The Mayo Clinic website provides the public with a lot of information on the services and research realized by representatives of the clinic as the medical research organization specializing in treating problematic cases that require the proper or additional research.
The web site presents complete information on the aspects of patient care and research realized within the organization. It is possible to find the information on diseases treated in the clinic according to their symptoms and conditions. The information is classified alphabetically. Diseases and symptoms are provided with detailed descriptions about the causes, tests, and prevention therapies. The user of the website can also check his or her symptoms with the help of a Symptom Checker and find possible causes of the malaise (Mayo Clinic, 2013).
Detailed information with definitions, descriptions, and instructions is provided on drugs and supplements. The information on drugs is classified according to the type and alphabetically. For instance, having chosen Oxymetazoline as the drug of interest, it is possible to find the information on the US brand names, description of the effects, and the aspects of prescribing and using references to the possible side effects (Mayo Clinic, 2013).
Furthermore, all the associated information on drugs or biologics is presented in the articles. Thus, a person can learn which forms of Vitamin E are available and what amount is necessary for a man to follow a healthy lifestyle (Mayo Clinic, 2013).
The clinic also proposes such services as the preparation of tests and required procedures. A client has an opportunity to receive all the necessary information on the details of the service with the help of a list organized in alphabetical order according to which the information on preparations, the effectiveness of the procedure, and results can be found. The information in articles is prepared by the Mayo Clinic employees who are experienced in realizing this or that procedure.
Thus, while focusing on the details of the brain deep stimulation, it is possible to learn important information about the elements of the process and its effects for treating such diseases as Parkinsons disease or dystonia (Mayo Clinic, 2013). The section about diseases and treatments is also significant for receiving useful information on the range of services proposed by the clinic. For instance, a client can search for additional materials on the clinics approaches to reproductive medicine to prepare for the required assessments and tests.
The discussion of the most controversial body-related and medical issues is presented in the forms of articles in the section of expert blogs. Furthermore, it is possible to communicate with an expert and ask questions. The Mayo Clinic Health Solutions service focuses on providing the materials and contacts for the clients to organize the most effective treatment, which is appropriate for the concrete case (Mayo Clinic, 2013). Thus, there are links to wellness programs that are helpful for persons suffering from different health problems.
The materials provided on the web site are connected with the clinics services. However, the general medical information useful for the public is also presented on the web site. The content of the website is regulated to prevent cases of self-medication, which can be harmful to people. The Mayo Clinic website presents a lot of information on drugs and biologics used in the clinic for treating persons suffering from difficult cases, as well as many facts on the effective procedures and medical devices utilized in the clinic to realize the necessary care.
This paper is a comparison paper comparing two websites, healthline.com and mayoclinic.com, to identify the difference in their usability. The paper shows that several factors may cause a website easy to interact with. These factors include human aspects, the structural format of the site, and the design. The report gives a brief background of the two web sites as well as outlining the method of research used to identify the differences. The results of the research have been presented, and a detailed discussion is given in this paper to show how websites can be affected by certain aspects of humanity. Towards the end of the paper, some recommendations on how to mitigate the problem have been outlined as well.
Introduction
Website usability is one of the most important aspects of any portal or site where members of the public are expected to access information about a particular subject. Different sites use varied user interfaces, which makes the difference between a simple and complex site. Some sites are very simple and easy to use for a layman, while others are too complex for an ordinary user to understand. These are the major structural differences that determine the number of users visiting a particular site while overlooking some. In this paper, the websites that will be discussed are healthline.com and mayoclinic.com since they both offer professional advice and information on breast cancer.
While developing a website, it is very important for an organization to consider a number of factors in order to create an effective health information system. Several risks are expected while creating such a system, and this includes the probability that the system may not work, may partially work, or may work, but users may not like it. Such challenges are there, and they may affect the performance and effectiveness of a website. With such an understanding, it becomes apparent that while developing a website, it is imperative for an organization to consider human aspects. This includes beliefs, tastes and preferences, current trends, and personality disparities.
Background
The greatest determining factor of a websites effectiveness is its accessibility. A website that is easily accessible and the information therein is readily available for users will definitely be the most visited site. Mayoclinic.com is one of the websites that offer information concerning breast cancer, and it is a very popular medical website. However, compared to healthline.com, the former is quite inaccessible. The mayoclinic.com website requires users to pay or purchase the information therein as opposed to the healthline.com website. The latter offers breast cancer patients free information on different topics such as living beyond cancer, dancing with cancer, among other breast cancer blogs.
The website offers testimonials from victims of the disease, including advice from experienced and renowned doctors and health practitioners. Barbara Jacoby is one of the women battling with the disease, and she offers lessons about letting life happen. She has devoted all her efforts to help and educate women suffering from breast cancer, and all the information is posted on the healthline.com website for free. On the other hand, the mayoclinic.com clinic offers a brief introduction about the essential guide to breast cancer. After capturing the users attention and creating suspense with the limited information, the user is required to make an order and purchase the entire breast cancer book at $22.95.
