Name
Review of A TLA sequence to illustrate a pedagogic principle: social learning, student engagement
Topic
Principles of User Interface Design
Learning time
4 hours
Designed time
4 hours
Size of class
16
Description
It is good to involve students as much as possible in meaning making activities and knowledge co-creation. Some tools, such as mentimeter, allow each student to participate in learning and contribute their current knowledge and understanding and make it visible to others and for an instant feedback. It is a good practice to ask students to do any reading and individual work outside of the class, and focus the in-class time on collaboration and discussion of new concepts. The sequence of TLAs below illustrates how meaning making and knowledge co-construction can be facilitated through social learning rather than knowledge transfer.
Mode of delivery
Classroom-based
Aims
To enable students to apply principles in the user interface development process
Outcomes
Identify, Explain, Evaluate, Define
Editor
diana
Edit
Introduction to User Interfaces
240 minutes)
  • Investigate
    5
    1
    0
    Individually, write a definition of a user interface as you currently understand it. Post your definition using a menti code provided (menti.com)
  • Read Watch Listen
    10
    16
    0
    Read the definitions provided by others students, your facilitator will display them on a screen. Then watch a short video about the importance of user Interfaces.
  • Collaborate
    30
    4
    0
    In groups of 4 reflect on the video and discuss the important qualities of user interfaces given in the video. Add any qualities you think were missed in the video. Provide 2-3 examples of computer systems you interact with frequently directly or indirectly. 1-2 groups will feedback to the whole class, be prepared it could be you!
  • Discuss
    30
    4
    0
    Share examples with the class and together we will write a definition of the user interface, Facilitator will be your scribe.
  • Collaborate
    45
    4
    0
    Based on the assigned reading on (types of user interfaces p.1-14), in groups of 4, discuss the importance of a good user interface design, define good user interface design and identify the problems of bad user interfaces. A member from each of the groups will be required to present (5 min each)
  • Discuss
    30
    16
    1
    Recall the assigned reading on usability, Use your notes on challenges related to good user interface design and think about your use of the different software applications provided in the Microsoft Office Suite. Choose one application, and think about a particular feature that you find confusing when you use it. Show the application and share your reflections with the rest of the class. Why is user interface design is so hard? What is usability? Discuss your ideas
  • Collaborate
    60
    4
    3
    Form mix-gender groups of 4 groups and visit the website you have been assigned. Interact with the interface and analyze the good and bad points of its usability with reference to all three dimensions of usability discussed in the assigned reading: Learnability, Efficiency, and Safety. Produce a short evaluation report in PowerPoint.
  • Discuss
    30
    16
    0
    Two groups will present their websites and evaluation results. All students are invited to comment and give feedback to the presenting groups.
Notes:
Before the class, students are assigned two readings and make notes: 1) types of user interfaces and 2) usability.
Resources linked: 2
Review
0 minutes)
  • Investigate
    0
    Why is this one 'investigate'? It is more like 'produce'. But here they could be invited to think about 3 computer interfaces they have used in the past day, write them down, and define 2 good and 2 bad qualities they notice. Then post their definition. 10 mins, probably. Say how the definitions will be used.
  • Read Watch Listen
    0
    Say how the definitions will be used, i.e. for review and discussion. In this step there should be some comment on the definitions in relation to what the video will say about the nature of a good user interface. So this step is 'listen to teacher reflection on the definitions and the introduction to how the video describes the importance of a good user interface.
  • Collaborate
    0
    Here they should reflect also on their previous thoughts and how they would now define a user interface. Then also critique the video if they have more qualities to add. In providing the example computer systems this should be with a view to illustrating the presence or absence of the qualities they are listing, which could be part of the feedback post.
  • Discuss
    0
    Good, brings these activities to a conclusion.
  • Collaborate
    0
    Good, but based on the prior work as well.
  • Discuss
    0
    How will this activity differ from and build on the previouse collaboration - where is the progress here? Is there some new concept or technique being introduced?
  • Collaborate
    0
    They will need time to explore the site, and will need to be given specific things to find out or do to be sure they test it well. They will have had the 3 concepts in the video presumably but what about their own additional qualities they may have come up with?
  • Discuss
    0
    This part ought to end with a takeaway that relate to the learning outcomes. However these are expressed as activities rather than capabilities, so that's quite tricky to do. The whold TLA is really an entire learning design of several TLAs, which would express it more clearly. The pre-class reading is really the first part of this whole design and being crucial for it, should be an explicit part of the design.
  • Read Watch Listen
    0
    Overall this would be a good example of social learning with so much discussion and collaboration.
Notes:
Resources linked: 0

Learning Experience

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Social learning graph will not display correctly, because one or more learning types do not have group size set.