PHP Basics
Polly, Sanser and Young
R547, Fall 2002
Online Prototype
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PHP Basic online prototype
Please ask questions at the end of the
presentation.
Learner Analysis
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Distance Masters and Residential
Students taking R547.
Prerequisites:
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Meet technology competencies set by IST
http://www.education.indiana.edu/ist/programs/masters/dm/requirements.html
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Be able to use HTML tags, and create a
webpage
Access SSH, and web development tool
such as Homesite.
Context Analysis
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To reduce the class time taken to teach
basic PHP.
An online tutorial, that has instructor
support.
Instructional Objectives
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to help the learner get started using basic PHP
scripting language
be able to access the tools and software that are
used at IU to create dynamic web pages.
to create elementary PHP applications as a part of
web-based instruction, that is, give feedback to the
users after they complete a quiz
to input and retrieve information from an online
survey
to debug a PHP program that has syntax errors. The
learners are given a model example of what the
program can do if it is working correctly.
Merrill’s 5 Star ID Rating
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Present in context of real world problems?
Activate prior knowledge or experience?
Show examples of what is to be learnt?
Practice and apply new knowledge?
Integrate and transfer new knowledge?
Design Decisions
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Provide relevant tasks
Reference prior knowledge of HTML
Show examples
 Easy to understand
- Use screen shot instead of lengthy text
Practice and apply
Give tasks following the instruction to reinforce learning
Easy navigation
- Using navigation style similar to Amazon.com
- clear navigation
Overview of the instructional Web site
- Site map on the second page
Paper Prototype
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The prototype had 72 pages
Had a linear structure
Usability (paper prototype)
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Authentic Users ?
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Authentic Task ?
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Three users, all residential graduate students.
Two had taken R547, one did not.
They reviewed the paper prototype, and worked on
the tasks online using the tester’s mentor account.
Authentic Conditions ?
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Two usabilities were conducted on campus, one was
done at home.
The usability test lasted 2 hours per session.
Usability Findings (Paper)
Instructional Effectiveness
Subject
Pre-assessment
Mastery Level (Total
Score = 100)
Satisfaction with
Instruction
Post-assessment
Mastery Level
(Total Score = 100)
Reactionnaire
Mean Score
S1
1
22
3.76
S2
1
25
3.07
S3
11
66
4.36
Overall
Mean
4.3
Std Dev
5.6
Mean
37.6
Std Dev
24.5
Mean
3.76
Std Dev
0.65
Usability Findings (Paper)
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Users preferred screenshots but wanted less
text
Users liked going through the practice
sessions.
Users wanted the learning to be scaffolded
Examples:
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Quickly troubleshooting the errors
Being able to copy and paste the text rather than
typing the code.
Reducing personal anxiety: one user was against
learning a new software: Homesite
Usability (Online)
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Authentic Users ?
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Authentic Task ?
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Three users, all residential graduate students.
All were taking R547, and they just had lectures on
PHP in their class
They reviewed the online instructions, and worked on
the tasks by using their mentor account.
Authentic Conditions ?
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All usabilities were conducted on campus.
Users spent 2 hours per session.
Users were not able to spend enough time for each
section and could not complete the entire tutorial.
Usability Finding (Online)
Instructional Effectiveness
Subject
Pre-assessment
Mastery Level (Total
Score = 100)
Satisfaction with
Instruction
Post-assessment
Reactionnaire
Mastery Level
Mean Score
(Total Score = 100)
S1
34
64
4.14
S2
42
90
3.71
S3
0
30
4.50
Overall
Mean
25.33
Std Dev
22.30
Mean Std Dev
61.33
30.08
Mean
4.12
Std Dev
0.39
Usability Result (Online)
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In terms of instructional effectiveness –
is high for all users
In terms of satisfaction rate -Novice
user was more satisfied than the
advanced learners (4.50 vs 3.70).
Usability Observation (Online)
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Homesite on campus crashed during the
usability tests (the work around, save files on
the desktop and upload using SSH).
Users skimmed through the materials. They
felt they need to spend more time on the
materials and complete the tasks
As they encountered problems they chose to
go through the materials rather than
troubleshoot the errors
Users used the “next” and “previous” button
over the menu bar
Usability Feedback (Online)
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Users liked the examples used in the
instruction as they were similar to real life
tasks (Quiz, Survey)
Users found the site map useful
Users wanted more meaningful variable
names and descriptions for the functions,
operators and other attributes
They wanted to be reminded to do the tasks
Questions