6. What other resources or project management issues are important or relevant to this project? Other issues relevant to this project are time management. Time is a precious resource to teachers, so I have to carefully consider how much time it will take learners to complete my course. My reliance on experts is critical, as I might not be able to implement the EdWeb directly. How will I gather the necessary formative evaluation data without being the project manager? I need to consider alternative settings in which this course could be administered. Could it be an after-school program? Would the course be successful in a community setting? Since the push right now is for literacy and social studies remains untested, it might be best for me to frame my project as a literacy- based instructional EdWeb. The logistical and technical issues of the implementation phase need further research. One possible solution is to develop the initial EdWeb prototype as an adult tool and to implement it through the PLC structure with teachers assessing the tool through students’ eyes. I could then use the formative evaluation process to revise the course, then implement it when I can directly evaluate the process through teaching, integrating my course into the current curriculum.


Design (part 1)

Instructional Design Model and Learning Theory 1. What is your theory, model or definition of learning? For example, some say learning

is the process of personalizing new information. Others say learning is the process of memorizing new information. What is your definition?

Learning is experiential. The activation of background knowledge is critical. Learners learn best through immediate connections, visual stimulation, application, and hand-on activities. All efforts should be made to offer choices, relative to the multiple intelligences. Not everyone learns the same way, so it is best to employ a variety of instructional strategies to give the learner accessibility to the content. Real world, authentic activities engage learners and motivate them to guide their own learning and set their own learning goals.

2. Other than the CIVs and Horton’s Absorb, Do, Connect model, what, if any, other instructional design models do you plan to use, i.e., Kolb’s Model of Experiential Learning or Problem-Based Learning? See http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/idmodels.html. Note: You are only required to use the CIVs and Horton.

Other than the CIVs and Horton model, I am interested in using inquiry-based learning, the theory of multiple intelligences, and the quantum learning model.

3. What other instructional design issues are important or relevant to this project?

The design needs to apply instructional principles most relevant to my learning population. Organization, especially the application of CARP, will be most useful. Students will need to have a simplified design layout with clear, concise directions and useful menus, searches, and perhaps even icons. I anticipate that the design will be rich in images and multimedia, but it will be important not to overwhelm the design. Help aids, such as a bibliography, glossary, FAQ section, and visuals should help meet my learner needs.

Learning Activities

4. How do you intend to integrate the “Learner Centered” Common Instructional Value into your EdWeb? Provide at least three specific examples.

Culture is a very personal, meaningful topic of high interest to sixth graders. Since the course will be self-paced, learners will have control over their own learning. There will be an opportunity for learners to explore links and resources related to culture. The students will then create their own definition of culture, reflecting on their own learning. They will also be viewing cultural symbols, which will motivate them to create their own cultural symbol. I hope to integrate web tools such as Jing, which will inspire creativity and motivate my learners.


5. How do you intend to integrate the “Social” Common Instructional Value into your EdWeb? Provide specific examples.

I plan to integrate the “social” value by fostering a sense of belonging, offering learners a means of communication, and providing access to external communities. I will carefully choose a variety of examples of linked cultural values to cultural traditions to promote inclusiveness. Students will have the opportunity to share impressions and thoughts in a forum. Follow-up classroom activities will offer opportunities to collaborate and promote community. Finally, resources such as a bibliography, glossary, and resource index will expand our learning community.

6. How do you intend to integrate the “Contextual” Common Instructional Value into your EdWeb? Provide at least three specific examples.

The examples of culture, culture traits, and traditions will be real world and authentic. I will require students to “think outside of the box” by giving them a problem of matching culture traits to traditions. This will be like a simulation, similar to the job of an ethnographer or archaeologist. I will have to explore the context more, but I would like to design a type of game or simulation that will help achieve the instructional objectives. Case studies might be a good activity to integrate into my EdWeb. Since one of my objectives focuses on the students creating their own cultural symbol, project-based assessment is another example of how I plan to integrate the contextual value.

7. How do you intend to integrate the “Active” Common Instructional Value into your EdWeb? Provide at least three specific examples.

The learning activities will be dynamic. The achievement of the first culture objective will involve students in inquiry and discovery. By exploring online resources, they will create their own definition of culture. The other learning activities will be hands-on. Participation in a simulation to explore culture traits and traditions will be use of experiential, exploratory learning. My game or simulation will involve decision-making, providing opportunities for questioning and knowledge building. Finally, the product creation of a cultural symbol will be a type of experimentation where students will have time and space to practice applying their new knowledge.

8. How do you intend to integrate the “Supportive” Common Instructional Value into your EdWeb? Provide at least three specific examples.

I will ensure that learning activities are culturally responsive by doing my research to collect a variety of learning resources. I will differentiate learning by considering the needs of my ESL, SPED, and gifted and talented students. I will incorporate different multimedia to create a resource rich learning experience that will involve fun, entertainment, and creativity.

