When I was assigned in group project to create an e-learning website, I tried to search for an ideal e-learning site to use as my role model. Recently, I took an e-learning course, offered by Microsoft, on Excel 2007. I was comfortable with the structure this course and am satisfied with the learning outcome. So I thought writing down a formal critique of this web page will help me to figure out some dos and don’ts of creating an e-learning website.
I have reviewed the site regarding two main aspects:
Mechanical aspect:
The whole e-learning site projects a serious and professional look. The fonts are Times New Roman. Black and blue are the only two colors used for the entire site. Overall, the website appeared to be a formal place to learn a skill.
The website is very user- friendly. Learners having working experience with Office 2007 will find the interface of the e-learning site very familiar. Besides, at the beginning of each lesson, there is a tutorial on how to use this e- learning site. However, this e-learning site does not recognize people living outside of the Microsoft environment. To log into this site, I was asked to enter my ‘live ID’. To learn this course, a user needs the Windows operating system. So people having Mac or Linux might find it difficult to work with.
The entire course is divided into seven sections. Each section is divided into three or four lessons. If the learners complete one section, they can print the completion certificate. The course is not linear. A learner can jump to another section even without finishing the first one. However, at the beginning of each section there is a lesson overview which becomes redundant after the first lesson. Still to have the completion certificate, a learner needs to go through it at the beginning of every section.
Each multimedia based lesson comes with transcripts. So people having slow internet connection (which is an issue in many third world countries) can access to the lessons in written format. Each lesson has a print option to make taking a print-out easier.
Pedagogical aspect:
The website is very interactive. At the end of each lesson, there are several quizzes. Learners have to attempt to every quizzes to complete the lesson. There is a ‘lab’ where a learner can practice some of the learning outcome.
I found the course motivates the learner to learn in several ways.
- It is a paid course. So most of the learners wants get something out of the course.
- It is a course offered by Microsoft on Microsoft product. So everyone knows the content is accurate and good.
- At the end of the course, a person can take Microsoft certification exam.
The site appeals to all learning style.Most of the lessons are available in visual, aural or written format. So learners having different learning styles can get benefited from the lessons.
The content covers almost all the aspects of Excel 2007. Taking the course not only helps to pass the certification examination it also helps a learner to utilize the program in various ways.At the beginning of each section, the learners will know what they are expected to learn from this section. So they began each lesson with a certain expectation. At the end of each lesson, when that expectation is fulfilled they have a sense of achievement.
The e-learning course is very professionally done. It is interactive, appeals to all kinds of learner and offers a good content. If I ever design an e-learning course, I will definitely use this site as a role model.