User Research for the Instructional Module Development (IMOD) System

Abstract Title: User Research for the Instructional Module Development (IMODTM) SystemDivision: NSF Grantees Poster Session AbstractA team of researchers are engaging in a User-Centered Design (UCD) approach to develop theInstructional Module Development System (IMODTM), i.e., a software program that facilitatescourse design. The IMODTM system will be an open-source web-based tool that will guideindividual or collaborating STEM educators, step-by-step, through an outcome-based educationprocess as they define learning objectives, select content to be covered, develop an instructionand assessment plan, and define the learning environment and context for their course(s). It willalso contains a repository of current best pedagogical and assessment practices, and based onselections the user makes when defining the learning objectives of the course, the IMODTMsystem will present options for assessment and instruction that align with the type/level ofstudent learning desired. While one of the key deliverables of the project is the software tool, theprimary focus of this initiative is to advance the development of faculty expertise in coursedesign for undergraduate STEM education. To this end, the project addresses the following tworesearch goals: 1. Identify deficiencies in user interactions with existing course design tools. 2. Obtain consensus opinion on a representation of the required knowledge (learning taxonomies, help data and pedagogical and assessment strategies) for designing a course or learning environment.To address the research objectives and facilitate the development of the software tool, the UCDmethodology was employed. This approach starts by understanding the actual user needs first-hand before focusing on any development environment, selecting any specific technology oreven defining a specific -constricting solution. Due to the subjectivity of most human domains,the high expectations of humans towards any software, as well as the inherent complexity ofmost applications, the goal of identifying “actual user needs” is an iterative process of capturingthe perspective of potential users and validating them through careful conceptual analysis andsynthesis. To facilitate this process the following tools and strategies were used: a) Brainstorming/Focus Groups: This strategy allowed the team of researchers to extract from participants (i.e., potential stakeholders) their ideas on key or desired features of a course design tool. b) Ethnographic Observations / Interviews: This strategy provided targeted insight on how potential users conduct course design activities. This strategy was divided into an ethnographic-style observation of a participant (STEM instructor) engaged in course design activities followed by an interview that probed their demonstrated actions through open-ended questions. c) Surveys: This strategy was used for collecting large amounts of data to further validate the findings attained from the brainstorming sessions and interviews.This poster describes the results of the focus groups, user interviews, and surveys facilitated toelicit feedback from potential users on the features and usability of the IMODTM system.