9. Complete the following chart to describe the activities you plan to include for each objective. In the first column, enter your objective. For each objective you may have one, two, three or more activities. Briefly describe those activities in the second column, entitled Activities. Put a checkmark in either the Absorb, Do, or Connect column for each activity. That is, each activity is an Absorb activity, or a Do activity or a Connect activity. Reference: Horton chapters 2, 3, and 4.


Objective Activities Absorb √ Do √

Connect √

Given definitions of culture from online resources learners will explain culture by writing their own definition of culture.

� Exploratory Activity: Learners

will explore online resources,

such as readings, stories, videos,

pod casts, and presentations.

� Writing Activity: Learners will

write their own definition of

culture.

� Discovery Activity: Learners will

explain which resources helped

them develop their definition by

selecting or citing at least three

resources.

√

√

√

Given examples of culture traits from online resources learners will analyze culture traits with at least five examples of their own culture traits.

� Reading Activity: Learners will

read mini-case studies.

� Observe and Comment Activity:

Learners will observe and

comment on culture traits from

images or explore a field trip.

� Game Activity: Using a

scramble-tile game, students will

choose culture traits from a list

of examples.

� Writing Activity: Students will

compose their own culture traits

examples on tiles.

√

√

√

√

Given examples of cultural traditions from online resources learners will discover how culture traits exemplify cultural traditions by categorizing at least ten culture traits with their respective cultural traditions.

� Simulation Activity: Students

will perform an ethnography

where students will make

choices to:

1. interview people

2. read case studies

3. research as a team

� Ponder Activity: Students will

categorize culture traits from

their tiles by explaining how

they show cultural traditions.

√

√


Given examples of cultural symbols from online resources learners will create their own symbol of culture within the context of place, reflecting both physical and human characteristics.

� Research Activity: Students will

explore and evaluate cultural

symbols through guided research

or a scavenger hunt.

� Original-Work Activity: Students

will create a cultural symbol of

their culture traits and traditions

using physical and human

characteristics.

√

√

10. What other issues related to learning activities are important or relevant to this

project? It is important for me to design for my learner needs. I need to scaffold the instruction, offering choices for learners to demonstrate their learning. At the same time, offering too many choices will overwhelm the learner and not meet my objectives. Timing and sequence of activities will need revision. I think that I will narrow the focus of my learning activities, if this is truly designed for a week of classroom instruction. I will have to explore the simulation and research activities more thoroughly, to see what resources are available. The way I have designed the learning activities at this point, I have heavily weighted the do and connect activities, and I wonder if sixth graders will have enough absorb activities to successfully perform the do and connect activities. Since the topic of culture is somewhat complex, I may want to incorporate more absorb activities into my design. I also will need to refine my do and connect activities, choosing the most appropriate and effective activities to meet my instructional objectives. Alignment of the learning activities to goals is definitely a consideration.


Formative Evaluation: Design Prototype

1. Your name and the title of EdWeb: Amy Jane Priest: Culture: Traits, Traditions, and Symbols

2. Summary of the target audience for EdWeb:

The target audience is 10-12 year olds in the sixth grade at Centennial Middle School in Montrose, Colorado.

3. Description of your formative evaluation participants: My formative evaluation participants were four middle school students. One boy and one girl are entering sixth grade this next school year, and one boy and one girl just finished the sixth grade. I had hoped to have two other incoming sixth graders give me feedback, but they were on vacation; however, they have agreed to participate in the formative evaluation for the functional prototype.

4. Description of how you conducted your formative evaluation:

Initially, I contacted four incoming sixth graders and four seventh graders by phone. Two of the girls did not return my calls, and two of the boys were unavailable until mid-July, so I only set appointments with four kids. On June 30, the boys agreed to meet between 3-4 p.m. at the Montrose Library. On July 1, the seventh grade girl’s father brought her to my house in the morning, and the sixth grade girl’s mother brought her to my house in the evening. I conducted my formative evaluation face-to-face, since I decided that this method would yield the richest data. I asked the questions from my design prototype plan, with some slight modifications. One change was the use of a Likert scale 1-5 instead of 1-10. I showed them the design prototype with changes made to the color scheme, typography including font style and font sizes, and choice of images on the home page. Overall, I had six different versions of the homepage in addition to four examples of fonts and navigational changes on some of the other pages. The questions primarily focused on the usability, color scheme, topography, images, and overall content appeal. If the feedback was constructive, I also asked probing questions such as “Why?” or “Could you be more specific?” or “Please explain what you mean.” Each of the meetings generally took about 30-45 minutes.


5. Data Results Question you asked

Summary of the data **

Changes you plan to make to your EdWeb based on this data

1. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1=completely disagree and 5=completely agree, please rate the following statements:

I used the Likert scale for question one. The scale was 1 to 5. 1 was completely disagree and 5 was completely agree.

a. This website would be easy for sixth graders to use.

