This remote usability test also revealed some problems with workflow as well as keyboard accessibility problems not previously discovered. In addition to this, Kate noted several problems with form controls including the ‘Big Ideas’ dropdown selection and ‘Common Core’ search picker.
The second remote usability test revealed some recurring issues as well as new observations. Rob noted some issues in remembering to click update on the various grids. He also ran into some problems with workflow and general navigation in terms of locating various parts of the system.
Since the last sprint, the first iteration of the actual application was developed using ASP.NET MVC 5 and SQL Server backend database. This application is being used for the upcoming remote usability testing sessions.
On December 17th, a Professional Development (PD) meeting was held at Monarch and 18 teachers and staff members attended. At the even the researcher presented the Axure prototype and discussed the current development of Expedition Mapper. Field surveys were distributed and completed by teachers, who were then divided into three groups afterwards to elaborate on their answers and to discuss...
The first remote usability test revealed some issues regarding various interactions within the application. For the most part the various tasks were completed with ease, however on one occasion a system bug caused problems. Later in the session, Beth ran into problems using the text area box for final product description.
The pilot usability testing was held at the University of Baltimore’s usability lab. The pilot involved the new ASP.NET application, which enabled for more realistic interactions when compared to the earlier Axure wireframes. Several problems were discovered with the application in terms of bugs identified with browser inconsistencies, not previously anticipated.
This is the final Axure prototype that will be developed for this project. It build on the design of prototype 5 and increased consistency between screens. Additional data elements were added and the interface for creating and managing case studies was redesigned. Axure has been a useful tool for developing these initial prototypes, however limitations of static web pages and producing complex...
Today a short meeting was held to discuss the overall progress of the prototype to date and demonstrate the key functionality to the EL representative for the school. Comments were made on how further improvements could be made to the data collection part of the system. The group is going to review the prototype over the next week further and share feedback at our next meeting.
Prototype 5 integrated both expedition and non-expedition subject areas. The concept of ‘strands’ being units within the system has been further defined in this design. The interactions for strands and sub-sections as well as optional elements has been further developed in this prototype.
This sprint continued discussion of non-expeditions. This week we focused primarily on restructuring the prototype to correctly integrate subject areas that do not fall under the typical expedition. The home page was refined further and several changes were made to the math non-expedition subject area created for prototype 4.
Prototype 4 includes a lot of design changes stemming from our FSW and Winter Terms sprint. These changes include improvements to the homepage and accomodation for non-expedition placeholders for FSW, winter and subject areas. Other enhancements were made in the expedition forms and sub sections as well as proper differentiation between them and their non-expedition counterparts.
The purpose of this meeting was to finalize the data-entry sections of the system by further describing functionality specifically on non-expedition semesters. Non-expeditions were discussed both as FSW / Winter term as well as other subject areas or strands of the curriculum delivered in parallel to expeditions. The majority of this meeting focused on refining prototype 3 further by improving...
This meeting focused on prototype 3 and refining the structural breakdown of expeditions and their sub-components. New terminology was introduced to describe the various elements of semester based expeditions and non-expeditions and certain elements were re-positioned within the data-entry screens.
After presenting the second prototype at the last requirements meeting, it was apparent that more work needed to be done with defining what an expedition is and where its sub-sections correctly belong. Much of the discussion of the meeting concentrated on Standards, Learning Targets, Assessment (STAs) and their correct placement in the map.
This was the first requirements meeting since the initial kickoff back in April. Prototype 2 served as the main discussion for this meeting as we dove deeper into the expected functionality and nuances of an EL curriculum map.
This prototype was developed after several discussions via email regarding the initial requirements of the project. The kickoff meeting was helpful in framing the basics of the system in the first prototype, however it was lacking detail and missing some of the crucial elements of an EL map.
Several grade level planning sessions will be observed in November / December 2013. More details on the results of these observations will be recorded.
This prototype was developed after the initial April 10th requirements meeting. It includes a basic design with an incomplete ‘dashboard’ page providing user interactions for various parts of the system. Upon learning more about the unique needs of EL, it was determined the main expedition form / interactions was fundamentally flawed.
Exploratory Requirements Survey
Introduction
Thank you for taking the time to complete this short survey. Your answers will contribute to building an effective Curriculum Mapping solution for Monarch Academy.
I am a software developer and online educator who likes to keep up with all the latest in technology. I also manage cloud infrastructure, continuous monitoring, DevOps processes, security, and continuous integration and deployment.