Short review on design and development of Meet the MET
At the outset of the MET program, an online session was convened to introduce and acquaint participants with the program’s objectives, and to gain insights from the perspectives of faculty and alumni. It became apparent that despite the presence of various UBC MET social media, there was a necessity for a interactive platform where they could share their questions and opinions among themselves, as well as with alumni and instructors. The primary challenge identified was the lack of interactivity. Consequently, we decided to address this need by launching a website. Throughout numerous online sessions and the formulation of performance standards and policies, my responsibility encompassed evaluating the usability and sustainability of this tool, along with designing two “Collaborative Virtual Study Hub” and “Showcase” webpages.
My own role in Meet the MET
- Usability and Sustainability of Meet the MET
In addressing usability concerns, I endeavored to adapt our approach based on course materials and the needs of our target audience, prioritizing accessibility, and user-friendliness. Our design aimed to meet key usability criteria (Issa & Isaias, 2015), including flexibility, efficiency, satisfaction, and learnability, while also resolving program issues as they arose during execution. The preference for website design over an application was due to usability and accessibility, as applications face limitations in installation and execution on some androids devices (Apple, 2022).
Sustainability was a crucial consideration in our decision-making process, as websites require fewer updates compared to applications, reducing maintenance efforts and costs. However, sustaining our educational tool in the digital realm requires collaboration and support, particularly in areas where our team lacks IT expertise. Additionally, further refinement is needed in the activation method for icons and links to course units, requiring additional time for completion. To enhance efficiency, I propose streamlining our website by reducing the number of pages and integrating content to improve user-friendliness.
- Webpages (Collaborative Virtual Study Hub and Showcase of MET Projects)
In my opinion, the “Collaborative Virtual Study Hub” webpage serves as a summary of the overall design of this educational tool because on this page, by clicking on each course icon, the user is directly taken to the relevant course. There, they can share their opinions, needs, and questions about that course with other students and alumni. Briefly, the MET Students Virtual Study hub is designed to facilitate collaborative learning and academic support for MET students. Through shared resources, study sessions, and peer interaction, it promotes success within the MET curriculum.
In the Showcase of MET Projects webpage, which could be considered as an extension of the Virtual Study Hub webpage, users not only have access to links and blogs of other MET students and alumni but also become familiar with their projects that they were done during their study period. Additionally, this page provides access to other educational institutions and job centers, thus enabling students to gain a proper understanding of available job opportunities. Furthermore, we hope that this website serve as a reference for recruiting companies to engage in discussions with students based on their projects and work experiences for potential employment within their companies.
In the end, this teamwork was a new experience for me because it was a practice in coordinating tasks virtually, with its challenges and unique joys.
References:
Apple. (2022). Can any apple apps work for android phones to? https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253785573?sortBy=best
Issa, T., & Isaias, P. (2015). Usability and Human Computer Interaction (HCI). In T. Issa & P. Isaias (Eds.), Sustainable Design: HCI, Usability and Environmental Concerns (pp. 19-36). Springer London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6753-2_2