Evaluating Authoring Tools for Explorable Education Content

Core Concepts

Authoring tools for explorables in education need to meet specific requirements for functionality and usability to empower educators and students in the content creation process.

Abstract

The content discusses the importance of authoring tools for creating explorables in education, focusing on the challenges educators face in the authoring process. It introduces the Explorable Authoring Requirements (EAR) model derived from software quality models, empirical studies, and domain knowledge. The article outlines a future research design to operationalize the EAR model.
Motivation

Educators face challenges in creating learning resources.
Explorables offer a promising medium for education.
Related Work

Evaluation models for educational software.
Use of software quality models for authoring tools.
The Domain of Explorable Authoring

Understanding the basics of explorable authoring.
Exploring the Document Object Model (DOM) in web development.
Explorable Authoring Requirements (EAR)

Introducing requirements for authoring and development functionality.
Evaluating the user experience for authors and developers.
Future Work

Operationalizing the EAR model for evaluation.
Suggestions for qualitative analysis and user studies.

Stats

"ISO 25010 divides software quality into eight characteristics, each with several sub-characteristics."
"Salmen et al. ran a workshop-based study to derive a set of requirements and a first prototype for a GUI-based explorable authoring tool called WebWriter."

Quotes

"Creating a successful interactive article is closer to building a website than writing a blog post requiring low-level web development knowledge incidental to the educational task at hand to succeed." - Hohman et al.

Key Insights Distilled From

Evaluating Authoring Tools with the Explorable Authoring Requirements

by Frederic Sal... at arxiv.org 03-27-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2403.17714.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How can educators and students be empowered to participate in remixing interactive learning resources?

To empower educators and students to participate in remixing interactive learning resources, several strategies can be implemented:

Specialized Authoring Tools: Providing user-friendly authoring tools specifically designed for creating interactive content can significantly lower the barrier to entry. These tools should have intuitive interfaces, drag-and-drop functionality, and pre-built templates to simplify the authoring process.

Training and Workshops: Offering training sessions and workshops on how to use these authoring tools effectively can enhance educators' and students' skills in creating interactive learning resources. These sessions can cover basic to advanced features of the tools and best practices in content creation.

Community Collaboration: Creating a community where educators and students can share their resources, collaborate on projects, and provide feedback can foster a culture of sharing and remixing. This collaborative environment can encourage participation and creativity in creating interactive learning materials.

Integration with Curriculum: Integrating the use of authoring tools for creating interactive resources into the curriculum can make it a standard practice. By incorporating these tools into educational activities, educators and students can become more familiar with the process of remixing and creating content.

Support and Resources: Providing ongoing support, resources, and access to tutorials can help educators and students navigate the authoring tools effectively. Troubleshooting guides, FAQs, and online forums can also be valuable resources for addressing any challenges faced during the remixing process.

How can the limitations of using general software quality models for evaluating educational software be addressed?

While general software quality models like ISO 25010 provide a solid foundation for evaluating educational software, they may have limitations when applied to the unique context of educational tools. To address these limitations, the following strategies can be considered:

Customization: Tailoring the existing software quality models to include specific criteria relevant to educational software can enhance their applicability. This customization can involve adding new quality characteristics or sub-characteristics that are specific to educational tools.

Incorporating Educational Concerns: Recognizing the unique educational concerns and requirements in the evaluation process is crucial. Models should consider factors like pedagogical effectiveness, alignment with learning objectives, and user engagement to provide a comprehensive assessment of educational software.

User-Centric Evaluation: Shifting the focus towards user experience and usability in the evaluation process can address the limitations of purely technical assessments. Including feedback from educators, students, and other stakeholders can provide valuable insights into the usability and effectiveness of the software.

Iterative Evaluation: Conducting iterative evaluations throughout the development process can help identify and address issues early on. Continuous feedback loops involving end-users can ensure that the software meets the specific needs and requirements of the educational context.

Collaborative Evaluation: Engaging a diverse group of stakeholders, including educators, instructional designers, software developers, and students, in the evaluation process can offer multiple perspectives and ensure a comprehensive assessment of the software's quality.

How can the concept of developer experience (DX) be integrated into the evaluation of authoring tools for education?

Integrating the concept of Developer Experience (DX) into the evaluation of authoring tools for education is essential to ensure that developers have a positive and efficient experience when creating extensions or customizing the tools. Here are some ways to incorporate DX into the evaluation process:

Usability Testing: Conduct usability testing specifically focused on developers to assess the ease of use, efficiency, and effectiveness of the authoring tools for extension development. This can involve observing developers as they perform tasks, collecting feedback, and identifying pain points in the development process.

Documentation and Support: Provide comprehensive documentation, tutorials, and support resources to assist developers in understanding the tool's capabilities and APIs. Clear and well-organized documentation can enhance the developer's learning curve and facilitate the development process.

Developer Feedback: Gather feedback from developers who have experience using the authoring tools to understand their needs, challenges, and suggestions for improvement. Incorporating developer feedback into the evaluation criteria can help prioritize features that enhance the developer experience.

API Design and Extensibility: Evaluate the design of the tool's APIs and extensibility features to ensure they are intuitive, well-documented, and flexible for developers to work with. A well-designed API can streamline the development process and enable developers to create custom extensions effectively.

Performance and Stability: Assess the performance and stability of the authoring tools when developers are working on creating extensions. Ensuring that the tools are responsive, reliable, and scalable can contribute to a positive developer experience and efficient development workflow.