Methods
While developing a health care information system, developers forget to include the aspect of human factors in their design. This research has used observation as one of the methods for obtaining information on the differences between the two websites. There are structural characteristics of a website that can have either a negative or a positive impact on the users health care reasoning and cognition. Comparing the mayoclinic.com and the healthline.com websites, the two are different even by the look of their user interface. The mayoclinic.com website looks more like a commercial website where users have to request appointments, find a personal doctor as well as an order book. On the other hand, the healthline.com website is purely a health care information platform. As soon as a user gets into the website, the information requested is visible and available without a charge.
Results
Such a conspicuous difference can have varied implications on both sites in terms of accessibility of information and the physical impression created. Most of the target users in health care information systems are people who need health-related help. For instance, on the healthline.com website, information about breast cancer is dominant. Advice includes tests that can help guide a breast cancer patient, the most vulnerable groups, quality of life for cancer patients, breast cancer vaccines, among other helpful information. The site has an entire article tackling drugs for breast cancer comparing the quality of the recent drugs to the older ones hence providing victims with very useful information.
Discussion
On the other hand, the mayoclinic.com website has very little and limited information on the same subject tackling only prevention, treatment, taking care of victims, and living with cancer. In addition, the information is also not very broad hence giving just a basic insight on the topics. This is an intentional withholding of information so that the book can sell. The human perception that a health care organization is making money from patients who need help can spur negative publicity; hence few users would want to visit the website. Satisfying users expectations by providing enough information at first glance is a very important factor. Mayoclinic.com website lacks this advantage with its limited information and billing system.
The healthline.com website uses a simple Topics and Tools button to access information while leaving a search option where users can directly type in their questions and concerns. The mayoclinic.com, on the other hand, has a number of functions but lacks the most important Search option. The function buttons have a number of other functions within them hence making the site more complex for an average user. Using this site is quite difficult compared to the healthline.com website, which is direct and simple to use due to the lack of such intricate functional buttons.
Web site functionality is highly dependent on the ability of users to interact with the information system effectively. Human-computer interaction, HCI, is an important aspect of a website. Health care information systems have to be easy to execute and set up as well as be in conformity with the current rules and regulations set by law. Simplicity while developing a health care information system is very important. Such systems are best developed with simple procedures to access information faster and more conveniently. To achieve the most out of a system, it should be created in an easy language to facilitate easy learning and memorizing of the interface methods. User satisfaction must be the priority in a health care system as well as its efficiency. A good system must be error-free, providing legitimate and accurate information.
Conclusion
This research paper discusses the differences between two prominent websites that offer health care information to the public. The paper discusses the different characteristics that differentiate the two websites by looking into their usability. Efficiency and accessibility have both been identified as some of the factors that determine the usability of a website. The quality of information offered on a website is also considered to be a contributing factor to its usability. Other aspects, such as the design and user interface have also been identified as factors causative to an effective website usability.
Preliminarily, it is worth noting that, in all three websites, there is an emphasis on the importance of dieting and physical activity in reducing diseases such as cancer, diabetes, stroke, depression, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular diseases. Even though these websites show that these diseases are usually prevalent among adults, the writers go ahead to state that poor physical activities and dieting habits also have devastating effects on the children.
However, the focus of the discussion in this paper is not on the content of these articles but rather on the helpful website tools used in these sites to ensure that the intended information gets to the targeted public. A succinct explanation of these website tools is briefly given below.
WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health
To begin with, on this website, the administrators have customized it such that the article can be accessed in different languages such as English, French, Spanish, and Chinese, among other languages. These languages make the article easily accessible to people from various languages without having to necessarily use special software for interpretation purposes.
Another important tool in this website is the presence of several supporting news articles, information sheets, publications, and applications as well as resources on chronic diseases related to the lack of physical activities. Examples of such resources include 10 facts about obesity and 10 facts about physical activity ((WHO, 2012). Finally, the presence of the simple and advanced search buttons, clear contact information, and a section for viewing frequently asked questions make it easy for readers to gain insightful information from the website.
CDC Physical Activity
Among the three websites, this site has the best tools. On top of the clear-cut contact information, publications, and articles to support the main article and viable links to other relevant information, the website has provisions for its users to access the main article in different formats such as PDF, DOC, PPT, and MPEG. Also, there is an option for printing the article. These tools are very convenient, especially for people who would like to download the information and access it later in a different format instead of logging into the website every time information is required.
Another important tool is that of getting email updates on the main article. For people who would like to make follow-ups on the article, this option comes in quite handy. Finally, the information on this site is cataloged alphabetically, together with current statistics regarding physical activity in adults and children. It makes it easy for readers to get required data and statistics on the nature of physical activity not just in the USA alone but in other parts of the world, as well (CDC, 2010).
Healthy People 2020 Physical Activity
In terms of the available tools, this site is hugely similar to the second website. Some of the similar tools include the option for getting email updates, the search box, clear contact information, the print option, and the links to other relevant information. Also, resources and applications on chronic diseases that result from a lack of physical activity are given in this article. Examples of the diseases, given in this site include cancer, diabetes, and stroke, among many others (HealthyPeople.gov, 2012). Over recent times, the use of social sites in the medical world is very effective in ensuring that information is easily accessible (Abdi, 2001, pp. 5-10). Its use in this website is, therefore, a great plus for the site developers.
References
Abidi, S. S. R. (2001). Knowledge management in healthcare: towards knowledge-driven decision-support services. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 63(1-2), 5-18.
