Alpha Evaluation of Design Time – MSIDT 530 MSIDT CSU Fullerton – Understanding the practices of learning in an information age

Sep 15, 2026

Alpha evaluation results assess a prototype tutorial titled “MSIDT CSU Fullerton – Understanding the practices of learning in an information age” created by Design Time for course MSIDT 530. Reviewers evaluate subject matter, auxiliary information, affective considerations, interface, presentation modes, navigation, pedagogy, and robustness. Findings confirm alignment of objectives and goals, appropriate readability and consistent presentation, with key improvements recommended for visual diversity, interactive questioning, clearer display alignment, and optional section navigation. The prototype is robust across three platforms.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryGeneral

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Alpha Evaluation Summary

Subject Matter

Auxiliary Information

Affective Considerations

Interface

Presentation Modes

Navigation

Pedagogy

Invisible Features

Robustness

Supplementary Materials

Alpha Evaluation of Design Time's 'MSIDT CSU Fullerton – Understanding the practices of learning in an information age' Tutorial MSIDT 530 Enlighten Design Sangeetha Carmona, Ted Grover, Jenny Kellogg An alpha evaluation was performed by Enlighten Design (Sangeetha Carmona, Ted Grover, Jenny Kellogg) on the prototype tutorial 'MSIDT CSU Fullerton – Understanding the practices of learning inan information age' by Design Time. Below is a brief description of the results of the review for each category requested by Design Time, which are additionally presented in the attached Alpha Evaluation Form. Subject Matter: Objectives ofthe tutorial are clearly stated and content matches goals. Readability is at an appropriate level for the expected audience. Content is presented consistently as is recommended by Alessi and Trollip (p. 60), with no unexpected or confusing attributes. In the area of subject matter the only suggestion is to include more ethnic diversity in the graphics. One reviewer “found the photographs a little dated and not presenting a strong diversity” and a second commented that “most of the people in the photographs were still caucasian, although there clearly was some attempt at presenting gender and ethnic diversity.” Auxiliary Information: Although Alessi and Trollip consider directions “essential in any multimedia program”(p. 50), thereviewers all agreed that the simplicity of the buttons, including symbolic depictions and rollover descriptions, sufficed and additional directions were not necessary. The placeholder for the context sensitive help page suggests that appropriate global help will be available to the learner and the 'Needs Work' evaluation is for bookkeeping purposes only. No other suggestions are made in this area. The conclusion page is appropriate for this tutorial. Affective Considerations: In a tutorial, aspects of consideration for learner motivation are content, interactivity and user control. Content and user control are implemented in such a way as to promote learner motivation. Interactivity could be improved with methodologies such as question/response. One reviewer noted that the student profile page of the tutorial likely has potential for user interactivity and will be a positive addition with respect to learner motivation. Another reviewer asserted the following suggestions related to affective considerations: To improve the overall tutorial, questions should occur frequently. That is, as indicated by Alessi & Trollip (p. 94), sequences of information presentation should be divided with interspersed questions. They could be in question-feedback form, problem-solving scenarios, or commands to be obeyed (e.g. click on the answer you think is correct) . For example in the prototype after defining what instructional design is, some positive and/or negative exemplars could be provided where the learner selects the right answer. Alternatively topic-related websites or hot words could be hyperlinked to help learners obtain more information. Where advanced technology tools are mentioned, learners could be provided with examples. In terms of the content, one area of improvement would be in the affective considerations (p, 422) . To increase learner curiosity or motivation to complete the tutorial, some advantages of being an instructional designer could be outlined. For example: Competitive pay, flexible scheduling, opportunity for creativity, teamwork, etc. It is noted that some of the above may be currently planned for implementation in the full tutorial. Interface: The one suggestion agreed upon by all three reviewers regarding display is to adjust the text that does not line up with the lines on the image of notepad paper behind it. Reviewers found this to be distracting and added another possible suggestion-to add an additional solid background behind all main text to avoid interaction with the lined paper and to draw attention forward to the text. Presenta

FAQs

What tutorial elements were reviewed in the alpha evaluation?

The review covered subject matter, auxiliary information, affective considerations, interface, presentation modes, navigation, pedagogy, invisible features, robustness, and supplementary materials.

What were the main subject matter findings?

Objectives were clearly stated and content matched goals, with readability at an appropriate level and consistent presentation. Suggestions focused on increasing ethnic diversity in the graphics and photos.

What improvements were suggested to increase learner engagement and motivation?

Reviewers recommended adding more frequent questions and interactivity, such as question-feedback, problem-solving scenarios, or clickable exemplars. They also suggested outlining potential advantages of being an instructional designer and improving interactivity via student profile potential.

Sep 15, 2026

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