Title: Object-oriented interface design for web learning

Authors: Lorna Uden

Addresses: Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technology, Staffordshire University, The Octagon, Beaconside, Stafford, ST18 0AD, UK

Abstract: The interface of web learning environment is more than a means of providing access to the use of a product – the interface is the product. A major task facing all web learning designers is to maximise the interface for the learner. Although this is the desired objective of the designer, it is difficult to achieve. Designing high usability can be achieved by adopting user interface design models and an object-oriented approach. We believe that an object-oriented interface design approach can provide a means to achieve usability in web learning. The main benefits of object-oriented user interface (OOUI) are that it allows users to focus on the information they need to do their work and hides many of the traditional aspects of using a computer. A methodology, known as web user object modelling (WUOM) method, has been developed by the author to develop web instruction/learning. The method has been used by many post-graduate students to develop their web learning applications as part of their dissertations. This paper describes the use of WUOM to develop a web learning application to teach electric circuits to children in a primary school in the UK. Evaluation of the web application shows that it has high usability.

Keywords: web learning; object-oriented interface design; conceptual model; designer|s model; usability; primary schools; electric circuits.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLT.2004.004875

International Journal of Learning Technology, 2004 Vol.1 No.2, pp.179 - 190

Published online: 14 Jul 2004 *

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