There are various websites discussing the issue of workplace stress in nurses and suggesting ways on how to address it. However, not all of these sources are credible since they lack proper research background to provide recommendations. Therefore, it is essential to distinguish between reliable and non-reliable websites while trying to eliminate this health problem and advising patients.
One of the most trustworthy websites for nurses is Medscape (www.medscape.com). It is the largest informative medical site, the purpose of which is to provide professionals with the most recent data and evidence-based interventions. For example, the website offers research results and providers the names of authors as well as other relevant information. In their article Rashaun, Grubb, and Grosch (2013) discuss stress in nurses and approaches to reduce it. The fact that the website offers references to other studies also adds value to its reliability.
The website of the American Nurses Association (ANA) is another website that is rather significant for nurses who are interested in developing professionally and assisting patients with stress. The website provides complete information on the main activities and organization of the nursing staff and highlights the issues of psychology in the work of nurses. The experience of the best nurses in caring for patients of various profiles is presented as examples.
One should also pinpoint the Nursing Times website (www.nursingtimes.net) that focuses on helping nurses with avoiding professional burnout and providing the best care possible. For instance, the article by Ford (2014) declares the importance of detecting the early signs of stress. It is significant to identify situations that cause stress and analyze them. There are different ways to deal with stress, but often one can significantly reduce stress load, taking measures to avoid or improve the stressful situation. In addition, one can change your approach to life. For example, by reviewing standards and reducing perfectionism, it is possible to quickly solve the tasks and remove the ground for conflicts.
Suspect Websites
As a rule, suspect websites discussing stress in nurses are too broad in content and not professional enough to provide any suggestions. For example, Shoes for Crews offers the article called 7 Stress Reduction Techniques for Nurses that is well-structured and has some attractive pictures. However, it lacks the core supportive evidence that should illustrate the websites trustworthiness.
Namely, there are no references to other researchers and no official statistics. Therefore, this website cannot be regarded as reliable. Even though some recommendations may turn out to be useful, one cannot claim that they are evidence-based.
Core Medical Group is one more website, on the pages of which one may find articles devoted to reducing nurses stress at the workplace. For instance, the article 8 Ways to Reduce Stress at Work for Nurses is a part of the blog run by Core Medical Group is the US-based organization working in the area of stuffing. Even though it is a public organization, there is still little evidence regarding the information presented in its blog. It is critical to emphasize that some links to such credible organizations as ANA are shown, yet the overall reliability of the website remains poor. It would be better if the organization would add more credible data and build its articles on official sources.
Personal Reflection
Personally, I consider that there are several factors to be taken into account while determining the validity of a certain website. First, one should pay attention to its name and the author. Usually, such widely-accepted organizations as ANA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MacMillan, and so on present the most relevant websites. The second criterion refers to the content that can be evidence-based or lack thereof.
References to official statistics, previous studies, credible journals, and magazines all this contributes to the credibility of a website devoted to nursing issues. Third, the website should directly focus on nursing. Some websites tend to be rather diverse by discussing nursing, management, and business at the same time, thus reducing their validity.
The website recommendations should be given to patients only in case a nurse personally verified the reliability of one or another source. For example, the ANA website is a good option as it can be helpful both for patients and nurses. The majority of articles are easy to read, yet some of them are presented only partially. One may also note HealthyPeople2020 (www.healthypeople.gov) initiative, outlining health goals in the nearest perspective and offering thousands of articles.
More to the point, the mentioned website shows some links to other trusted sources. Today, there are great amounts of information that is often contradictory or not always true. Therefore, it is one of the responsibilities of a nurse to check a website before recommending it to a patient. In their turn, patients should also be rather attentive to online readings they select to know more about health issues. Such a comprehensive approach to verifying the credibility of nursing websites seems to be the most appropriate decision.
The nursing profession is intrinsically distressing making stress management a priority. Hospitals and nurses need to take the initiative to prevent or reduce burnout arising from pressures and uncontrolled stressors at the workplace. Literature on the subject indicates that effective stress management results in reduced burnout (Shamar & Kumar, 2018). Effective stress management leads to improved performance at work and ensures well-being. The stakeholders affected in this matter include nursing practitioners, patients, decision-makers, and the community at large. This presentation recommends a web-based system as the best intervention to help nurses effectively manage and cope with stressors in their line of duty.
Practice Issue: Burnout
Burnout has become prevalent
among health workers but its mostly inexperienced nurses. Burnout is defined as chronic related stress within the workplace. (Baranda, 2017). Nurses work in stressful work environment settings that call for not just physical strength, but also emotional, mental, and even spiritual strength, thus the nursing profession is at high risk for burnout. The substantial degrees of stress and feeling overpowered lead to bad quality in the long run, diminished work fulfillment, and can cause an overall negative perception of the field (Baranda, 2017) Due to the expanding prevalence of nursing burnout, there is an urgent need for intervention to reduce nursing burnout levels.
Picot Question
Burnout is particularly an issue of concern to nursing practitioners as it has negative implications for the well-being and the general performance of nurse practitioners (Baranda, 2017). Apart from nurses, burnout compromises the level of patient care, the hospital, and the families of the affected individuals. A web-based intervention is recommended to help nurses manage stress and prevent burnout. Alternatively, there is a personalized intervention that involves face-to-face interaction with nurses. It is, however, not a viable choice considering the nature of the profession and the large population in the field. The outcome will be measured by the full Nursing Stress Scale which includes various symptoms of stress.
