An adaptable usability heuristic checklist for online courses

Creating a rich online learning environment is a challenge and requires thoughtful User Experience Planning (UEP) for the effective presentation of the course interface. The user experience of an online course from a human-computer interaction point-of-view is not a naturally occurring process; it must be planned for. Instructors can apply the UEP process with measurable usability attributes and adaptable heuristics to evaluate the user experience in an online course. As a tool, UEP could be used to locate specific usability problems related to navigation, error recovery, locating information, and the selection of hyperlinks. An adaptable usability heuristic checklist for online courses will be presented. The checklist includes 13 heuristic categories, including: visibility, functionality, aesthetics, feedback and help, error prevention, memorability, course management, interactivity, flexibility, consistency, efficiency, reducing redundancy, and accessibility