ERIC Number: EJ738603
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Jul
Pages: 21
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1055-8896
EISSN: N/A
Are Language Learning Websites Special? Towards a Research Agenda for Discipline-Specific Usability
Shield, Lesley; Kukulska-Hulme, Agnes
Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, v15 n3 p349-369 Jul 2006
With the intention of defining an initial research agenda for discipline-specific factors in the usability of e-learning websites, this article focuses on the example of foreign language learning. First, general notions and concepts of usability are analyzed, and the term "pedagogical usability" is proposed as a means of focusing on the close relationship between usability and pedagogical design. Then, to address the key issue of whether there are aspects of pedagogical usability that are discipline-specific, the article examines how language learning and teaching, in particular Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL), has approached usability when developing technology-enhanced learning materials. Three elements of a research agenda are identified: (a) pedagogical usability, (b) intercultural usability, and (c) website evaluation. In conclusion, it is suggested that, just as language learning websites may require a discipline-specific approach, other disciplines' pedagogical usability may also need to be considered in relation to the specific requirements of the discipline, and that a debate around these issues is timely. (Contains 2 figures and 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Web Sites, Distance Education, Second Language Learning, Intellectual Disciplines, Technology Uses in Education, Instructional Materials, Second Language Instruction
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. P.O. Box 1545, Chesapeake, VA 23327-1545. Tel: 757-366-5606; Fax: 703-997-8760; e-mail: info@aace.org; Web site: http://www.aace.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A