Literature Review
There is available literature on burnout, its impact on the nursing profession, and the various ways and strategies to prevent and effectively manage burnout. To find credible and relevant articles, the researcher utilized several sources including the library and the internet. The keywords used to find relevant articles for the research topic included burnout in nursing and stress management and prevention. The articles were filtered to only include recent articles published in the past 10 years to capture the recent findings and evidence of best practices on the subject of burnout in nursing.
Causes of Burnout
The ratio of nurses in the country is quite low leading to a humongous workload for nurses in the profession. Kowalczuk et al., (2020) say that numerous sources cite shifts at workplaces, death of patients which leads to emotional strain, unbearable workloads, feelings of powerlessness, unfriendly management styles, and harsh working environment as causes of burnout in nurses. In addition, long working hours and lack of sleep are due to the high demand for the various services offered by nurses. The nursing profession is stressful when compared to other professions. This is because they deal with difficult situations that cause them immense stress regularly (The University of St Augustine for health sciences, 2020).
Effects of Burnout
Nurses are a very important component of the healthcare system due to their undeniable positive contribution toward the well-being and recovery of patients. However, the nature of this profession makes nurses prone to stress and eventually burnout. Nursing is a high-stress profession, and increased stress levels are linked to poor health and absenteeism among nurses. After analysis of relevant literature, burnout is the main problem affecting the performance of nurses. According to (Aryankhesal et al.(2019), burnout leads to reduced performance quality not only by nurses but also by all hospital staff. The physical and mental demands of the profession make nurses stressed. Shamar and Kumar (2018) mention that stress can cause less productivity while at work, which includes prescription errors and lack of coordination hence compromising the quality of service.
Interventions
Nursing is a high-stress career that is both emotionally and physically exhausting, with a high rate of burnout. (Branda, 2017). Apart from personal detrimental effects associated with stress, poor health, and the general well-being of the nurses, burnout is cited as a major cause of attrition and low admissions into the nursing profession. Owing to the important role played by nurses in the healthcare system, an effective intervention method is required to address the issue as a matter of priority. There are two types of intervention in-person intervention and web-based interventions. Due to the numerous cases and significant levels of burnout that could occur at any time, web-based interventions can be more suitable in stress management and addressing the burnout problem among nurses.
Recommendation
The BREATHE is a stress management method and created exclusively for nurses to provide them with necessary information, techniques, and resources to properly manage the numerous stresses that are unavoidable in their line of work (Dutton and Kozachik, 2020). According to a study on the BREATHE program, nurses who had access to it saw significant improvements in apparent nursing-related stress as well as stress markers on the Nursing Stress Scale (Dutton and Kozachik, 2020). The program gives a system to medical caretakers to get to the mediation now and again and places advantageous to their occupation and their busy schedules. The intervention is accessible to every nurse, and it requires an Internet connection and a connecting device to participate in stress management sessions.
Impacted Stakeholders
The research in the recent past has majorly been to investigate how various policies and work-related components impact the performance of nurses and well-being. Literature focuses on the existing relationships between health institution variables and the resulting impact including quality of care, the safety of patients under caregiver care, ill-health, absenteeism, retention, and job dissatisfaction (Dang and Dearholt, 2018; Branda, 2017). Burnout is often cited as being an outcome of practicing nursing. Its effects are, however, not just personal but affect the wider environment. The wider environment in this context, making up of the stakeholders, therefore, include the individual, the organization, and their patients (Aryankhesal et al., 2019). Effective management of burnout has been associated with positive outcomes and performance hence the need for effective intervention methods to lower or prevent levels of burnout among nurses.
Analysis of the Recommendation
The BREATHE is an evidence-based solution that can help nurses to manage stress levels. The program includes sections on how stress affects the body, assessing stress and identifying stressors, practical stress management tools addressing changing ones views of stressors, changing ones response to stressors, or changing the stressful situation, promoting effective communication skills, taking time to grieve, and depression and anxiety. It was influenced by feedback from nurses in focus groups and feasibility tests. (Dutton and Kozachik, 2020) The only resources needed are the gargets to access the internet, and subscription to the program. On effectiveness of the program, literature indicates that it results in reduction of burnout among users leading to the well being and improved performance at work.
Conclusion
Nurses are constantly working in stressful work environment that not only call for physical strength but also emotional, mental, and even spiritual strength. Due to these overwhelming demands, the nursing professions are at high risk for burnout hence the need for effective stress management. Effective stress management in the nursing profession leads to reduction or rather prevention of instances of burnout leading to improvement in staffing levels and enhancing job performance. The BREATHE is a web-based stress management system, recommended for nurses due to its effectiveness in managing burnout as indicated by literature and feasibility studies.
References
Aryankhesal, A., Mohammadibakhsh, R., Hamidi, Y., Alidoost, S., Behzadifar, M., Sohrabi, R., & Farhadi, Z. (2019). Interventions on reducing burnout in physicians and nurses: A systematic review. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 33, 77. Web.
Baranda,M. (2017).Nurse burnout and the effects of coping and stress management Senior Research Projects. 190. Web.