Mean= 4.25 Range= 4-5 I will focus on making the content easy to navigate.

b. The colors chosen would appeal to sixth graders.

Mean= 3.75 Range= 3-5 I am most surprised by these ratings. 100% felt the color scheme would appeal to sixth graders but could be better. 25% said that the colors should be even brighter, which I do not think should be the case. Since 100% liked the color-coding for each topic, I am going to keep the color scheme that I have but make changes to some of the navigation and link colors.

c. The text is easy to read. Mean= 4.5 Range= 4-5 I will use 20 pt font size instead of 24 pt font size for the main text, and font styles will not change.

d. The images chosen relate to culture.

Mean= 4.25 Range= 3-5 I will definitely focus development of my functional prototype on the cultural symbol objective, as this will most likely have the most


images related to culture. I can then receive constructive and valuable feedback on selected images to aid in developing pages for the other objectives.

e. The activities would be fun. Mean= 4.5 Range= 4-5 I will continue to develop content that I think will be meaningful and engaging for sixth graders.

f. I could learn a lot about culture in this website.

Mean= 4.75 Range= 4-5 I will continue to develop content that I think will be meaningful and engaging for sixth graders.

2. Which home page do you like the best? Why?

� 100% liked the homepage with the #FEB228 background color.

� 25% preferred the collage #1 of people image on the home page, and 75% preferred the clip art image.

� 50% (girls) liked a blue navigational bar with black text, while 50% (boys) liked a white navigational bar with black text.

� 100% liked the blue buttons on the homepage.

I am torn with which home page image to use-collage or clip art painting. Based on my current data, I would select the clip art painting for the homepage. I will have to get more data to decide on white or blue for the navigational bar. If I had to make a decision right now, I would select white for the navigational bar because I personally think it does not distract as much from the content, which should be the primary focus of the home page.

3. Which page of text do you find easier to read? Why?

� 100% liked Verdana for the main text font style.

� 100% liked Bookman Old Style for heading font styles.

� 100% thought both font styles

I will use 20 pt font size instead of 24 pt font size for my main text.


were easy to read. � 75% preferred 20 pt font size

for body text, and 25% preferred 24 pt font size for body text.

4. Describe what you think of when you look at these images. Do the images relate to culture?

� 100% felt that 100% of images on the home page related to culture.

Each individual image in the collage of people from left to right, up and down on the home page was evaluated. (M=Male, F=Female; 7=recent 6th grader, 6=incoming 6th grader) Responses are as follows: 7M: “poverty, religion, loyalty, happiness, concentration, fear, laughing, friendship, dedication.” 6M:”little girl maybe from Africa, serious, happy boys maybe at a festival, I don’t know, good friends, some man maybe in China.” 7F:”thinking a lot, zoning out about something, fun, looking at something in the distance, two best friends, waiting for business.” 6F:”She might be from Africa, sad, happy, nothing for that one, friendship, relaxed.” In the second collage where three of the images were replaced by “less juvenile” images, 100% of

I will change at least three images out of the fifteen shown in the design prototype. I will consider smaller sizes for images in the overall design scheme. I will continue to look for relevant images that specifically relate to culture.


respondents felt that the three changes were not related to culture as well as the original homepage images (as submitted in revised mockup assignment). Additional responses about the collage vs. clip art painting on the home page: 7M: “The collage of people looks too serious, and looks like the site might be difficult. The abstract picture is fun and exciting…I also think the images support the text when the images are smaller.” 6M: “I like the blue better than the collage because it stands out more. The painting is a bunch of people doing different things like culture.” 7F: “The people are cool morphed, but I like the color and contrast of the painting. The painting colors are brighter, but the pictures [in the collage] might help sixth graders know what’s going on.” 6F: “The painting has a whole bunch of colors and a lot of really happy stuff.”

� 100% felt that the fifteen images shown related to culture.

� 25% thought that 1/15 of the


images shown would not appeal to sixth graders.

5. What interests you most within this website? What is your favorite part? Which topic would you explore first? Why?

� 50% (boys) liked the symbol section; 25% liked the traits section, and 25% thought the games would be their favorite.

The symbols section will be the first objective for my functional prototype. It will be important to make the content interesting for girls as well as boys. I should also consider development of at least one game, perhaps the traits matching game and/or the ethnography page of the traditions objective.

6. What do you not like about this website? What would you change? Why?

� 75% mentioned navigation and liked the idea of a next page/previous page at the bottom right corner of each page.

I will certainly make the navigation easier by adding rich navigation. I will add a next page/previous page tab on each page.


