Participants | Comments/Observations | Changes Suggested | Appendix
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My web site is intended to be a resource for the parents of the students who attend my elementary art class. Therefore, I had to make sure I had parents looking at my web site.
I selected my own parents to evaluate my web site because they have raised four children and have had plenty of questions about school policies over the years. My father Robert Showalter is very good at giving sound advice and is not afraid to tell me what he thinks, he is also excellent at checking grammar. He also is fairly computer savvy and often troubleshoots operating systems for friends and co-workers. He took a beginner java class about three years ago.
My mother Susan Showalter is a beginner computer wise. She as difficulty using programs and is a slow learner as far as technology is concerned. She only knows how to use the Internet for basic searches and finds complex sites difficult to navigate. However, she is very well educated and is working on her third college degree. One of her degrees is a master's in Education. Therefore she would be an excellent person to have evaluate the educational content and overall information presentation of the site.
Robert [Bob] A. Showalter is my oldest little brother. He is currently pursuing a degree in computer engineering. He too is excellent at troubleshooting and has taught himself a number of programming languages. He is familiar with html and knows how to write cgi scripts. However, Bob is not used to writing his html to a standard, and admits that he knows little about xhtml. He is the one that I watched interact with the web site.
For my final person I chose my friend Kaitlin Kennedy. Kaitlin and I are both taking online html courses that cover html and xhtml (however, we are taking them through different institutions). Since she is currently working with the same standards, I figured it would be good practice for the both of us if we evaluated each other's final projects.
All participants were required to fill out a copy of the "Web Site Evaluation Form" included in this project. I made some minor changes to it for those who were less familiar with html by removing the questions that asked about alt tags.
All participants were using PCs for this evaluation. Unfortunately, I know very few people who own a Macintosh. I test all of my pages in Netscape (7.1) and Internet Explorer (6) as I code them. My mother, father evaluated the site on Internet Explorer. Bob, however, uses Firefox and evaluated the site using that browser. Kaitlin subscribes to AOL and makes use of their modified browser.
Overall, commentary about the web site was very positive. From the information I gathered and the excitement I witnessed when watching my mother and brother navigate the site, I feel that few changes will need to be made to the content.
I ended up observing both my mother and my brother Bob. My mother was able to navigate the web site with ease and was thankful tat I kept my navigation consistent throughout the site. She liked the fact that each site was formatted exactly like the last and that nothing moved around on her. Bob, being net smart, also enjoyed the layout and was glad to see my page was, "not cluttered like some of the other sites I've seen".
Both Bob and my mother responded the most when viewing pictures. They each were excited to see what the kids do in my class and were amazed at how much they learn. My mother was more interested in the content of my curriculum and how I plan my lessons than my brother was, but both of them said they were delighted to see some art samples. Bob commented saying that was his "favorite part" and my mother wrote in her commentary, "...one delight in the site is that the in depth content makes the viewer almost jealous that they are not in Ms. Showalter's art class. What the students are receiving is light years ahead of what the concept of "art" was in the past." All participants seemed to enjoy the visual content of the site. My father wrote, "The site was useful to tell me what to expect if I had a child in Ms. Showalter's art class. It offers a good outline of the content and purpose of art education, and it provides some excellent links to other art websites[sic]. As a parent, I liked the samples of the kids' art, too."
Kaitlin's comments in her e-mail were probably the least helpful, because they were not very descriptive. She said she liked the page but didn't say exactly what she liked about it. My brother's commentary was also very brief, but he answered each question in the rubric rather than just writing "yes" to an entire section. My father's comments were a bit longer because he offered some criticisms and recommendations. The most verbose was my mother who offered mostly praise for the wealth of information given to the parents and the educational content of the site. She was glad to see that, "The text was written in a language that would be accessible to the average viewer. It was not overwhelming or condescending, in fact, it was informative and drew the viewer even deeper into the art experience." Based in everyone's comments, it appears that the layout and content of the site are appropriate and no changes should be made. However, there were a few minor suggestions.