Dang, D., & Dearholt, S. (2018). Supplemental materials for Johns Hopkins Nursing evidence-based practice: model and guidelines. Sigma Theta Tau International.
Dutton, S., & Kozachik, S. L. (2020). Evaluating the outcomes of a webbased stress management program for nurses and nursing assistants. Worldviews on EvidenceBased Nursing, 17(1), 32-38.
Kowalczuk, K., Krajewska-KuBak, E., & Sobolewski, M. (2020). Working excessively and burnout among nurses in the context of sick leaves. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 285.
Sharma,P. & Kumar,M.(2018 ).Managing stress in Nursing profession, International Journal of Current Research, 10, (05), 69740-69744.
The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences (2020). Nurse burnout: risks, causes, and precautions for nurses, Web.
Scribd website is a student-friendly site, in the sense that it stores millions of documents that can be used by students in their research works. The website aims to liberate the written word, and in this regard, it has been able to avail thousands of documents (in the written word) to be shared by millions of readers worldwide (Scribd Inc, 2011, p. 1). Furthermore, the documents available on the website are comprehensive in nature.
Therefore, students can easily research the details of their chosen study topic (Scribd Inc, 2011, p. 1). In this respect, I find the website very interesting because besides having a lot of information regarding different subject areas; it also possesses information in several formats, including books (non-fiction and fiction), presentations, guide manuals, school works, magazines, newspapers, brochures and similar documents (Scribd Inc, 2011, p. 1).
The website is related to my unit of study. It is equally important to the body of knowledge I research since it contains thousands of documents from my field of study (pedagogy). However, accessing this document sometimes takes longer than usual because the documents to be opened are large documents. Moreover, the numerous adverts that pop up during browsing hinder the achievement of the ultimate browsing speed. However, the websites links work perfectly, and in this regard, they redirect the user to the intended target location at a good speed. In this respect, I feel comfortable navigating through the site, and in the same regard, my confidence in the website is equally high.
Web Assessment
Site URL.
Site Title: Scribd
The usefulness of the site
Scribd is a very useful website because it allows for the free exchange of information among different users. I find the website very interesting and useful because I can get a variety of information from the website, including entertainment, educational information, and authentic documents. The website is also useful to me because mobile content can also be shared in the same manner as other digital content.
Moreover, users do not experience authorization barriers before reading the documents since several people worldwide can easily use the websites contents. This means that the website acts as an online library, based on the fact that it completely revolutionizes publishing by making it democratic (Scribd Inc, 2011, p. 1). Moreover, document formats such as pdf, PowerPoint presentations, word documents, and the likes can be found. This means that I can get information in whatever format I please, and equally, I can share useful information about my research findings with my colleagues or peers.
Does the data appear to be up to date and correct? Yes.
Are there any links that may get students lost or confused? No.
Must students log in or use a password? No.
Will they be asked for any personal information? No.
Incorporating Curriculum Rules, Standards, Benchmarks and Objectives
Unit of Study to connect with: Pedagogy
Subjects to incorporate: education, philosophy, information technology.
Specific skills to tie in with this link: Analysis, research, and multitasking.
The specific outcome of visiting the site: After visiting the Scribd website, I establish a sense of confidence in undertaking my research papers. In the same regard, I feel contented by the volume and quality of the sites information. I establish these sentiments based on the fact that Scribd stands out as the most reliable site where I can get authentic and credible research data, based on its high-quality data.
Curriculum Standards/ Objectives
To understand the structural features of information sources such as newspapers, essays, pdf documents, and the likes.
To develop research skills in writing research responses and expound on different fields of study.
To comprehend how to organize and deliver oral communication.
To understand existing technological speaking applications.
To comprehend international teaching standards.
How long can it take to introduce the site: it can take me 15 minutes to introduce it.
How will students work: Students will work in small groups
How many sessions or visits to the site do you anticipate scheduling: I anticipate making five visits to the site in every class discussion or research topic that has to be studied.
Will you need the lab, or can the session be conducted in the classroom: I need the lab to carry out the study sessions because I will need the internet to access the website content.
What is the backup plan if the Internet connection fails: If the internet connection fails, I plan to use a portable internet modem to stay connected to the internet.
What is the extension activity for advanced students: The extension activity for advanced students will be undertaking physical library research to ascertain the credibility of information obtained through the website. Students will also be required to undertake group discussions to further complement the understanding of the skills studied in class.
Assessment: With regards to the lesson outcome, positive outcomes were registered, in a sense that; students understood what was taught, and in equal measure, they were able to apply what was taught. Moreover, the students understood the subjects taught, and to this extent, the learning objectives were easily attained.
However, there were instances where I had a rough idea of the learning outcomes I expected to achieve and the teaching methodologies that were going to be applied to realize the same outcomes; but, in such instances, I was often faced with the dilemma of clearly defining the learning objective. However, I established that questioning the learning outcome was an enriching process, especially in establishing why the students had to learn what was taught. In this regard, I established that the process was enriching for the students and the instructor, in the same measure.
Notes to yourself: It is always important to test the objective of undertaking a teaching exercise because it can easily uncover a bigger idea, which will enable students to find the learning experience more enriching and worthwhile. No guarantee evaluating ones objective of doing something will make it more interesting, but it easily provides an appropriate guideline or rationale for undertaking the teaching process.
