IST 626 Quality Management Project

Course #4: Getting Started with SketchUp: Parts 1-4

Team: The Entrepreneurs

Course Summary
The Getting Started with SketchUp uses four short videos to teach novice users how to
complete various tasks within the application SketchUp.
Navigation design

When considering the elements of a successful navigation the following four
elements should exist per Dr. Lockwoods Client Project Scoring Rubric: learners should not
become confused, learns should have a way out of instruction, learns should have the
ability to navigate at will, and learners should be able to return to the main menu.
The navigation of this particular course meets these four requirements. It utilizes a
play bar that most users have encountered at some point through musical, video, or other
e-learning courses. Learners can begin navigating through the course by clicking on the
universal play button. Likewise, the sections of the course are listed to the right of the
video screen with clear labels. Once these buttons have been clicked, video links appear
under the video screen that are clearly labeled. Our only suggestion would be to rename
these video links with more specificity. Instead of naming them simply Getting Started
with SketchUp Part 3, the video could be titled Getting Started with SketchUp Part 3:
Interior Rooms. This way, the learner could more easily identify which video to click next
as well as have a general awareness of its contents before clicking on it.
Learners have a significant amount of freedom with this course. Once entered into a
video, they are able to click on the navigation menu, pause, rewind, and skip through each
clip as they so choose. This also results in the users ability to leave instruction at will.
However, the course does not save progress so the student would need to be responsible
for knowing where they left off if they choose to leave the instruction then return. The
learners can also return to the Getting Started page at any time throughout the course as it
is constantly displayed to the right of the video screen.
By these standards, the navigation is successful at first glance. However, this is only
the case when the course is viewed as part of the web browser screen. There is the option
to full screen the instruction. When the learner chooses this option, navigation becomes
difficult. It is only possible to pause and rewind during instruction. In order to exit out of
the video, the learner must click the center of the video to pull up the pause/play button.
Then, the student must click on the YouTube label to exit full screen mode. Without prior
computer experience, this could prove challenging and confusing to a user.
Clarity of instructions and purpose
The instructions within the course were explicit and supplemented with relevant
video media demonstrations. As learners, our group found that while the narration was
informative it was simultaneously rapid. It also marches the user through steps rather
than allowing users to craft their learning path. Instruction is given in steps that are meant
to be taken in order. The pacing of the audio was also extremely quick and difficult to
follow. As a result, it took multiple viewings of the videos to absorb the objectives and
information which made staying engaged challenging.
Another obstacle was our lack of access to the technology being referenced within
the module. While it appeared easy enough to understand, we would never able to practice
accordingly as we do not have the application. While this is an obstacle for accurately
reviewing the clarity of instruction, it could be assumed that learners are only taking this
course because they have the program and need assistance.
Overall, each video began with the purpose and objective before engaging in a
narrated demonstration before asking students to engage in self-driven practice. While the
instruction made sense and was broken down into easy to understand steps, if we had
access to the software we would want to pause, switch between applications (internet and
SketchUp), which would quickly become tedious.
Finally, each video is only between five to ten minutes in length. The number of
steps within each objective could be overwhelming to a beginner. The course could and
should be broken down into smaller chunks so are not to overload the short-term memory
capacities of the students.
Quality of assessment
This course lacked a formal assessment piece. Instead, it asked students to practice
the techniques in their SketchUp application. Even when students are directed to do so, the
steps are repeated as the student goes through the actions. Again the pacing is fast, making
it impossible for the student to keep up. This would lead to pausing, switching
applications, and un-pausing quite frequently. Without a formal assessment piece,
students are unable to receive feedback. Our team agrees that to be successful, this course
needs to add an assessment piece. An I Do- We Do- You Do model may have been more
appropriate. The screen demonstration would be first, followed by a practice with hints
and tips, but ultimately conclude with an independent assessment. This assessment would
be graded, and the user would be given explicit and relevant feedback.
Overall screen and graphic design
The screen design was consistent from video to video. Videos followed the reuse
principal by using a design that reused components and behaviors. Each video begins with
the same introduction and logo, followed by the introduction of the objective,
demonstration, and practice. Screens, themselves, were not overloaded with icons or
objects that distract the user and induce cognitive overload. Instead, users were able to
focus on the narration and matching screen capture.
Other anything else you want to comment on?
When the course first begins, there is visual movement on the screen without music
or any type of audio. Several of our group members believed that this was an audio issue
with their computers or with the course. As such, time was spent troubleshooting and
restarting the video when, in fact, the video was meant to be silent. If possible, we would
suggest removing this extraneous and confusing introduction.
Another issue that arose was the courses inability to play on Safari, the default web
browser on Macintosh computers. The course runs without problem on Google Chrome
and Firefox browsers. It would be helpful if this were mentioned on the web screen to
avoid users waiting for the video to load when it will not.

Conclusion

Overall, the course had its pros and cons. In order to be successful, several changes
would need to be made. The parts should be further broken down into smaller chunks, the
narration should be slowed down, and an assessment/ feedback system needs to be
incorporated.