My father made quite a few suggestions about grammar and spelling. He detailed the suggestions in his e-mail. Some of them are typos and those will definitely be fixed right away. All other commentary he made about sentence structure, grammar and spelling, were also fair recommendations and will only improve the web site. So, I will be making all of the grammar and spelling changes that he suggested.
He also said I should "consider changing heading from 'Art Curriculum' to just 'Curriculum' on page heading" of my curriculum.html. He said he made this suggestion because he found it slightly confusing that he would click the "Curriculum" button on the side bar, and the heading said, "Art Curriculum." I explained to him that the reason I did that was because "Art Curriculum" would not have fit comfortably on the side bar button. I was trying to vary the text on the buttons slightly to make use of some white space, so that they did not all blend in together. He agreed that changing the button would be too crowded, so he recommended I change the page heading to just "Curriculum." I may or may not take this admittedly "nit picky" advice, I am leaning toward taking it just for the sake of consistency.
His other major complaint was that, "Home was available on every page, but on the longer length pages it was necessary to employ the "Back To Top" section link or scroll back up to return home. It might have been better if the sidebar did not scroll with the page." I asked him to clarify this and he told me that he wanted the contents of the side bar to move down with him, if that was possible. He admitted that I might not be able to fix this. I explained to him that this was a table layout, and I could not in fact fix what he requested (with my limited knowledge) unless I change the entire site into a fames layout. I then suggested that I could add more "back to the top" links to longer pages such as "curriclulm.html," and he said that should be a sufficient fix.
Kaitlin evaluated my html code and offered a few suggestions. To make the pages Xhtml compliant, I needed to add in some with missing closing tags. I seemed to have missed quite a few in my ordered lists and in some of the tables. After reading her comments I found that I repeated the same mistakes several times, due to copying and pasting sections of code while I worked on the site. All of her suggestions will be taken into consideration and I will try to review my code closely before turning in the final project.
All changes suggested by my father and Kaitlin will most likely be made. Bob and my mother did not have any changes for me to make. In the end, I wish that some of my evaluators had taken the time to write more descriptive answers. However, most commentary that was given was very positive. Both testing methods were informative. I think I enjoyed watching people interact with the site and make comments on the pictures more than reading their commentary.
From: RapunzelK@aol.com [Add to Address Book] Flag Message | Mark Unread
[This is spam]
To: miscellania@earthlink.net
Subject: Evaluation
Date: Jul 16, 2005 11:29 AM
Web Site Evaluation Form
Evaluator's Name: Kaitlin E. Kennedy
Email Address: RapunzelK@aol.com
URL of site evaluated:http://bengal.missouri.edu/~sesfh3/index.html
Author of site evaluated: Sarah Showalter
Web site was evaluated on the following system:
Type of computer (Provide as much information as possible, i.e., Sony PC running Windows 98, 500mhz, 128MB RAM): Del Dimension, Win XP
Browser (e.g., Netscape Communicator 4.0): AOL
Modem speed (e.g., 28.8 or Ethernet): DSL
Web Site Design and Development Rubric
Design
Document is subdivided into logical supporting pages or, if presented as a single page, offers a table of contents with section links to avoid scrolling through entire document.
The site displays accepted graphic design principles, including uncluttered space, subdued backgrounds, and coordinated colors.
Navigation is intuitive, easy to understand, and provides flexibility in movement.
Home page is linked from all subsequent pages.
Multimedia elements have a clear purpose.
Multimedia elements load quickly or file size is indicated with user option to download.
Images include ALT, HEIGHT, WIDTH tags and offer initial thumbnail graphic if file size is large.
Text is easy to read and contrasts with background.
Site content is widely accessible or appropriate adaptations or explanations have been made.
Yes, full marks on all of the above. This was one of the more sane site layouts I've seen in a while.
Content
Pages have clear and appropriate title in title bar.
Links are appropriate, clearly labeled, and have a definite purpose.
Links are up-to-date and functional.