6. Reflections: a. What is the most important thing you learned from this assignment? I frankly felt that the process of data collection from my middle school audience would not yield valid and reliable data, but the face-to-face method was incredibly useful. I learned that middle school students are really good at giving feedback; I had underestimated their knowledge of web design. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by the consistency in their responses. Even though I only had data from four kids, it was valuable enough to give me a “snapshot” of the changes that I need to consider for my functional prototype.

b. What will you do differently, if anything, the next time you conduct a formative evaluation, i.e., the formative evaluation of your Functional Prototype the end of July? I will contact my participants earlier in the process, so that I will have a larger timeframe for data collection. Three of the four participants in the formative evaluation of the design prototype have already agreed to be a part of the review of the functional prototype. I will involve more content experts in the evaluation of the functional prototype, and I hope that this will include face-to-face feedback.

c. How are you feeling about your EdWeb? Describe any concerns or problems that are bothering you. My EdWeb is progressing, but I have not been working on content development as much as I would like to be. I am also still torn about which homepage image to use. I am mostly concerned most about my selection of images and navigational issues. I have searched for more images, so I feel a little more confident about my decisions. I am working through the Lynda videos about navigation, so hopefully, by the time that you review this assignment, I will not be struggling as much with navigation. Given other commitments, I hope that I will have enough time to become comfortable with Dreamweaver and CSS to deliver a quality product.


Design Prototype Plan

Color Scheme

Color RGB # Main Purpose

254-178-40 FEB228 Background Homepage

206-89-27 CE591B

Background Culture Topic pages

164-12-38 A40C26

Background Culture Traits pages

143-216-255 8FD8FF

Background Cultural Traditions pages

84-126-186 547EBA

Background Cultural Symbols pages

81-184-82 518B52

Background Glossary pages

00-00-00 00-00-00

Main Title Homepage Main Body Text Borders

255-255-82 FFFF52 Highlighted Text Links Accent Color

255-255-255 FFFFFF Navigation bar Text on some pages

154-4-147 9A0493 Accent Color

Rationale for Color Scheme An image from Microsoft clip art inspired this compound color scheme. I have chosen warm and some cool colors for backgrounds to focus learners. Blues and oranges offer a complementary contrast for the entire site. When I think of culture, I think bright colors are important to emphasize the diversity of people. According to http://www.sibagraphics.com/colour.php, orange is associated with energy and vitality. It stimulates mental activity and is very popular with my pre-teen audience. The website also said that orange helps images seem closer and larger but should not be over-used. The selection of the other colors for the backgrounds of the various topics will help color-code the site by topics, helping to make the pages easier to navigate. The pages that involve the analysis of images will have orange hues as backgrounds, and


the pages where image analysis is not as critical will involve blue hues. Blue is least disliked by the world’s cultures. In addition, brain research notes the calming effect of blue hues, offering harmony in the design for active middle schoolers. The school colors of black and maroon have also been incorporated into the design so that students associate website content with overall school culture goals (possibly activating background knowledge). Black was chosen for the main text color, as it provides strong contrast with all of the selected background colors. The usage of black, white, and yellow helps maintain a professional appearance. Typography Bookman Old Style, a serif typeface, will be used for my title, headings, and highlighted parts of the text. The style maintains its ability to be read at even small sizes, and readability is critical to my audience. In addition, this typeface seems formal yet fun looking, and does appeal to my audience. The serif style contrasts nicely with Verdana, a very readable sans serif font for body text. Based on results from the formative evaluation for the design prototype, the font sizes will be 20 pt, or Verdana 3, for body text. According to Jakob Nielsen in the “Usability of Websites for Teenagers” published January 31, 2005 ( based on the Nielsen Norman Group Report of “Teenagers on the Web: 61 Usability Guidelines for Creating Compelling Websites for Teens”), teenagers “don't like to read a lot on the Web… Even though most teens are sufficiently sharp-eyed, they move too quickly and are too easily distracted to attend to small text.” The choice of this font size will help my learners maintain focus and interest.

Navigation Scheme By clicking on the buttons of the navigation bar found at the top of the homepage and at the top of each topic page, you can navigate through the topic lessons. In addition, blue buttons are found next to lesson descriptions in the center of the homepage.

Home page navigation bar

Home page buttons

On each lesson page (for example, culture.html), a menu bar below the banner lists each activity in the lesson. Back and next page buttons are also on the bottom right corner of each activity page, helping you to navigate from each activity.

Menu bar example

Back and next page buttons


Navigation Diagram

Lesson Pages

Activities

Readability Statistics For the readability test, I pasted the following EdWeb text into Word: Groups of people express their behaviors, beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and values differently. Those expressions are their culture. Your culture is how you express yourself and how you relate to the world around you. By matching cultural traits to the traditions that they represent, you’ll learn about traditions from around the world. People show their culture through the characteristics, or culture traits, of their culture. Culture traits can be learned or passed down, and many of them are based on symbols. Culture changes and sometimes traits have to adapt. How many cultures will you explore? It’s like “The Amazing Race.” Click on the images on the world below and unlock what each symbol reveals about its culture.

