Seeing Beyond Expert Blind Spots: Online Learning Design for Scale and Quality

Maximizing system scalability and quality are sometimes at odds. This work provides an example showing scalability and quality can be achieved at the same time in instructional design, contrary to what instructors may believe or expect. We situate our study in the education of HCI methods, and provide suggestions to improve active learning within the HCI education community. While designing learning and assessment activities, many instructors face the choice of using open-ended or close-ended activities. Close-ended activities such as multiple-choice questions (MCQs) enable automated feedback to students. However, a survey with 22 HCI professors revealed a belief that MCQs are less valuable than open-ended questions, and thus, using them entails making a quality sacrifice in order to achieve scalability. A study with 178 students produced no evidence to support the teacher belief. This paper indicates more promise than concern in using MCQs for scalable instruction and assessment in at least some HCI domains.