1. Understanding Student Preferences to Help Inform Online Course Design
Amy

2. Who We Are
Amy Garbrick—Director, Learning Design; College of Information Sciences and Technology
Dr. Vicki Williams—Assessment Manager; Teaching & Learning with Technology
Ronda Reid—Instructional Designer; College of Information Sciences and Technology
Jana Hitchcock—Instructional Designer; World Campus
Amy - mention Andrea on core research team

3. Community of Support
Thank you for support from WC, TLT, IST, EMS, and LA
Image:
Amy -- thanks especially to Terry at TLT and Kate at WC for support in funding for GAs to analyze the data, gift cards, travel to present at conferences.

4. Today’s Agenda
Why Ask?
SP16 Study: Online Learners’ Canvas Preferences Survey
SP17 Study: Revised Course Design Pilot
Questions and Discussion
Amy -- this presentation is about study #2 and #3 on handout -- previously talked about #1 study but go to website to learn more

5. Why ask? Don’t we know best? We are the instructors.
We are the designers.
Don’t we know best?
Why ask?
Amy -- effort started with IST course template design and is wondering “we think this is best but what do students think?”

6. Yes, but we all bring different perspectives
Amy: Speak to why this is helpful to understand different perspectives?
Image:

7. What do you (or would you) typically use as your Canvas course home page?
For example
Amy

8. 1: Recent Activity 2: Course Syllabus 3: Branded Landing Page
Amy: Show of hands; change to 1, 2, 3, 4; See--we all have different preferences
3: Branded Landing Page
4: Modules

9. Why understanding preferences is important
Learn more about our students’ preferences & practices
Build more intuitive designs that help remove unnecessary distraction from learning objectives
Why understanding preferences is important
Vicki: Transition from use to preference

10. Learner Preferences Survey
What are learner preferences for design decisions in Canvas?
Particularly:
Course home page
Syllabus treatment
Navigation
Learner Preferences Survey
Spring 2016
Vicki

11. The Basic Facts April 4 - May 21, 2016 IRB study
Help of Dr. Jessica Kropczynski, College of IST
Mix of screenshots, ratings, and open-ended text questions
Canvas Home page preferences
Syllabus page and components
Navigation preferences and order
Open questions regarding the perception of “community”
Vicki

12. The Basic Facts Initial pilot to 50 students
Finalized survey distributed to 4,900 World Campus students who took at least one SP16 Canvas course
Response rate: slightly more than 10%
Students who completed survey were entered into a drawing to win one of five $25 gift certificates to Amazon.com
Vicki

13. Examples from Survey
Vicki

14. Major finding One Word: EFFICIENCY Vicki

15. Findings: Efficiency Home Page
Modules was the most preferred landing page
Rated high for course engagement, helpfulness, and usefulness
Nittany Lion welcome page was the least preferred
But rated highest for attractiveness
The most important things to see on home page are
(1) due dates
(2) the course outline
(3) timely instructions
Vicki

16. Findings: Efficiency Syllabus
Brief text with Course Summary visible was most preferred
Easy navigation and clean, short organized format
More than 80% of the students said it is VERY important that the Course Summary be easy to find
Want to print syllabus
Navigation
Preferred navigational order:
(1) Assignments
(2) Grades
(3) Modules
Vicki

17. So now what? Lather Rinse Repeat Ronda
Image:

18. Revised Course Design: The Pilot
Spring 2016 survey: students made decisions in isolation
What would happen if we gave them all of their preferences in one course?
Revised Course Design: The Pilot
Spring 2017
RondaL SP16 was done in isolation--do things change at all when students have all of their preferences in a live course?

19. The Basic Facts February 14 - March 6, 2017
Students course had all three student preferences indicated in SP16. Surveyed students regarding their thoughts on their pilot course
EMS, IST, Liberal Arts, and World Campus
Pilot contains approximately +1,000 students
216 respondents to survey
Survey participants will have a chance to win one of five $25 gift certificates to Amazon.com
Ronda: Results so hot and fresh, I don’t even know them...but Vicki Williams does...

20. Examples from Survey
Ronda: Like before...Screenshots and questions, but asked students to relate to information in their PILOT course. Mixed methods.

21. Preliminary info
Vicki

22. SP2017
Assignments
Announcements
Modules
Home
Grades
Syllabus
Discussions
Quizzes
Files
Pages
People
Conferences
Spring 2017
Compared to the Spring 2016 results, the ranking of Navigation items changed slightly. The top three items remain Assignments, Modules, and Grades.
Announcements increased in importance, while Syllabus moved down; but People, Pages, Files, and Conferences remain the least important items.
Vicki

23. Results...
Hope the information can be used to inform best practices of Canvas course design and set-up that could be used across Penn State
Adopted best practices may lead to a more consistent course experience for students
Reduce a learning curve for getting to know each course/layout
Jana

24. So now what?
With SP16 and preliminary SP17 information, College of IST will change course template for SU17
Pulling together more info to help inform best practices
Jana

25. Future Questions and Explorations?
What topics, concepts, and/or ideas do YOU think should be explored next?
Future Questions and Explorations?
Jana

26. Questions & Discussion (https://sites.psu.edu/uxcanvas/)
Image:
Jana