Prioritizing User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) in education makes accessing educational tools easier and more enjoyable for students and teachers alike, ultimately enhancing the learning experience. User Experience testing Our online students interact with their courses through the University virtual learning environment, Blackboard Learn. We wanted to know more about the experience these students have when navigating through their courses. For example, is it easy for them to find the learning resources they need? What obstacles do online students encounter when they have to submit an assessment? This project borrowed research methods from the field of User Experience (UX) Design to help us answer these questions. Using PTAS funding, we drew on support from the University’s UX Service to help us survey and interview a cohort of online postgraduate students. Over 100 students responded to our top tasks survey and our interviews helped us to understand student needs in relation to the virtual learning environment. We used the findings to create a style guide for our postgraduate courses that would ultimately make our students’ lives easier. Read more about the project at: Using UX research methods to inform online course design at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies Course audits, quality assurance and accessibility checking form an ongoing part of how the DEU ensure a high-quality student experience and best practises in pedagogy. This article was published on 2024-09-02