Importance of Website Evaluation in Use of Technology for Independent Study
A websites usability greatly depends on its ease in navigation and its general functionality to provide its users with a rich learning experience (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2005, p. 7). For this reason, Scribd is cited in this study as an appropriate website for student learning because it has an efficient site structure and lacks navigational blocks to enable students to easily carry out independent studies with the guarantee of attaining the right results.
It is also for this reason that many internet users (about 83%) are known to leave a website because it is difficult to get the required information; or similarly, they are subjected to too many clicks before they get the right information (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2005, p. 7).
The use of technology in learning is therefore greatly boosted by appropriate websites of study such as Scribd because they are designed to suit the end users need which is at the core of the use of technology in learning. For students to develop a high order skill in thinking and creativity, they ought to be exposed to numerous literature volumes that challenge their minds and expose them to numerous volumes of research material that expound on their thinking (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2005, p. 7).
It is for this reason that technology plays a crucial role in the learning process, and it is also from the same rationale that a good website plays a critical role in the student learning process. From this understanding, websites that contain numerous volumes of information are the best for carrying out independent studies. Scribd stands at the center of this objective because it is equipped with numerous pieces of information that can effectively provide dynamic perspectives of teaching and learning to students to enrich their learning experience (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2005, p. 7).
Technology has also been known to complement the teachers efforts in learning because students can easily undertake their independent learning objectives. From the virtual learning environment, students are exposed through websites and other technological means, and in the same measure, students can complement what they have learned in the natural learning environment. In this regard, good websites broaden the students learning experience beyond the classroom context.
From this understanding, Scribd stands as a good learning tool for students to carry out their own independent research studies (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2005, p. 7). The website can sufficiently enable students to effectively attain their learning objectives because it contains complementary information regarding various learning topics that are not covered by the instructor, or in some cases, the instructor abstractly covers them. In this regard, students can easily use technology to complement their learning activities.
References
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. (2005). Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement. Web.
The website is one of the primary channels of fostering the mission and vision of institutions. According to Nicholson and Li, a website should have significant influence and popularity based on the importance of its content to the intended audiences (212). The chief objectives of a website to its audience include participation, visitor satisfaction, or taking action (e.g. purchase) (Psaila and Wagner 31). This critical writing paper describes Airbnb website design, its advantages, its disadvantages, and ways to improve inherent shortcomings.
Mainly, many pictures depicting locations around the world characterize the largest section of the Airbnb website. Notably, some of these places include New York, Barcelona, Hawaii, Paris, San Francisco, London, and Budapest (Airbnb, Inc n.pag). At the top section, the website provides visitors with sign up, log in, and become a host option. At the bottom section, the website provides visitors with numerous links to various web pages and social media platforms such as Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube (Airbnb, Inc n.pag).
The design of the Airbnb website has numerous advantages. First, the website of the company is search engine friendly. A website with a friendly search engine helps visitors to trace relevant pages easily (Webguru India, 44). Second, the Airbnb website enhances user engagement through links to its web pages and social media platforms such as Google+, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube (Airbnb, Inc n.pag). As Fuchs and Sandoval note, Airbnb achieves the websites primary objective, which is to increase user engagement (211). Third, the sites pictures together with suggestive messages such as Falling in Love in Budapest, provide visitors with the opportunity of choosing their destination based on their themes of travel.
Again, several disadvantages characterize the Airbnb website. First, the website uses many images. Webguru India notes that high usage of images slows down the loading of web pages (45). Second, the moving images lack pausing option. In this regard, these pictures are distracting visitors and affecting their peripheral vision. Third, essential information relating to the company such as About, Policies, Press, and Careers, is not immediately visible at a glance. According to Karwowski, about 90 percent of users do not scroll past the immediately visible information (1289). Since a visitor has to scroll down several, this design reduces visitors engagement.
The notable shortcomings of the Airbnb website can be addressed in several ways. First, some images should be removed. Then, relevant details (e.g. fare and hours of travel) should be put adjacent to the remaining pictures. Second, the moving images should have a pausing option so that website visitors can halt their movement to avoid distraction and reduce vision-related effects. Third, valuable content relating to the Airbnb such as About, Policies, Press, and Careers, should be part of the immediately visible information to increase visitors engagement with the website.
The design of the Airbnb website constitutes numerous pictures and information which are not immediately apparent. The website is search engine friendly and promotes user engagement through links to web pages and social media platforms. However, the presence of many pictures slows down the loading of the web pages. Again, the movement of some pictures distracts website visitors. The Airbnb website can be improved by reducing images, adding more details to the remaining pictures, and placing relevant information at the immediately visible area of the web pages.
Works Cited
Airbnb, Inc 2016, Live there: Book Homes from Local Hosts in 191+ Countries and Experience a Place like You Live there . Airbnb Online. Web.
Fuchs, Christian, and Marisol Sandoval. Critique, Social Media and the Information Society. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2013. Print.
Karwowski, Waldemar. International Encyclopedia of Ergonomics and Human Factors, 2nd ed. 2006. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. Print.
Nicholson, Ann, and Xiaodong Li. AI 2009: Advances in Artificial Intelligence: 22nd Australasian Joint Conference, Melbourne, Australia, 2009, Proceedings. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science & Business Media, 2009. Print.