Useful content is embedded no further than two layers deep.
Site contains in-depth content that encourages users to return.
Information is accurate and current.
Site stimulates thinking and reflection or serves a useful purpose for an identified audience.
Yes, I think this will be an extremely useful page, especially for parents of Ms. Showalter's students.
Credibility
Credibility is established by including information regarding author, affiliations, and credentials.
Contact person with e-mail address is included.
Site is bias-free or explicitly states point of view.
Material is original or includes appropriate citations with no copyright infringement.
Correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar indicate care and attention to detail.
Site indicates date(s) that material was created or updated.
Yes, very nice. Cited better than an MLA research paper.
XHTML Comments:
There are a few closer tags missing on the "class.html"page for the short cut references.
In the image tags it says "src="student/deer.jpg" align="center" " it should be "middle" not "center".
The closing element for some of the shortcuts appear after the "h1" tag instead of the "a" tag. This is repeated in a couple areas.
The curriculum page is missing a closing tag for one of my tables near the "First Grade" section. There is also a tag missing under the first grade section for "A portrait of a friend in fancy clothing" and again at "Art Rubric System".
In the Ordered list area of the rubric section, some "/li" tags are missing. Also, tags should not be inside an ordered list. There are a few instances of this on the "kachina.html" page. Also on kachina.html, "strong" should be "span" and thr "hr /" tags should be enclosed in the "/li" tag.
One last thing, "Lessons.html" is missing a tag on "...like or dislike about their piece and what they would change or have done differently."
Otherwise, it all looks good to me.
From: Robert Showalter
To: Sarah Showalter
Subject: Re: Evaluators needed for my webdesign class
Date: Jul 16, 2005 7:06 PM
*Web Site Evaluation Form*
Evaluator's Name: Robert A. Showalter
Email Address: rshowalter0520@earthlink.net
URL of site evaluated: http://bengal.missouri.edu/~sesfh3/index.html
Author of site evaluated: Sarah Showalter
Web site was evaluated on the following system:
Type of computer (Provide as much information as possible, i.e., Sony PC
running Windows 98, 500mhz, 128MB RAM): Generic 100% compatible PC,
Windows XP, AMD XP+ 3000 (2.2Ghz), 512MB RAM
Browser (e.g., Netscape Communicator 4.0): Firefox 1.0.4
Modem speed (e.g., 28.8 or Ethernet): DSL
Web Site Design and Development Rubric
*Design*
/Document is subdivided into logical supporting pages or, if presented
as a single page, offers a table of contents with section links to avoid
scrolling through entire document. /
All pages seem to have appropriate topical divisions and have
functional, appropriate section links, if necessary.
/The site displays accepted graphic design principles, including
uncluttered space, subdued backgrounds, and coordinated colors. /
All text and images are placed well visually and text contrasts well
against the background for pleasant viewing experience.
/Navigation is intuitive, easy to understand, and provides flexibility
in movement. /
The side menu provides adequate navigation to the important topics and
in-page links are logical and appear in convenient locations.
/Home page is linked from all subsequent pages. /
Home page is always available via the side menu.
/Multimedia elements have a clear purpose./
Images appear appropriately to provide an on-topic, immediate example to
the text they follow.
/Multimedia elements load quickly or file size is indicated with user
option to download./
Images are in the common JPEG format with desirable small sizes that
average around 20-30 KB.
/Text is easy to read and contrasts with background. /
Yes
*Content *
/Pages have clear and appropriate title in title bar. /
Yes.
/Links are appropriate, clearly labeled, and have a definite purpose./
Yes.
/Links are up-to-date and functional. /
All links are functional – including "Links" page – as of this writing.
/Useful content is embedded no further than two layers deep. /
Yes. Only a few pages utilize more than one layer and is for an
appropriate purpose (e.g. lesson plan design example.)
/Site contains in-depth content that encourages users to return. /
Content is appropriately in depth for regular utilization by parents who
have an interest in what their child may be taught in the art class.