Homepage

Culture culture.html

Glossary glossary.html

Symbols symbols.html

Traditions traditions.html

Traits traits.html

Example Links Resources Credits

Ethnography Field Studies

Define Culture

Field Trip

Game

Matching Game

Map

Rubric

Your Symbol


The Flesch Reading Ease score is 65.9, and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score is 6.9. Since the EdWeb audience targets sixth graders at mid-year, the scores reveal that I am developing appropriately leveled literacy content, even a little above their instructional level. With text revisions, I will need to include modifications and accommodations so that I address the instructional reading level needs of readers who are below grade level. This might include more vocabulary support through hyperlinks to the glossary page, along with careful attention to dual coding, and text highlights to emphasize important information. Running readability tests on all sections of my EdWeb will provide data to help maintain the right reading level of content.

ADA What is the most important thing you learned about ADA compliance? People with disabilities need to have accessibility to websites. By running the ADA compliance test, web designers have a very useful tool to help make their sites more accessible. For example, I ran an accessibility test on just my home page. I discovered that there are numerous ways that I can make my site more accommodating. Some major techniques include adding alt text so images have text descriptors, ensuring enough contrast between foreground and background colors, and not using the same link phrase when the links point to different URLs. These are certainly manageable revisions that I can make to improve my site. The key of accessibility is consistency in structure and other ways to access the content.

Functional Prototype: Formative Evaluation Plan

1. Process My process involved making phone calls and e-mailing participants. I arranged individual meeting times for three students, but, due to availability, I had to e-mail five other students to evaluate the functional prototype during the last two weeks of July. I received feedback from three of the five e-mailed students. In addition, I e-mailed twenty SMEs, planning on e-mail feedback from at least two of the experts and face-to-face meetings with at least two experts. Fortunately, I received e-mail feedback from almost half of the SMEs, and I was able to meet face-to-face with two of the SMEs.

2. Participants My participants included six middle school students. I had two incoming female sixth graders and two incoming male sixth graders review the functional prototype. In addition, I had one female and one male who just finished sixth grade give feedback. My content experts, who responded by e-mail and/or phone were: Jessica Blacker, elementary literacy expert; Kirk Henwood, district director of instructional services; David/Jane Ryan, 6th grade SPED teacher and counselor; Mary Kay Richardson, 6th grade literacy expert; Susan Beutler, former elementary technology teacher; Judy Reeves, district elearning content developer for the Jefferson County School District in Kentucky; Hallie Tauman, retired fifth grade teacher in Phoenix; Delores Redman, retired district elearning developer for Jefferson County Schools; and Kim Redman, cultural anthropologist. Although many of my content experts are educators at Centennial Middle School or in the Montrose School District, I had about 30% of my SME feedback from people outside of the district.


3. Formative Evaluation Questions

For students: Using the Likert scale of 1 to 5, with 1=completely disagree and 5= completely agree, rate the following statements: 1. I understand the learning goals of this website. 2. The content of the pages is easy to understand. 3. The navigation is clear and easy to use. 4. I knew what I was supposed to do on every page. 5. The pictures connect to the content activities. � If a student responds with 1-2 on any question, then I will ask them to

explain why and describe what he/she would do to improve the topic.

Mastery Test Questions Based on the activities that you just participated in, answer the following questions: 1. Define culture. 2. What resources did you find most helpful to describe culture? 3. If you had to create a cultural symbol, describe what you would draw or

please draw your cultural symbol on this piece of paper. Explain parts of your symbol.

Open-ended questions: 1. What did you like most/least about the navigation? 2. What pages were difficult to understand? 3. How would you change the content or activities? 4. Are there any images that you would change? 5. What would make this website more functional? 6. Do you have any other comments or suggestions? For SMEs:

Using the Likert scale of 1 to 5, with 1= completely disagree and 5= completely agree, rate the following statements: 1. The learning goals of the website are clear. 2. The content is appropriate and respects cultural diversity. 3. The navigation is clear and easy to use. 4. The visuals are appropriately chosen. 5. The visuals connect to the content and learning goals.

� If you rated any of the above statements with a 1-2, please explain your reasoning. Be as specific as possible.


Open-ended questions: Please respond to the following questions. Keep in mind that the target population is mid-year sixth graders at Centennial Middle School. Be as specific as possible. 1. Are there errors on any of the pages? 2. How would you change the content or activities? 3. Are there any images that you would change? 4. What would make this website more functional? 5. Do you have suggestions about how the content could be better

differentiated (especially for SPED, ELL, struggling reading populations)? 6. Do you have any other comments or suggestions for improvement?


Data Results- Student Formative Evaluation of Functional Prototype Question you asked



1. Survey questions On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1=completely disagree and 5=completely agree, please rate the following statements:


a. I understand the learning goals of this website.

