A Usability Study: Empowering Faculty with Tools for Student Engagement in Online Classes

According to the faculty survey conducted by the University of Hawaiʻi’s Mānoa Distance Learning Committee (MDLC) in April, 2020, online student engagement, training, and time constraints were among the top concerns for faculty when they moved online in the Spring of 2020 due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Those concerns resulted in the design and development of my website whose purpose was to provide faculty with tools for engaging students in online classes and to introduce faculty to microlearning as a learning and training strategy for professional development.

The focus of my Master’s project is on a usability study of my website which consists of microlearning video tutorials designed to train faculty on applications that can increase student engagement in online classes. The Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning, the Cognitive Load Theory, and Microlearning on-demand are the backbone of this study putting emphasis on smaller content to ease cognitive overload and increase retention with the use of sounds and imagery. Three iterations of usability testing were remotely conducted on my website using four faculty participants for each one. By the end of the third iteration, the User Success Rate was 100%, faculty walked away with a new tool for student engagement, and the majority selected microlearning video tutorials as their first choice for professional development. Technology doesn’t just support the way students learn, it enhances the way faculty learn as well. Faculty is ready for microlearning, on-demand, video tutorials at UH-Mānoa. Let’s meet their needs.