Jay Allen’s Ph.D. Portfolio

Affinity Bundle Evaluation Rubric

I. Ease of Use (Usability?) – related to tenet of “Self-Concept”

· Skills needed to operate the program are intuitive

· The program may be used independently during the first use

· Accessing key menus is straightforward

· Extensive reading or other preparations is not prerequisite to using the program

· Graphics make sense to the intended user

· It is easy to get in or out of any activity at any point

· Getting to the first menu is quick and easy

· Controls are responsive to the touch

· Written materials are helpful

· Instructions can be reviewed on the screen, if necessary

· Mistakes are “gently” remediated

· Installation procedure is straightforward and easy to do

II. Learner-Centered (Is it designed for individuality in mind?) – related to tenet of “Role of Learner’s Experience”

· The leaner has control over the rate of display

· The learner has control over exiting at any time

· The learner has control over the order of the display

· Title screen sequence is brief or can be bypassed

· There is evident personalization

· There is evident branching based on learner’s actions/decisions

III. Educational (What can a learner learn from this program?) – related to tenets of “Learner’s Need to Know” and “Orientation to Learning”

· Offers a good presentation of one or more content areas

· Graphics do not detract from the program’s educational intentions

· Feedback employs meaningful graphic and sound capabilities

· Speech is used

· The presentation is novel with each use

· Good challenge range (the program will scale with the learner’s accomplishments)

· Feedback reinforces content (embedded reinforcements are used)

· Program elements match direct experiences

· Content is free from gender bias

· Content is free from ethnic bias

· A learner’s ideas can be incorporated into the program

· The program comes with strategies to extend the learning

· There is a sufficient amount of content

IV. Entertaining (Is this program fun to use?) – related to tenet of “Motivation to Learn”

· The program is enjoyable to use

· Graphics are meaningful and enjoyed by the learner

· This program is appealing to a wide audience

· Learners return to this program time after time

· Random generation techniques are employed in the design

· Speech and sounds are meaningful

· Challenge is fluid, or a learner can select their own level

· The program is responsive to a learner’s action or inaction

· The theme of the program is meaningful to the learner

V. Design Features (How “smart” is this program?)

· The program has speech capacity (spoken or textual)

· Keeps records of learner’s work

· “Branches” automatically, challenge level is fluid

· A learner’s ideas can be incorporated into the program

· Sound can be toggled or adjusted

· Feedback is customized in some way to the individual

· Program keeps a history of the learner’s use over a period of time

VI. Value (How much does it cost vs. what it does? Is it worth it?)

· Considering the factors rated above, and the average retail price of software, rate this program’s relative value considering the current software market. Consider also any extras which may be required to get full potential of the programming, e.g., an upgraded sound card, CD-ROM, high-speed internet connection, etc.