Mean= 4.67 Range= 4-5 I will continue to follow my learning goals as I develop the content.

b. The content of the pages is easy to understand.

Mean= 5 Range= 5 I will continue to develop meaningful and relevant content.

c. The navigation is clear and easy to use.

Mean= 4.33 Range= 3-5 It seems that navigation may still need to be improved.

d. I knew what I was supposed to do on every page.

Mean= 4 Range= 3-5 I will need to focus on rich navigational strategies and make sure that directions of what to do on each page are clear. Whether the low ratings (on the previous question and this one) are due to concerns with navigation or incomplete content is unclear. Since 100% of respondents rated the content as easy to understand, I have to assume


that the problem is navigation. After finishing the content and running another formal evaluation, I will address changes based on new data.

e. The pictures connect to the content activities.

Mean= 4.67 Range= 4-5 I will continue to use dual coding in creating content matched to my learning objectives.

2. Mastery Test Questions Based on the activities that you

just participated in, answer the

following questions:

a. Define culture. � 83% of respondents were able to define culture with varied personalized responses:

“It’s …everything that a person does” “Culture is like people’s attitudes and what they feel.” “I don’t know.” “I think it has to do with people and their different ways of doing things.” “It’s how groups learn about each other.” “Where you come from”

Making the links functional and creating the define culture activity directions should help students be able to accomplish this learning objective.

b. What resources did you find most helpful to describe culture?

� 100% of respondents stated that the introduction and the culture pages were the most helpful resources; however,

I plan to fix the links; in fact, I have the page of links functional in Dreamweaver. I am still working on the CSS for this


67% also mentioned that the links did not work.

page.

c. If you had to create a cultural symbol, describe what you would draw or please draw your cultural symbol on this piece of paper. Explain parts of your symbol.

� Only 17% of respondents were able to complete this test question.

Since the cultural symbols content was not fully developed, I will continue to develop this content and then perform another formative evaluation based on this section.

3. Open-ended Questions

a. What did you like most/least about the navigation?

� 100% liked the back page and next page arrows.

� 100% mentioned the navigational bar as being useful.

� 67% said that the links did not work or mentioned that the links caused some confusion.

I will keep my navigational bar and arrows on each page. I will add rollovers and create color changes for changed links. I will consider color scheme changes within my navigational bar, including changed states.

b. What pages were difficult to understand?

� 100% said that none of the pages were difficult to understand.

I will continue to run readability assessments as I develop my content to insure that I making accessible learning activities. Since one student mentioned that there was “just the right amount of text” on each page, I will not overload my pages with too much text.

c. How would you change the content or activities?

� 17% wanted to see the traits and traditions activities,

I will focus on developing multimedia resources in IT5680,


especially the games. � 33% mentioned the need for

videos and more resources available in the content.

especially video and animation. I will ask SMEs for more resources.

d. Are there any images that you would change?

� 100% said that they would change no images.

� 17% noticed some of the image changes from the design prototype and commented favorably on the revisions.

(M=Male, F=Female; 7=recent 6th grader, 6=incoming 6th grader) 7M: “All of the images relate to the activity you are about to do.” 6F: “ I really liked the pics on your website.” 6M: “good images.”

I will continue to use dual coding.

e. What would make this website more functional?

� 83% mentioned that functional links would make the website more functional.

I am working on making the links all functional.

f. Do you have any other comments or suggestions?

� Only 50% of respondents had additional comments or suggestions.

(M=Male, F=Female; 7=recent 6th grader, 6=incoming 6th grader) 7M: “I am sure that the website will be great when you all the games and all the other activities.” 6F: ”There were some great pictures.” 6F: “I really like the reading parts and


using the top.”

Data Results- SME Formative Evaluation of Functional Prototype Question you asked



1. Survey questions On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1=completely disagree and 5=completely agree, please rate the following statements:


a. The learning goals of the website are clear.

Mean=4.71 Range= 4-5 I will continue to follow my learning goals as I develop the content.

b. The content is appropriate and respects cultural diversity.

Mean=4.71 Range= 4-5 I will continue to develop meaningful and relevant content, but I need to be more specific in explaining the focus of the course on the homepage. The primary goal of introducing culture is tied to the curriculum of the Eastern Hemisphere, but some SMEs commented that the images and content should include Native Americans and Europeans. Looking at the home page through their eyes, I would


have made the same assumption.

c. The navigation is clear and easy to use.

Mean=4.86 Range= 4-5 It seems that navigation is clear for my SMEs, but not as clear for sixth graders. The incorporation of rich navigational strategies should improve overall website usability.

d. The visuals are appropriately chosen.

Mean=4.71 Range= 3-5 Since inclusiveness was a concern in some of the comments, I am hoping that a more specific explanation of the course purpose on the home page will clarify the selection of images.

e. The visuals connect to the content and learning goals.