Psaila, Giuseppe, and Roland Wagner. E-Commerce and Web Technologies: 9th International Conference, EC-Web 2008 Turin, Italy, 2008, Proceedings. Berlin, Germany: Springer Science & Business Media, 2008. Print.
Webguru India. Design Your Imagination: Free Web Design E-Book. Kolkata, West Bengal: Brainware Consultancy Pvt. Ltd, 2010. Print.
The advent of technology in the society especially the Internet illuminates the need to come up with strategies to determine efficiency of information posted in websites and WebPages. This makes it necessary to come up with conclusive and accurate judgments on how a website meets or fail to meet the needs of consumers (Lawrence & Tavakol 190).
Certain criteria must be administered in order to determine efficiency of an organizations webpage or website. An example is seen in Mascot Metal Manufacturers (MMM), a company boasting of world class products and has a detailed outlook of the required quality standards. This site is valuable to a majority of the population especially home owners and builders who may want to establish the authenticity of information posted on the website.
Accuracy
Accuracy is one of the main factors considered by the clients. Swiftness and reliability of the site is evident in the number of customers who depend on it for information about their products. The ability to browse by product and availability of its description presents clients with accurate information on purchases. The hardware products can be expanded for better analysis, providing clients with the ability to order exactly what they want.
The site effectively meets the intentions of the company. The website presents trustworthy information on the quality and purpose of products. Its ability to perform advertising purposes gives it quality and the ease of prediction of future requirements. The initiation and operation of the site requires investments which must naturally result in profits (Lawrence & Tavakol 190).
The company is able to realize significant profits by investing in a website. Performance measures of MMM and how they achieve their objectives is usually assessed annually. The organizations website would be part of this process, and in its evaluation it is seen to align to MMMs objectives.
Effectiveness
In order to determine the efficiency of the MMM website, it is imperative to gauge the level of user satisfaction. This is achieved upon analysis of how effectively I can access the required information (Lawrence & Tavakol 192). Ease of access ultimately culminates in satisfaction among users and MMM.
Convenience
The most requested items are the ones which are most conveniently placed on the right side of the page. There are easy commands in the site with weighty topics, which when clicked on, open up smaller sub-topics hence expedient for the client to make choices. Requests which the consumer places on the search engine are prioritized, and put in more accessible areas.
Users may have their own preferences of search names, and it is beneficial for the website developer to avail the desired names in the search engine (Lawrence & Tavakol 194).
The site saves time both in commuting and conversations through having a business inquiry form through which they can express their needs and place orders. Formalities in finalizing transactions, which may be boring or involve a lot of tension in face-to-face communications, are easily avoided through interactive web sites. Easy questions like acceptable forms of payment and choices of products get easier and faster response rather than wasting time in appointments.
Objectivity
The size of the website does not hinder its functionality. It must summarize the latest objectives of the company, and give a general outlook on how it intends to achieve its missions and further emphasize its ISO status. Information on awards, location, date of initiation, and future prospects are outlined to create more impact for purchases. Users require information on which company they are operating with or intend to exploit. The tale of MMM is thus documented in this website.
A customer base is easily grown through the website. The success of an organization is significantly influenced by the contacts of clients it has (Lawrence & Tavakol 196). The efficiency of the website to take in addresses throughout the day and night gives it a plus over the ordinary workforce. It has consequently provided options and motivation for customers to attach their contact information.
Contact information
Clear contact information and locations are clearly indicated so that prospective customers can easily follow directions. The website is a useful tool for providing such critical information which strives to make interaction easy. Phone numbers, fax, and email addresses and any other form of communication must be provided. Ways in which clients can provide their details and what challenges they face in the site is offered.
In conclusion, the MMM website provides excellent first impression of MMM in the present world of online commerce. The site is often the first place that customers come in contact with the hardware business, giving information on how good the company is doing marketing.
The site attracts customers who may not be easily reached through other structures of announcements. More customers are thus reached through the vast possibilities of the Internet (Lawrence & Tavakol 197). The evaluation of the MMM website has thus helped generate information on the implication of a site in any business organization.
Work Cited
Lawrence, Dave & Tavakol, Soheyla. Balanced website design: optimizing aesthetics, usability and purpose. London: Springer, 2007. pp 190-197
With the internet revolution spreading to cover the education sector, a number of websites have been created and dedicated to various faculties. History, as a subject, has witnessed the creation of thousands of websites serving as guides for scholars and other interest groups. This essay seeks to analyze one such website, describing its interface and the contents of its database. The website named The Avalon Project:Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy has been selected as the subject site for the purposes of this exercise.
The Avalon project
The website, a project of the Lillian Goldman Law Library Yale Law School, is dedicated to historical and cultural hallmarks, starting 400BCE and has documents of events that happened in the period running up to 2003. The websites home page has the catalogue of documents presented immediately after the header banner. In this catalogue, there are nine categories. These are: Ancient (4000BCE-399), Medieval (400-1399), 15th Century (1400-1499), 16th Century (1500-1599), 17th Century (1600-1699), 18th Century (1700-1799), 19th Century (1800-1899), 20th Century (1900-1999) and 21st Century (The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy 1).
On the footer is the physical address of the library and links to other administrative pages of the website. Among the prominent tabs on the navigation bar, at the bottom of the page, are links to the Law School and library.
