Canvas Usability Test Plan

Tools: Microsoft Word

Time in development: 4 days

My role: author, development, research

Client: Pennsylvania Institute of Technology

Context: One of the selling points at the Pennsylvania Institute of Technology is completing programs in less time than most traditional colleges. Course work is condensed into 11 weeks terms with 4 terms a year. Because of this, most courses are extremely lecture heavy with no opportunities for student interaction to ensure all content is covered.

Challenges: Instructors had basic training in using the learning management system Canvas before starting to implement it throughout the college. Some instructors chose not to use it. Those who did, formatted it and added content they felt was important for the learners. There is no consistency in the formatting from course to course.

Solutions: I built a prototype that included the most pertinent content in addition to being user friendly for the learners and instructor. This document was created to outline the process for completing usability tests of the Canvas course prototype. Instructors and students will have different tasks to complete within the prototype since each role within the program has different features.

Results: This plan has been used to start the instructor and student usability tests. Instructors were the first to complete the usability test.