/Information is accurate and current. /
Yes.
/Site stimulates thinking and reflection or serves a useful purpose for
an identified audience. /
The site is a well organized structure that provides useful information
for parents.
*Credibility*
/Credibility is established by including information regarding author,
affiliations, and credentials. /
Yes
/Contact person with e-mail address is included. /
Yes, always available at bottom of page being viewed.
/Site is bias-free or explicitly states point of view. /
Yes
/Material is original or includes appropriate citations with no
copyright infringement. /
Yes
/Correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar indicate care and attention
to detail. /
Yes
/Site indicates date(s) that material was created or updated. /
Yes, bottom of all pages beneath contact information.
From: Susan Showalter
To: miscellania@earthlink.net
Subject: Evaluation
Date: Jul 16, 2005 7:07 PM
Web Site Evaluation Form
Evaluator's Name: Robert Showalter
Email Address: violet218@earthlink.net
URL of site evaluated: http://bengal.missouri.edu/~sesfh3/index.html
Author of site evaluated: Sarah Showalter
Web site was evaluated on the following system: Compaq Presario 2500, 2.3 GHz
Type of computer (Provide as much information as possible, i.e., Sony PC running
Windows 98, 500mhz, 128MB RAM): Compaq Presario 2500, 2.3 GHz, 448 Mb RAM, Windows
XP Home Edition
Browser (e.g., Netscape Communicator 4.0): Internet Explorer 6.0
Modem speed (e.g., 28.8 or Ethernet): DSL
Web Site Design and Development Rubric
Design
Document is subdivided into logical supporting pages or, if presented as a single
page, offers a table of contents with section links to avoid scrolling through entire
document.
The homepage has clearly labeled buttons to linked pages, and the linked pages have
section links for quick navigation.
The site displays accepted graphic design principles, including uncluttered space,
subdued backgrounds, and coordinated colors.
The pages appear clean and uncluttered, and the black text was easily seen against
the green sidebar buttons. In the body area of the pages, the magenta section links
were easy to read.
Navigation is intuitive, easy to understand, and provides flexibility in movement.
A common navigation sidebar was present on every page.
Home page is linked from all subsequent pages.
Home was available on every page, but on the longer length pages it was necessary
to employ the "Back To Top" section link or scroll back up to return home. It
might have been better if the sidebar did not scroll with the page.
Multimedia elements have a clear purpose.
N/A
Multimedia elements load quickly or file size is indicated with user option to download.
N/A
Text is easy to read and contrasts with background.
The text was clear, consistent in size and well-contrasted throughout the document.
No highlighting of text was employed, so when a navigation button was selected,
one depended on the page header to know which selection was made.
Content
Pages have clear and appropriate title in title bar.
Every button took the user to a similarly titled page.
Links are appropriate, clearly labeled, and have a definite purpose.
Yes.
Links are up-to-date and functional.
Yes.
Useful content is embedded no further than two layers deep.
Yes.
Site contains in-depth content that encourages users to return.
The site was useful to tell me what to expect if I had a child in Ms. Showalter's
art class. It offers a good outline of the content and purpose of art education,
and it provides some excellent links to other art websites. As a parent, I liked
the samples of the kids' art, too.
Information is accurate and current.
Yes, and all the links worked.
Site stimulates thinking and reflection or serves a useful purpose for an identified
audience.
This site is helpful to its intended audience, parents of students at Seoul American
Elementary school. Links to sites of other teachers at the school, if available, would be helpful.
Credibility
Credibility is established by including information regarding author, affiliations,
and credentials.
Ms. Showalter offers a short bio, and the content of the site shows a dedication
to art education with a purpose.
Contact person with e-mail address is included.
Yes.
Site is bias-free or explicitly states point of view.
Yes.
Material is original or includes appropriate citations with no copyright infringement.
Yes, as far as I know.
Correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar indicate care and attention to detail.
