WebCT? ..Moodle?..Knowledge Garden..
These systems provide more than just URLs for locating content; they provide containers that shape both content and experience (Feldstein, n.d.)
To me the design of the ‘containers’ play an important part in the ‘experience’ I have never been a big fan of WebCT, from a user and designer point of view, as I found it too restrictive in design and scope. However I have subconsciously become accustomed to the uniformity of its design and icons and orientation. Orientation refers to the visitors’ ability to easily determine exactly where they are in the site at any time (Krug, 2000). On reflection, I have realized that, in Krug’s (2000) words, WebCT ‘doesn’t make me have to think’- I know exactly how the discussion posts will look, I intuitive know the icon for assignment submission etc…. which from a pedagogical point of view means that learners can spend more time working with the content rather than the tool.
First impressions of the Moodle experience is that it has a natural flow of information and a more web-natural look and feel. Guenther (2004), De Troyer (2001) and others have emphasized that sites should be designed for their audience, and this holds true for emerging education technology tools. This shallow design has clear navigation and explanation of labels and links for ease of student use. From a designer point of view, the freeware might lack the ‘bells and whistles’, and I am yet to discover if I am missing some vital element that WebCT has that as a student I just cannot live without.
Knowledge Garden is in a word…overwhelming. Consistent and well laid out key elements are fundamental to creating a good experience for the user. (Guenther, 2004). This text based system perhaps has a different purpose, which seems to be purely information driven. I need meaningful categories with meaningful labels, headings, white spaces and display elements to organise and help me predict the what, why, when, how and who of the overwhelming amout of information. It will take me time to learn the system – perhaps the Knowledge Garden has grown into a jungle, needing some pruning, weeding and replanting!
Krug, S. (2000). Don’t make me think: a common sense approach to web usability. Indiana: New Riders.
De-Troyer, O. (2001) Audience driven web design. Retrieved April 14, 2006 from Vrije Universitiet Brussels Web Site: http://wsdm.vub.ac.be/Download/Papers/WISDOM/WSDMChapter.PDF
Feldstein, M. (n.d.) Course management systems and pedagogical models. Retrieved November 19, 2007 from e-Literate – What Michael Feldstein is learning about online learning..online:
http://www.mfeldstein.com/course_management_systems_and_pedagogical_models/
Guenther, K. (2004). Web site management. Online, 28 (1), 54-56. Retrieved April 12, 2006 from Ebsco Host database
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