Usability Metrics for E-learning

Abstract

E-learning is a fast-growing area thanks to the potential for increased reach and decreased cost of e-learning programs. Usability is of vital importance for e-learning due to the remote nature of the e-learning activities. In order to evaluate usability of e-learning, we apply the following usability factors: 1) E-learning System Feedback, 2) Consistency, 3) Error Prevention, 4) Performance/Efficiency, 5) User like/dislike, 6) Error Recovery, 7) Cognitive load 8) Internationalization, 9) Privacy, 10) On-Line Help [14,15]. We noticed that we needed a way of representing each of these factors separately and finally to combine them into a single figure of merit expressing overall e-learning usability. Note each of the above dimensions is a relatively imprecise concept and cannot be simply represented numerically. Hence, we decided to use Fuzzy system theory as the basis for representing them and the Fuzzy-reasoning paradigm using the Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) model [15] for combining them into a single e-learning usability figure of merit. This approach has 3 components: a) identification of the usability issues in e-learning, b) a testing aspect for the Fuzzy based usability approach, c) combining the results of these tests and turning them into a usability measure and the validation of the Fuzzy model. This paper discusses the use of fuzzy systems to model each of these usability factors and to reflect how each affects the overall value of e-learning usability.