CLASS™ Project Research Study Summary
On-line Orientation Use

IRB #99-08-386 (Orientation Study - 1999)

The purpose of this study was to discover whether an Orientation section presented at the beginning of Web-based CLASS™ courses provided sufficient and appropriate information for students to work their way through the courses without confusion and frustration. The Orientation in the test courses, available at the beginning of each course, included a common set of essential information including a teacher letter, FAQ, Table of Contents, a Netscape and Internet Explorer for new users tutorial, and a Course Guide.

Courses selected for this study presented similar instructional design navigation strategies, linear and non-linear units, and non-linear sections with linear page sequences. Courses did not have course toolbars at the top of the pages. Course utilities were located in the CLASS™ Toolbar that was visible on every page. Students needed to learn where the CLASS™ Toolbar was located either by reading the Orientation, Course Guide, or with no instruction.

Study participants were University of Nebraska-Lincoln undergraduate Teachers College students (heretofore referred to as “students”). University students were considered to be suitable because of the innovative nature of Internet technology use. While they are veterans of two to three years of successful university education, they were somewhat novice with the Internet and with handling the technical aspects of computers and software. Therefore, their experience was expected to be similar to groups of high school students.

Surveys were developed to gather information on students’ perceived technology competence, and post experiment comments on a number of aspects of course comprehension that would be influenced by information in the Orientation section of the course. The three general groups of findings—navigation, instructional design, and technology related issues—included lists that were presented both in direct statements and woven into broader commentary regarding experience within the courses.

• Navigation should be direct with highly visible buttons.
• Technology glitches are the leading cause of frustration so instructions within courses must be clear, concise, and accurate.
• Instructional designers can develop and revise courses with knowledge that a course Orientation section is valuable, that students should be required to go to the Orientation even if only to see what is available.