Design and Evaluation of an Online Freshmen Course

Abstract

This paper describes the development of a prototype for an undergraduate online course tested with freshmen students taking mathematics for a B.Sc. in Oceanography. The design of the prototype focuses on the six basic components for the selection and use of technologies in online teaching and learning; namely, a) delivery and access, b) control, c) interaction, d) symbolic characteristics of the medium e) social presence and f) human-machine interface. The results report the degree of satisfaction with the prototype and the course. These results, obtained through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, address issues concerning the structure and design of the online course. The participants’ answers highlighted the easiness of navigation within the course and the effective communication obtained with the use of the course's electronic tools.

Keywords

• Educación en línea
• curso en línea
• Internet.