Understanding alignment between design approaches and student priorities for online learning platforms
type: CreativeWork
description: With the increasing number of public institutions turning to online learning, there is a need to understand the process of online learning development and how it aligns with student priorities for online learning platforms. This is exacerbated by the onset of COVID-19, with many institutions hastening to move their courses online during the global lockdowns, making it even more a priority to understand online learning practice. Various studies have reported on best online learning practices but deviations from student priorities still exist in reality. In practice, courses are predominantly designed from the lecturer's perspective, and student perspectives are only incorporated through feedback from course evaluations. Students are rarely given a role in the design process and are therefore unable to sculpt out their design needs for online courses. One design approach which gives a design role to students is co-design. Codesign takes into account the perspectives of all stakeholders by allowing each stakeholder to equally participate in the design process. The participation of students in design and the degree of participation they take has rarely been articulated. How does the design approach from the lecturer's perspective, where students take no part in the design process, compare to the co-design approach, where maximum participation can be achieved? How do these design approaches contribute to the deviations from student priorities? The aim of this study was to understand the alignment between design approaches and student priorities for online learning platforms and how deviations transpire. This research posited that a co-design approach, including the students as designers, might assist in alleviating these deviations. In the first part of the study, the researcher interviewed current students in an online course to understand their priorities for design. Results from the interviews were analysed and shared with students and lecturers, who were invited to p…
abstract: With the increasing number of public institutions turning to online learning, there is a need to understand the process of online learning development and how it aligns with student priorities for online learning platforms. This is exacerbated by the onset of COVID-19, with many institutions hastening to move their courses online during the global lockdowns, making it even more a priority to understand online learning practice. Various studies have reported on best online learning practices but deviations from student priorities still exist in reality. In practice, courses are predominantly designed from the lecturer's perspective, and student perspectives are only incorporated through feedback from course evaluations. Students are rarely given a role in the design process and are therefore unable to sculpt out their design needs for online courses. One design approach which gives a design role to students is co-design. Codesign takes into account the perspectives of all stakeholders by allowing each stakeholder to equally participate in the design process. The participation of students in design and the degree of participation they take has rarely been articulated. How does the design approach from the lecturer's perspective, where students take no part in the design process, compare to the co-design approach, where maximum participation can be achieved? How do these design approaches contribute to the deviations from student priorities? The aim of this study was to understand the alignment between design approaches and student priorities for online learning platforms and how deviations transpire. This research posited that a co-design approach, including the students as designers, might assist in alleviating these deviations. In the first part of the study, the researcher interviewed current students in an online course to understand their priorities for design. Results from the interviews were analysed and shared with students and lecturers, who were invited to p…
author: Jian, Xue Jun
keywords: Computer Science
date published: 2021
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:09Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Computer Science

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/35604