Technical analysis
The technical aspects of the website can be analyzed by considering the readability, performance and site organization. These criteria are discussed below.
Readability
The font type used in the entire website is easy to read and is consistent. The font size is also easy on the eye and anyone with normal vision can go through the text without strain. However, the lines, which run from one side of the screen to the other, negatively affect the level of concentration of the reader. It would be appropriate for the creators of the website to consider shortening the lines in order to reduce the neck strain coming from moving the eyes from one extreme to the other.
Performance
Each of the websites pages loads easily even in slow internet connections. This helps make the website user-friendly and encourages the user to go through as many pages as possible on a single visit.
Site organization
The website is also devoid of clutter with the different navigation tools well laid out on a page. The global navigation bar is consistent throughout the various pages making it easy for the user to easily move from section to the other without getting lost.
Content analysis
In order to complete the analysis of the website five key items that pertain to the content need to be evaluated. These are: the accuracy, authority, currency, objectivity and coverage of documents.
Accuracy of documents
The documents contained in the database of the website have been written by professionals in the respective fields most of whom maintained a high degree of accuracy in their initial research. These writers have the necessary academic and professional experience needed to produce material that is regarded as scholarly. In this regard, anything they publish on a particular topic will be received as credible and starting point to shape fresh discussions. The documents were produced to help students and other researchers in their studies and scholarly duties. In order to ascertain accuracy, the distinction between Webmaster and author has been made clear by attaching the names of the authors and the original media of publication to each article.
Authority
The Yale Law School is a creditable institution of learning, when it comes to studies on law. Any academic documents published on the schools website can be treated as scholarly. Even though the qualifications of the writers of the various articles and papers on the website are not listed, their names are provided and a quick search on the internet can yield all their professional information. The website in current review assumes the structure of a typical library and anyone going through it gets the same experience as visiting a physical library.
Objectivity
The primary goal and objective of the website is to provide material that other scholars can reference to, when doing their own independent researches. In the event that opinions are presented in an article, they come from a scholarly base, and they are intended at shaping future discussion. The material also makes for a good read for anyone that is interested in historical studies. As a guarantee of the objectivity of the website, no advertisements are carried on any of the pages neither are their links to external commercial websites. In addition, there are no charges for accessing any of the documents on the website. This clearly shows that the website was created for academic purposes and not commercial grounds as would have been the case if the creators had different objectives.
Currency
The Avalon Project website is not a news website. Therefore, the articles carried there are not updated on a daily basis as would have been the case if it was dealing with information that changes every day. However, the collection of articles on the website is constantly updated with new documents being added on a regular basis. The website intends to be the go-to place for information on historical happenings. The variety and age of records on its database clearly show that it meets this objective. The links on each and every page of the website work effectively and no dead links were experienced in the evaluation. This shows that the website is well managed with the links getting updated on a regular basis.
Coverage
The website was created for use by individuals that are not necessarily technologically-savvy. These are persons who know how to use the internet and have other basic document manipulation skills. However, their knowledge does not extend to specialized software administration. This is shown by the fact that the website does not need special software to access any information and, therefore, users cannot fail to access any of the pages if they do not have particular software. The interface of the website is also user-friendly, with the links connecting directly to the specific page that they are labeled for.
Conclusion
This project had set out to analyze a history website. The site titled the Avalon Project was selected for the analysis and its various components, from the structure to the content, were given a critical look. If the website was to be given a rating based on this analysis, it would score highly with its only weakness being the length of the lines. It should be noted that this analysis focused on the major elements of the website and a page-by-page evaluation should be conducted for an exhaustive analysis.
Works Cited
The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy 2012. Web.
Presentation plays a pivotal role in ensuring successful online marketing. Almost every hotel or has a website that is designed to market the hotel. This discussion shall analyze and compare websites belonging to two hotels based in New York. The selected websites include Hotel Gansevoort and New Yorks Hotel Pennsylvania websites.
Analysis of the Websites
New Yorks Hotel Pennsylvania homepage contains pictures and advertisements for the offers the hotel has. Also, some tabs redirect the viewer to different pages containing more information about the hotel, its services, and rates. The website is visual and immediately captures the viewers attention (NEW YORKs HOTEL PENNSYLVANIA 1). However, according to my analysis, the website is not well designed. For example, a client has to go to different tabs to get different kinds of important information. This may be time-consuming and confusing to a client who is not internet savvy or has a slow internet connection.
On the other hand, Hotel Gansevoort has a simplified website with an easy-to-use graphic user interface. Besides, the homepage provides all the information needed to know the products and services offered by the hotel (Gansevoort 1). Similarly, the webpages contained in this website are organized, informative, and has few pictorial aids. In my opinion, this is the best website among the two because it is simple to use, organized, and informative.
If I were to market one of these websites, I would advise my clients to visit New Yorks Hotel Pennsylvania website. However, I would recommend that the hotel changes the outlook of the web pages by reducing the pictures and including more product and services information on the homepage. This is because pictures if overused are distractive and may steer the viewer away from the important information or make it hard for them to find the information they are looking for.
Works Cited
Gansevoort. New York Citys first luxury urban resort that transformed the Meatpacking District from gritty to chic. 2012. Web.
NEW YORKs HOTEL PENNSYLVANIA. So Central So New York. 2012. Web.