Who are the users? What is the problem?
Large, lecture-style university courses are not conducive to active learning because students have varying learning styles requiring individual attention from teachers. This lack of access to teachers in a timely manner, and ineffective communication to inquiry about questions regarding content makes students feel marginalized. Professors attempt to remedy this situation by resorting to instructional technology. However, the users of the platform, students in large university style lectures are assumed to be “average users” with uniform characteristics. This bias, rather than promoting active learning for students and providing timely feedback to students, makes instructional technology platforms, such as Rampant Strategy, fail to meet the needs of both students and instructors.
Evidence of bias leading to design failure
Technology design bias is widespread and has been identified in HCI and UX design research. For example, there are reports of technology bias against users of varying physical and mental capabilities, races, cultures, genders and socioeconomic status. These design exclusions arise due to designer assumptions about users and their values manifest in the artifacts they create (Oleson et al., 2022).
Importance
This issue is critical for teaching and learning. Many guidelines, such as section 508, and principles, such as ISTE standards, point to criteria for evaluating technology. Based on them, Rampant Strategy marginalizes students, affects accessibility, timely communication and collaboration. The goal of our design is to make students empowered learners. If not to be as good as its competitor, Top Hat, then at least a significant improvement is needed for Rampant Strategy to be a part of an active learning environment.