Mean=4.71 Range= 4-5 I will continue to use dual coding in creating content matched to my learning objectives.


2. Open-Ended Questions Please respond to the following questions. Keep in mind that the target population is mid-year sixth graders at Centennial Middle School. Be as specific as possible. Based on the activities that you just participated in, answer the following questions:

a. Are there errors on any of the pages?

� 43% responded that there were no errors.

� 57% said that errors were related to the lack of functional links:

One respondent said, “I did not see errors, but I was unable to connect to many of the links. We are having computer issues, so that may be a function of our computer.”

Making the links functional and creating the remainder of the content should address this feedback.

b. How would you change the content or activities?

� 43% mentioned that the links need changed.

“I might add some Native Americans and Europeans.” “Hard to say when the links are not set up yet. I like the idea of a matching game. “

I plan to fix the links; in fact, I have the page of culture links functional in Dreamweaver. I am still working on the CSS for this page.


“Just complete it.” “I love the colors and pictures.” “I liked everything that I saw, but some links were broken, so it is hard to say if I would change anything.” “I loved the choices in the content.” “Many of the links do not work. I realize that this may be due to the fact that it is a work in progress…”

c. Are there any images that you would change?

� 57% thought that no images should be changed.

� 29% wanted more inclusive images.

� 14% thought that one graphic should be changed.

“I might add some Native Americans and Europeans.” “No, they’re engaging and diverse.” “No, good images.” “No, I really liked the globe with images.” “No, I loved the images.” “I would change the culture links page graphic. It does not seem to fit with the other graphics.” “Images are good but seem to lean toward Asian cultures. It would be good to find some other cultures…”

I will continue to search and include inclusive, representative images in my content. I will address inclusiveness in the text explanation on the home page. I will find another more representative graphic for the culture links page.


d. What would make this website more functional?

� 71% mentioned links somewhere in their answer.

“Working links.” “Will one of the links provide questions to students to help them discover the aspects of their own culture? For example: How do you value time? Or other questions about family, or money? Also, will there be examples of a cultural generalization of ethnic groups and what makes their culture unique and sometimes opposite in beliefs when being compared? For example, Hawaiians (in general) are highly family oriented, time is not of importance, and they have a small body-space “bubble.” In contrast, an Anglo from the mainland U.S. tends to be lower on the family scale, very high when it comes to importance of time, and a medium sized body-space “bubble.” These questions and examples may help the reader make connections between the content of the site and themselves.” “Just complete it.” “Nothing. Big thumbs up so far. I’d like to see the final product.” “Having all of the links work.” “I did not notice, but links to real life videos tied to the specific learning

I will take all of the comments into consideration. I will make my links functional and relevant. I plan to incorporate multimedia. I will correct the navigational concerns, as well as add obvious changed link colors.


objective would be impressive to show the culture in action/reality so to say.” “The rubric page needs a navigation button or a statement to use the back arrow on the browser.”

e. Do you have suggestions about how the content could be better differentiated (especially for SPED, ELL, struggling reading populations)?

� 43% suggested the addition of vocabulary support.

� 43% had no suggestions. � 29% suggested the addition of

sound. “Adding sound.” “I guess making sure to have pronunciation guides for difficult words. Perhaps that will come into play on the glossary page.” “Not at this time.” “No, I think it was clear enough for most students to use independently.” “No.” “A sidebar of vocabulary critical with a hotlink for various language translations and examples would be cool.” “Include a mouse over so the definitions of difficult words will pop up, add sound with the option for the text to be read, include pictures on the glossary page (which has a 404 error

I will continue to run readability assessments as I develop my content to insure that I making accessible learning activities. I will learn how to add vocabulary strategies. I like the last expert’s list of suggestions, so I will certainly explore those options.


so I can not see it) to illustrate the definition.”

f. Do you have any other comments or suggestions for improvement?

“I love the artwork on the home page! I also like your unlock symbol used on the examples page.” “Besides providing examples and asking specific questions like I explained in number four above, is there a place to include nonverbal behavior? For instance, a handshake or bow is indicative of culture. The map with symbols and the rubric are great! Again, the web site has engaging visuals and an interesting topic. It made me excited to learn more.” “Great visuals and easy to navigate around.” “I loved the globe and the Amazing Race comparison. I would have enjoyed seeing the links.” “You have put in a lot of work. Be sure to put navigation on pages to get back to Home when you get all your links built.” “I suggest that you make the items on each a page a little smaller so the entire page can be seen without scrolling on a smaller monitor. I have an extended screen laptop and still

I will take all of these comments and suggestions for improvement into consideration.


need to use the scroll bar. The navigation buttons located at the bottom of each page do not show unless the reader scrolls down the page.” “Each of the areas represents a goal and each is very clear and detailed. The content is free of bias and respects all cultures. A definition of culture in general as a goal is broad and respectful. The visuals include a variety of cultures. They are colorful, engaging, and full of energy.”

