GIT480 Senior Project Oral Defense ANALYZING COURSE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY USED FOR ONLINE CLASSES

1. GIT480 Senior Project Oral Defense ANALYZING COURSE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY USED FOR ONLINE CLASSES Presented By: Erika Sievers Arizona State UniversityDepartment of Graphic Information Technology Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

2. Biographical Introduction • Major Field of Study: Web Design and Development/Animation • Graduation Date: May 11, 2015 • Faculty Mentor: Dr. Thomas Schildgen, Professor • Employment: • Barista at Starbucks, Glendale, Arizona • Merchandiser at Macy’s, Glendale, Arizona • Cabana Attendant at Wet N Wild, Phoenix, Arizona Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

3. Biographical Introduction Continued • Career Aspirations Upon Graduation: Game Designer • Special Interest in Senior Project Topic: Experience with different types of Course Management Systems, an interest in finding out what aspects would make these systems thrive. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

4. Chapter 1 – Introduction – Title Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes By: Erika Sievers February 26, 2018 Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

5. Chapter 1 – Introduction – Statement of the Problem The objective of this research is to analyze and determine if Blackboard is the best course management system to host online courses for colleges such as Arizona State University. This research will showcase both the advantages and the disadvantages of Blackboard and will use these points to advance the functionality of this software. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

6. Chapter 1 – Introduction – Statement of the Problem (continued) • Is Blackboard an effective course management system for online students? • What resources are needed to improve the user experience with Blackboard? • Is there a usability problem that exists with Blackboard or with the instructors? • What are the available alternatives to Blackboard? • What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Blackboard over their competitors such as Canvas?  Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

7. Chapter 1 – Introduction – Limitations The study was limited by time and resource constraints such as the inability to send out a usability survey campus-wide. This caused small research populations. The course is seven and a half weeks long. This is not enough time for the researcher to collect and analyze usability surveys from every student in the class. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

8. Chapter 1 – Introduction – Key Terms Accessibility - Features that increase software usability for users with certain impairments (“Accessibility”). Feedback – Notifying the user about any successes or failures as a result of their input or actions. Information Architecture – This is the focus on “organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and sustainable way” (Information Architecture Basics, 2013). Learnability – “interfaces that don’t require instructions or even a long process of trial and error to figure them out” (Principles of Website Usability, 2018). Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

9. Chapter 1 – Introduction – Key Terms (continued) Learning Management System (LMS) – A software application used to organize and distribute e-learning materials, assignments, and assessments; track and calculate grades; and facilitate communication among students and teachers (Learning Management System). Navigation – The route that a website uses to help the user travel from one page to another page of the website. Usability – Ensuring that the user can accomplish certain tasks that are presented on a website. User Experience (UX) – “The perception and response of a person toward design elements of software or digital media while interacting with it” (“User Experience”). Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

10. Chapter 2 – Review of Related Literature – Website Usability • Usability is about ensuring that websites, as well as any features that are included, work well. • The average person with minimal experience could use the website or program without experiencing frustration or error. • Usability testing is crucial when developing Learning Management Systems. • Usability testing allows the participant to complete tasks on a website or program without any guidance. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

11. Chapter 2 – Review of Related Literature – Course Website Usability • Usability is an issue when choosing Learning Management System for online education. • In the case of Blackboard, the visitors are the students enrolled in a particular course, so usability is now focused on a specific group • The course builder needs to ensure that the course is well-organized, has useful menus, and the content is properly named to make it easier to be found (“An Introduction to Usability”, 2017) Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

12. Chapter 2 – Review of Related Literature – Learning Management Systems • Most colleges and universities utilize the eLearning programs. • The Learning Management programs not only take the place of the traditional classroom, but it also enables the course directors to track and analyze data within their course shell. • The use of a Learning Management System brings more learning responsibility to the student. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

