Some of the important files such as the VTC Protocols and the listing of VTC assistance telephone numbers had been links to word documents previously. This meant that a student would have to download and open the document in order to view it. In the spirit of immediacy, I changed these links by adding a page and then posting the content into the page. Now when my students need to access these files, one click makes the page open in a pop up window. I set up the size of the popup so that it will fully display the content right away.
I also created an HTML block with a link to the class streaming video site. Now my students can easily find streaming video if they missed a class. The big red "play" button opens the streaming video in a separate popup window.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteI think that the changes you have made make a lot of sense to me and they seem to facilitate the navigability of the course. I think that your call in having the pop-up pages being the size of the full text is a very effective way to catch students attention since they often forget to scroll down, but look only at what is in front of them very quickly and moving to the next task. :)
When I took one of the courses on creating efficient e-courses int he past, there was a suggestion to have a block with the technical support contacts, so that it would be always visible to students. ... This is something that at this time for instance I cannot do with canvas since we do not have any power on the layout of the screen.
When are you going to open this course to students? It would be nice to hear their feedback.
Hi Emanuela, this course will begin in mid-January. I don't yet know what my enrollment will be but typically this course has 50-70 students, so I am really striving to make my site as user-friendly as possible.
ReplyDeleteBrian,
ReplyDeleteenabling students to easily access your Ensemble recordings should make a huge difference in how students make up work and stay on track in your course. That's great! It's also great that you've focused on the initial access/"getting started" part of the class. While it seems like a simple thing-we don't always think about making sure students know where to begin in a course. It is excellent that you've taken time to develop that.
Brian,
ReplyDeleteHey Brian,
Setting up files to appear in a correctly, sized pop up window will add ease to this course. I also like the change you made for the video link. The big play red button is genius! Great idea. That detail is recognizable to most viewers.
Hey Brian,
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of having pop ups instead of documents that must be downloaded and then opened. This is something I plan to investigate also. Your site is shaping up nicely and should be easy for your students to find and use things. I also like the use of the link to previously recorded classes. Students who miss a class are more likely to watch the recording since it is so accessible.