Here's a page where we can post about Dr. Stiller's first visit.
Group questions and answers
- Who is our primary audience: new, experienced, or advanced users? (Nate)
All of the above, though advanced users might not be quite as numerous.
The two groups that we may want to focus on more are those who are
traditional students (ready to learn, no fear) vs the untraditional
students (a bit more reservered, a little more fear). It is also important
to remember that this is a course in which content is driven by the students
themselves.
- What is the most common difficulty among Photoshop Elements users? (James)
Seems like layers are the toughest things for students. We are definitely
going to have to spend a lot of time focusing on that. Another problem is
file conversion. The .psd files, of course, don't go on websites, and must
be converted to .jpeg or .gif, or whatever, and we'll need to show students
how and why that needs to be done.
- What are our users' goals? (Nate)
To create an effective webpage. Though the students must try out
Photoshop they are not required to use the program at all on their
final project which means that our goasl may want to be adjusted to create
a help system that does not just answer questions on how to do this or that
but also convinces the users of the values of Photoshop and incorporating
it into their projects. Creativity sounds like a big goal and Photoshop
is a great tool for creativity.
- Generally, what is the ratio of freshmen to upperclassmen in the Web Expressions course? (Christine)
The ratio varies. There are more upperclassmen in the courses right now
because it's a new course that fulfills a Gen. Ed. requirement, but Dr.
Stiller is expecting more lowerclassmen once the course becomes more
integrated into the curriculum. Also, we're not sure if the course is an
elective or not.
- Why are the students taking this course? What do they hope to take away from it? (Mia)
The majority of students that are taking Web Expressions are using it to fulfill their General Education requirements. Students are often excited to progress in their skills as the class moves on. Students are always anxious to learn “what’s next” in the class.
- Would your students, for the most part, be willing to take initiative to seek help on their own? (Christine)
As long as we create an online help-manual, Dr. Stiller is fairly certain that
students will be willing to use it because there is no stigma attached to
looking up help on the privacy of one's own computer. She's already created
step-by-step instructions for her classes, but she prints them off and hands
them out to everyone since she doesn't want anyone to feel as though they're
better or worse off for taking them. Appearances matter in that case. At one
point, Dr. Stiller emphasized the ease of having a desktop icon for our
project so that it's right there for the students who need it. In addition,
Dr. Stiller stressed the importance of tutorials because they're newb
friendly.
- What kind of time constraints do students face in this class? (Doran)
- How are students evaluated? Is there a particular emphasis on artistic or technical skill, or both? (James)
The final product is what students are evaluated on. However, there are also
individual tasks along the way that students must also deal with. Our focus
should probably be on how to apply tools and techniques so students can
expand on their creativity.
- How central is Adobe Photoshop Elements to this course? (Nate)
Photoshop is gone over and played around with in this course but it is not a
required element of the students final project. Are we up to the challenge
of trying to convince the students to use Photoshop?
- How complex are the assignments? What are the main tools or functions of Photoshop Elements that are covered in the assignments? Do assignments require students to use multiple skills within the program at once? (Doran)
- How will students be made aware of the help system we are creating? (Mia)
The students will be made aware of our help system through the (online) syllabus to the class, where students will be able to have “one click” access to the system.
- Are students accessing Photoshop Elements through the TSClients server version, a local version or both? (Christine)
Both! The program is locally installed in Memorial, but the students know how
to access it through the remote server, since they have to work on their
projects outside of class. Do they know to just minimize the server when
they're working outside of Memorial and need to get back to their own desktop?
- Do students typically use online help when working on assignments for class? (Mia)
Students are prone to use an online help system if it is easily accessible. Students are not willing to use online help systems if they have to Google search for the help system. The easier the help system is to access, the more likely students will use it. However, non-traditional students may be anxious for the information, but overwhelmed by it if the program seems too complex
Judge/Advocate Questions
- What, as the client, do you want to see included? (James)
Definitely information on layers. Dr. Stiller also offered to provide us with the list
of other ideas and suggestions. I believe one thing she said was, "The right click
opens the world," or something similar, and students need to know about
that function.
- Can we meet with other professors and get their input and ideas for the project?(Ryan)
Absolutely. This project should benefit everyone that takes web expressions, and the perspectives provided by other professors should be taken into account when this project is being built.
- What tone/style of writing are you expecting of the document? (Mia)
An informal style would be more inviting to students. For those who are nervous about using online help, the informal style can help to make them feel less intimidated by the process.
- Is this document going to be used/viewed by future faculty? (Doran)
- Can we get instructors consent to meet with students, in an environment such as a focus group?
Yes, if time permits and if we have something to actually show and use. We can also stop in on classes and try and discover some of the problems that students are having that we may not have encountered.
- Are you expecting to have access to the source? (Nate)
Yes, preferably. Software is constantly changing and it would be valuable
to have a product that can be updated as the need arises.
- Why was the English department approached to handle this project? Will some faculty be resistant towards us? (James)
One fear that we had -- facing resistance or rejection from other professors --
seems laid to rest. Dr. Stiller indicated that they likely will be open and willing
to help.
- Are all the Web Expressions classes the same, content wise?(Ryan)
For the most part, it is up to the professor of the class, although many will utilize the documentaton we will create if it is clear and concise. Classes will have differing assignment, but most will follow the same themes.
- What skills do you want covered? (Doran)
- How can we convince you to use our product? (Christine)
We don't really need to convince any faculty to use our product, since Dr.
Stiller seems hooked, and she posts her resources for other instructors to
use. The students, on the other hand, may need some added encouragement.
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