Testing Onboarding Course

This artifact captures my beta testing of the Onboarding Course Template developed by the Center for Academic Innovation. The goal of the template was to provide a consistent, learner-friendly entry point for new users of the Michigan Online platform. My role was to engage with the course as a test learner and provide feedback on usability, accessibility, tone, clarity, and sequencing. I documented my feedback through a formal response form that surfaced specific friction points and opportunities for improvement.

Core Competencies

  • Using Research and Evaluation Skills

    This beta testing experience allowed me to engage in formative evaluation by observing and documenting how the course functioned from a user experience perspective. I assessed layout, navigation, accessibility features, and visual consistency, noting where interface elements might confuse or disrupt learners. My feedback was detailed, specific, and grounded in the actual interaction patterns of the platform—supporting the design team’s ability to identify and address usability issues before launch.

  • Using Knowledge of Technology Affordances and Constraints

    This artifact reflects my growing fluency with the Canvas platform and its affordances. As I moved through the onboarding course, I considered how Canvas structures learner interaction—menus, content blocks, buttons, visual hierarchy—and flagged moments where those features created confusion or misalignment. My feedback was grounded in an understanding of how learners navigate platform-specific interfaces, and how small design decisions can support or disrupt that flow.

This project helped me refine my ability to look at a learning experience through the lens of platform design. I concentrated on how learners interact with structure, navigation, and visual consistency—especially within the affordances and constraints of Canvas. I became more attentive to the details that shape user experience: where a button is placed, how a section is labeled, or whether a menu item creates clarity or confusion. It also deepened my understanding of beta testing as a critical moment in the design process—for improving how a course feels to learners as they step into it for the first time.