| Usability is one of the standards to measure the degree and effect in software use; it refersto the process of using the software or product whether the user is feeling ease of use, efficientand satisfactory. At present, web-based learning platform has come up some usability problemsin its design and through its using in the real context, therefore, it is critical and necessary tointroduce the method of usability assessing into the evaluating of web-based learning platform.What’s more, the method is evaluated from the perspective of user-centered, which can perfectthe web-based learning platform and attach great importance to the study of theory and practice.Heuristic evaluation and usability testing are two of the most common using method inusability evaluating. Heuristic evaluation is meant to assess on the interface of a product or website, checking whether it is accorded with the recognized usability principles, in order to findout the potential problems in the interface design. Usability testing refers to the method thattester invited some representative users for product operation, through observation, recordingand analysis of user’s operation behavior and the relevant data, evaluating its usability problemsin its interface design. As unusual, when doing the usability evaluation, we always put togetherthe two kinds of methods.This research is designed to evaluate the web-based learning platform which is commonlyused in Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University undergraduate students, called NewHorizon College English online course, adopting the method of heuristic evaluation andusability testing. It can get the following conclusions:1) most of the current web-based learningplatform has some certain usability problems;2) The steady improvement of web-basedlearning platform can enhance the learner’s interest and motivation.3) There is long way tostudy how to lay down a set of usability principles and standards specialized in web-basedlearning platform. |
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