Case study on BrightSpace effectiveness for Algonquin College students.

Overview

Algonquin College is one of the largest colleges in Canada with over 27,000 students enrolled every semester. The college, located in Ottawa, offers more than 200 programs of study. Recent intakes revealed that new students faced difficulties during the onboarding process. The college relies on a learning management platform called BrightSpace where the instructors share learning course information with students.

Understanding the problem:

This study aims to improve the onboarding process for Algonquin College students using BrightSpace. To achieve this, we aim to identify pain points, frustrations, and gaps in the user experience.

Preliminary feedback from a small sample size has indicated that users face the following challenges with BrightSpace:

1. New students find it challenging to use BrightSpace due to its lack of ease and pleasure. They have to click multiple times to reach a particular destination.
2. The home page is not intuitive, and the information provided is insufficient.

To address these issues, we plan to conduct research to identify pain points, frustrations, and gaps that Algonquin College students experience while using the tech facilities required for their respective programs.

“The goal of this study is to create a seamless onboarding experience for new students at Algonquin College.”

Research

We conducted usability testing, to gain a deeper understanding of the problem.

As part of an interdisciplinary program, our team conducted user research to improve the onboarding/orientation process for new students at Algonquin College, specifically in relation to the technology facilities they are required to use in their respective programs. Initially, we assumed that the pain points would be related to various technology platforms that students use to access different information about the college. However, after conducting 7 usability testing, we found that the major pain points experienced by new students were related to the BrightSpace platform. This platform is commonly used by students to access lecture content and submit assignments.

A few usability testing questions included:

1. What are your main tasks on BrightSpace? How often do you use it? When do you use it?
2. How was your onboarding experience? Was it easy or difficult? On a scale of 1–5, how easy was it? How confident did you feel after onboarding?
3. Are there any features that you find helpful or frustrating? Can you complete your tasks effectively? Which aspects don’t work as expected? What works well?
4. How easy is it to navigate BrightSpace? Is it easy to find what you need? Did you have to search or were features easily accessible?
5. Where does BrightSpace fit into your college experience? How important is it? What role does it play in your workflow?

Our research revealed that the information architecture of the BrightSpace platform was too nested, there was no dedicated orientation session for students to learn how to use technology platforms, and the layout of the platform on the professor’s end was different from what students see on their end. Overall, our research helped us better understand the pain points experienced by students and allowed us to make recommendations for improving the onboarding process at Algonquin College.

Insights

1. The students found it difficult to locate frequently used menu items such as assignments and lecture notes due to the nested information architecture of the platform.
2. There is a lack of dedicated orientation sessions for students to learn how to use technology platforms, which results in them taking time to become accustomed to platforms like BrightSpace.
3. Confusion is caused by the layout of the platform on the professor’s end being different from what students see on their end, especially when the professor is demonstrating a task in class.
4. The students had difficulty using the platform on mobile device

Persona

Roxy is a graphic design student who needs to access her lecture notes on the BrightSpace platform because it is a crucial resource for her academic success. However, the platform’s nested information architecture is overly complex and difficult to navigate, leading to frustration and wasted time. This issue can negatively impact Roxy’s ability to learn and excel in her course.

Journey Map of Roxy

Lessons learnt

1. Identifying pain points: Conducting interviews and usability tests provided valuable insights into user pain points and helped identify areas for improvement.
2. Engaging users: Focusing on a specific aspect of the user experience, such as a particular platform, can increase the number of students using BrightSpace on a daily bases.
3. Onboarding experience: Providing orientation sessions for new students to learn how to use technology platforms can help them become familiar with the platforms more quickly and reduce frustration.
4. Improved information architecture: Streamlining the information architecture of a platform can make it easier for users to find what they need and improve the overall user experience.
5. Considering all stakeholders: It is essential to consider the perspectives of all stakeholders involved in the onboarding process, including college administrators, faculties, IT departments, product teams, and students, to ensure a seamless onboarding experience.

Recommendations to BrightSpace

To Conclude

The Algonquin College Onboarding Experience Case Study highlights the importance of a seamless onboarding experience for new students. The study’s outcomes provide valuable insights into the pain points experienced by students using the BrightSpace platform and recommend implementing solutions such as dedicated orientation sessions and a streamlined information architecture to improve the overall experience.

By reflecting on these challenges and lessons learned, we can further refine the platform and apply these insights to the development of future screens, ensuring continued success and growth.

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