Levels and techniques of evaluation in educational technology

The LMS moodle: A Usability Evaluation
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JAY MELTON
Prefectural University of Kumamoto

The Level:

This study is a preliminary one to determine if moodle’s registration system and assignment submission module have sufficient levels of usability in the study of English writing for Japanese science graduate students. Therefore the number of participants, four, is considered too small to make any sweeping claims. However, as Nielsen (1994) has written, a clear picture of a software package’s usability can be quickly determined with three to five users. So, the level of the evaluation this study was at curriculum level because it evaluate the module's registration system and assignment submission module levels of usability in the study of English writing for Japanese science (specific curriculum)


The Technique:

The participants were observed while performing a series of tasks designed to simulate the online submission of a homework assignment on the moodle LMS. The data for each task were collected by the evaluator writing notes on a worksheet mirroring each of the tasks. In addition, a videotape was made of each participant’s actions for review to ensure that all actions were recorded. In addition to the note-taking and the use of a video camera and tape to record the participants’ actions, Erikson and Simon’s “Think-Aloud” technique was employed (as cited in Preece et al., 2002, p. 365). In this technique, participants are encouraged to tell evaluators what they are doing and thinking about as they work through the various steps of an evaluation; this can help evaluators to have an idea what is going through participants’ minds during the test.



*Refrence:

http://jklmelton.net/2006/melton2006.pdf