“A Nice Change of Pace”: Involving Students-as-Course-Users Early and Often

Thinking of students as “users” of a course’s key elements (e.g., syllabus or learning management system) requires that instructors include students in the design process for crucial course elements “early and often.” However, expectations often are that instructors’ central course architecture, materials, and hence students’ user experience be complete and usable before a class begins. Indeed, many instructors without a prior background in user experience (UX) research and practice might find the approach difficult to integrate with their current best practices. In this chapter, an instructor with preliminary expertise in UX shares how he sought to center students-as-users in a new pilot course by having them contribute to the design of the course syllabus and digital component delivered through Blackboard’s learning management system (LMS) at the beginning as well as throughout the semester. This chapter explores both the challenges and possibilities of adopting an “early and often” approach to including students in designing a course’s architecture. It describes the relevant activities and students’ preliminary responses, and critically evaluates potential revised future application. Additionally, it discusses potential instructor resistance and institutional limitations to taking this approach. Finally, it draws attention to the possibilities for even a basic and provisional UX approach to support course content as well.