Page 107 - Educational Technology A Primer for the 21st Century

96 6 Learner Experiences with Educational Technology
(3) Learning environments refer to the diverse locations, contexts, and cultures in
which students learn, such as classroom, cyberspace (Learning Environment,
2013). Learning environments include traditional classrooms as well as online
learning management systems.
(4) Method is “a way, technique, or process of or for doing something”. (Definition
of Method, n.d.) Learning method stands for the way of presentation of the
specific contents of a subject that may be properly grasped and understood by
learners. Examples include drill and practice, memorization, inquiry-based
learning, collaborative learning, competency-based learning, and so on.

6.3.2 Principles for Meaningful Learner Experience
with Educational Technology

Learner experience with educational technology includes learners’ perceptions,
responses, and performances of the learning environment, resources, and methods.
The structure and elements of user experience can reveal the connotation and
extension for the definition, which could enlighten us the structure and elements of
learner experience with educational technology. Morville (2004) proposed a con-
ceptual framework called user experience honeycomb (see Chap. 5) to describe the
elements of user experience in designing Web sites.
In order to create a meaningful and valuable user experience, the information in
a Web site should be:
(1) Useful: the content should be original and fulfill a need;
(2) Usable: the Web site should be easy to use;
(3) Desirable: image, identity, brand, and other design elements should evoke
desirable emotion and appreciation;
(4) Findable: the content should be navigable and locatable onsite and offsite;
(5) Accessible: the content should be accessible to people with disabilities;
(6) Credible: users should trust and believe what they see, hear, or read; and
(7) Valuable: the Web site should deliver something valued by the user.

Rubinoff (2004) also proposed that user experience was made up of four inter-
dependent elements: branding, usability, functionality, and content. Branding
includes all the aesthetic- and design-related items within a Web site. Branding
refers to the site’s projection of the desired organizational image and message.
Functionality includes all the technical and behind-the-scenes processes and
applications. It entails the site’s delivery of interactive services to all end users, and
it is important to note that this sometimes means the public as well as adminis-
trators, instructors, and learners. Usability entails the general ease of use of all site
components and features. Subtopics beneath the usability banner can include
navigation and accessibility. Content refers to the actual content of the site