Aesthetic and performance aspects of Web -based distance learning technology.

This dissertation describes one focus group study and three controlled experiments designed to evaluate aesthetic and performance aspects of Web-based distance learning (WBDL) technology from the perspective of engineering undergraduate students. The focus group study examined the views and perceptions of engineering students on educational technology in general and WBDL in particular. This study showed that students were able to accurately describe educational technology but had many misconceptions on distance learning, suggesting that the on-campus community needs to be better educated on what distance learning is and how it works. Experiment 1 examined the impact of several aesthetic/appearance characteristics of WBDL environments on information recall and perceived content difficulty. The results show that appearance/aesthetic judgments of WBDL modules offer additional insights into the effectiveness of instructional methods beyond traditional performance measures. Experiment 2 examined the impact of the length and delivery modality (video, audio or text) of instructional Web modules (segments of lectures) on information recall, persistence, perceived content difficulty, aesthetic appeal, and perceived module length. The results showed no difference in information recall between the different module lengths and formats; but as module length increased, participants were more likely to not complete the modules. Experiment 3 measured simplicity, visual attractiveness, organization, clarity, and excitement dimensions in a simulated WBDL environment where multimedia such as audio, video, figures and text were displayed simultaneously on the computer screen. The results showed that Web modules with instructor video and audio, use of color words in slides with text, and text font size 14 had higher ratings of simplicity, visual attractiveness, organization, clarity, and excitement. These studies on WBDL technology allowed us to: (1) deepen our understanding of important factors that need to be considered when designing WBDL environments; (2) support the importance of visual appearance in the design of WBDL environments; and (3) demonstrate that guidelines in screen design and multimedia could be applied to WBDL design.PhDApplied SciencesEducationEducational technologyIndustrial engineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/125863/2/3224726.pd