Web Design & Development: Key Questions in Cycle 1
- Shannon Plummer
- Sep 4, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 4, 2022
As I make my journey to work in the instructional design field, I am taking a class on web design and development for my Masters program. I will be posting questions and answers throughout the semester to support my growth in this field.
Some Quick Information
While I am gaining experience in instructional design, I think it is important to understand the role of web design in the field, and create sites that are functional and appeal to learners. I have been a teacher for over ten years so I understand the instruction side and hope to learn more about design. I have included links to each of the questions and my responses are my own.
Question #2: What are your thoughts about the design principles in the Recipe for a Successful Website?
Question #1: What is the role of internet (web) technology in instructional settings?
The internet is used everyone from social settings to businesses, and it needs to be integrated into instructional setting. Since the internet is a source of information and skills that learners need to be successful, it has a vital role in instruction including the classroom. In the United States, 48 states and the District of Columbia all have virtual or online learning in come capacity, including credit recovery, AP classes, dual enrollment, summer school programs, and more. Most homes are connected to the internet through computers or mobile devices. Students today know more about an app on their phone than understanding how to research information in a library. It is these 21st century skills that students need to learn to be successful outside of an instructional setting:
personal and social responsibility
planning, critical thinking, reasoning, and creativity
strong communication skills, both for interpersonal and presentation needs
cross-cultural understanding
visualizing and decision making
knowing how and when to use technology and choosing the most appropriate tool for the task
By utilizing internet technology, educators can make learning more relevant and target skills that are needed in the workplace. Students can connect across the world with different cultures and design games that demonstrate collaboration and learning. They take more responsibility for their work because students are the creators and designers in a way that is new. There are many ways to add technology to learning and it will only evolve over time.
Links:
Question #2: What are your thoughts about the design principles in the Recipe for a Successful Website?
The design principles seem similar to many other principles related to instructional design such as principle #1: Focus on the users and the task, not the technology. The idea comes around many times when designing instruction because the skill is on the task the learner needs to do and not necessarily the technology. I do think there needs to either a tutorial or universal guide to websites because it can be difficult for learners to use something that is new. Most websites offer a tutorial or user guide that could be useful and may need to be added to a website depending on the function. For example, Google integrates many of their websites with the same look and user accessibility making it easier to use across platforms.
The most difficult principle for me may be #7, Design for Responsiveness, because I have not designed a website before without using templates and add-on already created. The idea that users spend ten seconds deciding about a website is intimidating since that is not long. It makes me wonder what impressions are given about a website and ideas I've had about previous ones I've used. I know, if the site is difficult to use or I cannot find information, I've moved onto other sites that might be easier. Taking into consideration the responsiveness, there are many different platforms such as tablets, computers, and phones, so designing with all three in mind would be difficult.
Question #3: Why do you think working with a team to develop a website is essential?
The final group project to build a website makes me nervous because it can be difficult to coordinate with others and we all have different focuses from corporate or educational. I do think it will be beneficial though because most websites are built with teams working together and nothing is done in isolation, even when remote working people need to communicate and work together. The project will give us a chance to use our skills and gain experience that we can use in the workplace. I think it will be a challenge finding times to meet virtually because work and school is back in session so it limits availability. My group has some similarities in experience working with websites but not designing them the way it sounds we will in the project. It may take some extra communication and planning to complete the project. Overall, I think the project will be good to add to my portfolio and provide applicable skills that I can add to my resume.
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