13. Chapter 3 – Methodology – Survey Instrument and Data Collection Survey Instrument • Used an electronic survey instrument (Google Forms) • The eighteen-question survey was sent to the students of the online course GIT 480 at Arizona State University • The survey respondents were given one week to respond to the survey. The survey began on February 7th and closed on February 14th. • The survey respondents remained anonymous. Data Collection • The total survey responses are shown as percentages, numerical totals, or short answers. • Due to the small population of respondents, all of the data is presented to ensure that all answers can be observed. • Google Forms compiled the results into visually appealing and readable charts. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

14. Chapter 3 – Methodology – Documentary Analysis • There are three documents analyzed in this study that were created by: • FinancesOnline: This site presented comparisons of Blackboard Learn, Moodle, and Canvas • Emory Libraries and Information Technology: This University compared Canvas to Blackboard Learn • iSpring Solutions, Inc.: This article compared features of Blackboard Learn and Moodle. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

15. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project – Response Rate of Survey • There were a total of 16 anonymous survey respondents. • The survey remained open from February 7, 2018 to February 14, 2018. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

16. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project – Usability Survey Summaries Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

17. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project - Usability Survey Summaries (continued) Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

18. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project - Usability Survey Summaries (continued) Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

19. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project - Usability Survey Summaries(continued) Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

20. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project - Usability Survey Summaries(continued) Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

21. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project - Usability Survey Summaries (continued) Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

22. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project – Data Analysis • The results of the documentary analysis demonstrate that Blackboard is an effective course management system for online students. • Blackboard is customizable to the degree that it can meet the needs of many universities. • In comparing Blackboard, Canvas, and Moodle, the usability of these systems is dependent upon the University. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

23. Chapter 4 – Results of the Project – Difficulties Encountered • The entire population of survey participants was comprised of all online students. There was not much variety in experience of using Learning Management Systems. • The majority of the participants have not experienced any Learning Management Systems other than Blackboard Learn. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

24. Chapter 5 – Conclusions • Blackboard is an effective course management system for online students. It has many features that are designed to be customized to best suit the educational organization. Students tend to prefer Blackboard over Canvas and Moodle. • Usability testing is needed to improve the user experience with Blackboard. Many useful features are available, but need to be adjusted for the students to be able to successfully perform their online activities. Feedback from frequent users would help to adjust the system to fit the needs of each student. • The usability problem appears to result from the instructors’ designs of the course within the course shell. Faculty members must take the time to reconstruct their courses to enhance usability. Consistency is necessary to prevent students from relearning the site map for each class. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

25. Chapter 5 – Conclusions (continued) • The available alternatives to Blackboard include systems such as Canvas and Moodle. There are a vast amount of Learning Management Systems available, but these three systems are the most used in universities. • Blackboard has an initial disadvantage over Moodle because Moodle is a free Learning Management System. This drawback seems to diminish as Universities realize the extra amount of money required to support the Moodle system in the Informational Technology sector. Blackboard has the advantage over Canvas because it has been around much longer and already cemented in universities across the globe. The advantages of Canvas must outweigh the cost of removing Blackboard and starting from scratch. This research shows that Blackboard and Canvas are very comparable in their features and pricing. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

26. Chapter 5 – Recommendations • Universities should conduct ongoing usability testing of their selected Learning Management System. Feedback from the actual users is of utmost importance. • Usability tests must be an actual performance test of the website. The performance test must be conducting identically for all participants. The results of the performance test should be analyzed and necessary changes should be made to the Learning Management Systems. If the Learning Management system cannot meet the needs of the students, a new system should be implemented. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

27. Chapter 5 – Recommendations (continued) • Blackboard Learn must showcase consistency in navigation. Teachers are given too much freedom in deciding where they can place the content necessities for the course. Students should not have to relearn the site navigation for each class they are enrolled in. Universities should receive feedback from students on which navigation links they feel are the most important and ensure that every teacher’s site is formatted the same. • To improve this study, it is recommended that an actual usability test be given to students currently enrolled in online classes. There should be a separate test for each Learning Management System, and students must actually perform required tasks and give feedback. Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes

28. Thank You Questions? Analyzing Course Management Technology Used for Online Classes