Digital Education Ecosystem (DEE): User-Centred Design of the Student Journey Configurator

Abstract

Higher Education is changing towards personalized student journeys – meaning that students and teachers tailor educational programmes to the goals and preferences of individuals. This causes the need for decision support and information systems in order to facilitate the student journey. This paper describes the concept of the Student Journey Configurator (SJC) platform as a digital tool to facilitate a transparent educational process through the study programme for teachers, academic staff, and students. After elaborating on the general background of digital education ecosystems (DEE) and the concept of the student journey, the SJC application architecture and the authentication process based on eduGain are explained. The scientific contribution is the evaluation of the usability of the platform and the view-based concept of the configuration process. To do that, the user interface was tested with 7 students of one of the relevant international Master programmes. The students were given access to the five main views of the SJC and asked 14 questions to navigate through the process. The results showed that the view concept and the user interface design are valid. However, students had several problems with the understanding of particular icons, naming, and navigation elements. These findings should be considered during the following development process.