Dual Coding and the Picture Superiority Effect Dual Coding is vital to web page design. When visuals and text support one another, people remember information better. The picture superiority effect is basically the adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” People remember images more than they will remember text. Selection of the right graphics can make a web page more effective.

Functional Prototype Graphics Screen Screen Shot Image Description

Category

Home page Navigational bar Organizational Home page

Microsoft clip art Decorative

Home page

Blue Buttons Organizational

Culture page Navigational bar Organizational


Culture page

African child Representative

Culture page

Teenager praying Representative

Culture page

Boys with masks Representative

Culture page

Boy from India Representative

Culture page

Little girls laughing Representative

Culture page

Chinese man and writing Representative

Culture page

Next page button Organizational

Culture links page Navigational bar Organizational Culture links page

Vector art of researchers Decorative

Culture links page

Back page button Organizational

Culture links page


Traits page Navigational bar Organizational Traits page

Photo of people in crowd Representative

Traits page



Traditions page Navigational bar Organizational

Traditions page

Family photo Representative

Traditions page

Parade of uniformed girls Representative

Traditions page

Buddhist performing ritual Representative

Traditions page


Symbols page Navigational bar Organizational

Symbols page

Times Square signs Representative

Symbols page


Examples1 page Navigational bar Organizational

Examples1 page

Dragon from Singapore Representative

Examples1 page

Lock symbol Representative

Examples1 page

Old City Jerusalem Representative


Examples1 page

Arabic writing Representative

Examples1 page

Indian elephant Representative

Examples1 page

Chinese gate Representative

Examples1 page


Examples1 page


Examples 2 page Still acquiring images around Montrose, CO Photos of cultural symbols Representative Map page Navigational bar Organizational Map page

Vector art of a runner Decorative

Map page

Arabic script Representative

Map page

The Sphinx Representative

Map page

West African boats Representative

Map page

South African architecture Representative

Map page

Dome of the Rock Representative


Map page

Arabic script Representative

Map page

Muslims around Makkah Representative

Map page

Fish in Korean temple Representative

Map page

Chinese pagoda Representative

Map page

stupa Representative

Map page

Buddha Representative

Map page

Rickshaw in Bangladesh Representative

Map page

Puja art Representative

Map page

Angkor Wat Representative

Map page

Japanese temple Representative

Map page

Sydney Opera House Representative

Map page



Map page


Rubric page

Rubric at www.4teachers.org Organizational

Your Symbol page Navigational bar Organizational

Your Symbol page To be created Example drawing of symbol Interpretive Your Symbol page To be created Labels on drawing Interpretive Your Symbol page


Your Symbol page



Reflections: Site and Page Critiques The feedback I received on the functional prototype of my EdWeb was reliable and valid. Both agreed that I applied CARP well, except for some issues with “white space.” Both said that I was dual coding and that my content aligned with learning objectives. Their comments seemed to be similar to data results received during the formative evaluation. Navigation and usability were the two major concerns, which I plan to address in the future development of my EdWeb. The most important thing I learned from critiquing two of my colleagues' functional prototypes was that details are just as important as the overall final product. Having to use the checklist of questions made me focus my attention on all of the details important to page design and usability. CARP, navigation, and content development are critical to the overall formative evaluation. In evaluating the two prototypes, I realized that I need to have more consistency in my overall site interface design. Both websites that I looked at had good organization, effective navigation, and functional links; I would like to focus on these concerns in my own design.

Future Plans for EdWeb My formative evaluations, in addition to the site and page critique feedback, will drive my content development and organization of the overall site interface. As most student participants and SMEs felt that the learning goals are clear and that dual coding is being applied effectively, I can now focus on navigation and strategies for the differentiation and further development of appropriate, inclusive content. Specifically, functional links within the navigation was an area for improvement. Perhaps a good strategy would be to develop the remainder of my first culture objective, since it has many links. I could then accomplish two goals: strengthening my skills of applying HTML and CSS within Dreamweaver while creating a prototype for the development of content links that students and SMEs could then re-evaluate. Once I received feedback on the developed links, then I could incorporate multimedia for the define culture activity page. In the meantime, I could be developing the necessary content for the cultural symbols pages, especially the text and images for the map activity. Since I have already acquired the local images for the examples pages and have already developed the rubric for the activity, this learning objective would be the next logical one to complete for prototyping. Website and instructional design is art and science; it is a careful balancing act between focusing on all the details while taking steps to create the overall “big picture”. At this point, I think I will be caught up in the details while moving toward the larger goal of developing a quality project that I can proud of in the future. During the few weeks break before the next course begins, my best plan would be to create a checklist of my future EdWeb goals along with a timeline for how to best achieve them. I will specifically look at my detailed comments in the third column of the data results from my formative evaluation to synthesize and summarize the overall “big picture.”

analysis and design document

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