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Consistency 

Consistency in the design of online courses is important for many reasons. Consistency in course design benefits instructors and learners by: 

Ease of Navigation: Consistent design elements, such as layout, color schemes, and navigation menus, make it easier for students to navigate and find their way around the course. When students can quickly locate information and resources, it enhances their overall learning experience and reduces frustration.

Familiarity and Comfort: Consistency in design creates a sense of familiarity and comfort for students. When they encounter similar design patterns and structures across different modules or units, they can focus more on the content itself rather than spending time figuring out how to navigate or understand course materials.

Cognitive Load Reduction: By maintaining consistent design elements, instructors can reduce cognitive load on students. When students encounter consistent layouts, formatting, and terminology throughout the course, they can focus more on understanding the content rather than trying to figure out new design patterns or terminology.

Accessibility and Inclusivity: Consistent design also contributes to the accessibility and inclusivity of online courses. By adhering to accessibility guidelines and providing consistent design elements, such as readable fonts, color contrast, and navigation structures, instructors can ensure that all students can access and engage with the course content.

Transferable Skills: Consistency in design teaches students transferable skills that they can apply in other online learning environments or professional settings. When students become accustomed to consistent design patterns, they develop skills in adapting to new online platforms and quickly familiarizing themselves with different course structures.

Professionalism and Quality Assurance: Consistency in design supports professionalism and quality assurance in online courses. It demonstrates the instructor has carefully designed, planned, and implemented the course. Students have a quality learning experience. Consistency also supports the professionalism of the campus and UMA's commitment to quality online education. 

By maintaining consistency in the design of online courses, instructors can enhance the user experience, facilitate learning, reduce cognitive load, and reinforce quality courses. Ultimately, consistent design elements contribute to a more effective and engaging learning environment for instructors and students.

Student Technology Surveys

UMA has conducted a Student Technology Survey during the fall and spring semesters since fall 2020. Portions of the survey ask students about their Brightspace experiences. UMA student responses are similar to student responses on national surveys indicating students want consistency in the design of online classes from course to course and within courses.  This does not mean they want "cookie cutter" courses. It does mean they want to be able to access course content and materials similarly from course to course. Within a course, consistency is important from module to module in layout, schedule, structure, access, and naming conventions. 

In recent work with a group of UMA students, they indicated how a course is much more navigable when the assignments, discussions, and exams/quizzes are linked to the content modules via the Existing Activities button. 

  • Is the navigation bar consistent? UMA has a consistent course shell with a consistent navigation bar.

  • Is there a specific location for the syllabus? There is a location in Content for the syllabus. Students know to look for the syllabus there and expect it to be in the designated location. 

  • Are built in tools utilized? For example, in Brightspace is the "Existing Activities" tool used in content modules to link to discussions, assignments, tests/exams, and other parts of the course? If some courses link directly in the module and other courses expect students to go to the Assessment tab to access work areas, the process is inconsistent and may lead to confusion for students. Having the links in the content modules eliminates a click and helps keep students on track with the remaining content.

  • Is there consistent naming conventions of the content? 

  • Is there consistent naming conventions of assessments? 

  • Is the layout consistent from module to module?

  • Is the schedule consistent throughout the course?

  • Do the text, fonts, colors, etc remain consistent throughout the course? The text used in the course and documents should be consistent. When text or font styles change within a document it can be very distracting to some readers. Colored text should be used with caution. Color should not be used to convey meaning. For example, "due dates in red" does not work for individuals with vision impairments. Consistency of text supports accessibility.

References:

Shift. (2021). 5 Methods to achieve visual consistency in eLearning. Retrieved from https://www.shiftelearning.com/blog/visual-consistency-in-elearning

UXPin. (2015). Consistency in course design: Creativity without confusion. eBook downloaded from https://www.uxpin.com/studio/ebooks/consistency-ui-design-creativity/

Wright, L., Capranos, D., Dyers, L., & Magda, A. J. (2022). Online learner experiences: The importance of cohesive design and learning communities to student satisfaction. Maitland, FL: Wiley Inc.