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Final Dissertation Amiee Wagner.pdf (4.81 MB)

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Perceived Usability Evaluation Of Hands-On And Virtual Science Laboratories: Using The System Usability Scale (SUS) To Determine Adult Learners’ Preferred At-Home Laboratory Experience

Wagner, Amiee M.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=frank1690890441790308

Abstract Details

2023, Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership , Franklin University, International Institute for Innovative Instruction.
Despite an extensive amount of research examining students’ perceptions of alternative laboratory experiences, little focus has been aimed at the perceptions of adult learners. This two-phase mixed-methods study investigated the preferred at-home laboratory experience, and the factors that played a significant role in the user experiences, of adult learners in an online, undergraduate science course. A modified version of Brooke’s (1996) System Usability Scale (SUS) was utilized in Phase I (quasi-experimental crossover phase); students self-selected between an at-home hands-on (AHHO) and virtual (VL) laboratory experience in Phase II. The SUS is a normed, validated, product-agnostic questionnaire that measures the quality of the user experience based on factors that support adult learners’ needs (effectiveness, efficiency, engagement, error tolerance, ease of use, and self-efficacy). Both phases showed no significant difference in preference for the AHHO or VL experience; and both the quantitative and qualitative strands showed that effectiveness, engagement, and ease of use were the most important factors for a good laboratory experience. The findings imply that the laboratory medium (AHHO or VL) is not as important to adult learners as the clarity of the laboratory instructions and the usability of the laboratory materials; and that a blend of AHHO and VL experiences would be the most beneficial to learners. Moreover, as the self-selection and crossover data arrived at the same conclusion, the modified SUS proved to be an effective instrument to measure the perceived usability, its sub-factors, and the quality of the user experience for laboratory experiments.
Valerie Storey (Committee Chair)
Patrick Bennett (Committee Member)
Bora Pajo (Committee Member)
291 p.
Adult Education; Curriculum Development; Education; Higher Education; Science Education
online science laboratories; hands-on; virtual; student perceptions; perceived usability; system usability scale (SUS); adult learners

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Wagner, A. M. (2023). Perceived Usability Evaluation Of Hands-On And Virtual Science Laboratories: Using The System Usability Scale (SUS) To Determine Adult Learners’ Preferred At-Home Laboratory Experience [Doctoral dissertation, Franklin University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=frank1690890441790308

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Wagner, Amiee. Perceived Usability Evaluation Of Hands-On And Virtual Science Laboratories: Using The System Usability Scale (SUS) To Determine Adult Learners’ Preferred At-Home Laboratory Experience. 2023. Franklin University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=frank1690890441790308.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Wagner, Amiee. "Perceived Usability Evaluation Of Hands-On And Virtual Science Laboratories: Using The System Usability Scale (SUS) To Determine Adult Learners’ Preferred At-Home Laboratory Experience." Doctoral dissertation, Franklin University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=frank1690890441790308

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Franklin University and OhioLINK.