As cited below:
Main Page "Thank you...." two sentences
class.html "meaningful art lessons that will allow their children to explore
history and culture as well as their own ideas." consider changing to "your
children" or "the children" or just "children"
"other materials include, yarn, paper" no comma after include
" problem solving throughout their project." projects should be plural
"Seoul American Elementary runs a 5-day rotational schedule " period should
come after "schedule"
"Each art class is roughly 50 minutes long." start sentence with "art"
"I studied German in high school at Schenley High School " change to International
studies magnet
"a masters degree " change to "master's"
learn.html "opinions, and criticisms about the art we view in class as well
as evaluate their own." add comma after "class"
curriculum.html-- consider changing heading from "Art Curriculum" to just
"Curriculum on page heading
"Students are challenged to make a mirrored pattern link those found on Navajo
blankets." -----"link" should be "like"
"and photographs." change to "photographs as a guide"
"animals using what they know abotu drawing two and four-legged animals."
-- about typo
"Portraits of a Friend in Fancy Clothing" make singular
"(such as Africa or Japanese Noh ..." change to African
"deign a mask of their " change to design
"...portrait using pencil and a mirror using the basic rules " try to
find a word besides "using"
"...based on what is taught, these projects can include: creating cartoon characters..."
period should come after "taught"
lessons.html "or dislike about their piece and what they would change or have
done differently...." change to "would have done differently"
Site indicates date(s) that material was created or updated.
Yes.
From: Susan Showalter Web Site Evaluation Form Evaluator's Name: Susan Showalter Web Site Design and Development Rubric Design Document is subdivided into logical supporting pages or, if presented as a
single page, offers a table of contents with section links to avoid
scrolling through entire document. The site displays accepted graphic design principles, including uncluttered
space, subdued backgrounds, and coordinated colors. Navigation is intuitive, easy to understand, and provides flexibility in
movement. Home page is linked from all subsequent pages. Multimedia elements have a clear purpose. Multimedia elements load quickly or file size is indicated with user option
to download. Text is easy to read and contrasts with background. Content Pages have clear and appropriate title in title bar. Links are appropriate, clearly labeled, and have a definite purpose. Links are up-to-date and functional. Useful content is embedded no further than two layers deep. Site contains in-depth content that encourages users to return. Information is accurate and current. Site stimulates thinking and reflection or serves a useful purpose for an
identified audience. Credibility Credibility is established by including information regarding author,
affiliations, and credentials. Contact person with e-mail address is included. Site is bias-free or explicitly states point of view. Material is original or includes appropriate citations with no copyright
infringement. Correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar indicate care and attention to
detail. Site indicates date(s) that material was created or updated.
To: Sarah Showalter
Subject: A Walk Through Art Ed in the 21st Century
Date: Jul 16, 2005 7:25 PM
Email Address: violet218@earthlink.net
URL of site evaluated: http://bengal.missouri.edu/~sesfh3/index.html
Author of site evaluated: Sarah Showalter
Web site was evaluated on the following system: PC
Type of computer (Provide as much information as possible, i.e., Sony PC
running Windows 98, 500mhz, 128MB RAM): Windows XP Professional, VIA
Samuel 2 - 801mhz, 240mb RAM
Browser (e.g., Netscape Communicator 4.0): Internet Explorer 6
Modem speed (e.g., 28.8 or Ethernet): DSL
The document is very user friendly. There is a logical movement which almost
answers your questions before you ask them. There is plenty of supporting
material which helps you to understand how the teacher intends to meet her
objectives and what she expects of the students as well.
The site is very attractive. It invites the viewer into the learning
experience. There is a certain excitement on a subliminal level because of
the backgrounds and colors that are chosen.
Navigation through the site is fun. The viewer does not need to fumble and
struggle with unclear guidelines. Movement through each area both in a back
and forth direction allows for a synchronization of the thought processes of
the viewer. It allows the viewer to experience the art project from
beginning to end as if they were a participant.
Absolutely! The navigation is consistent throughout the pages making it
simple to move in any direction that the viewer chooses to without effort.
The sample artwork of the students is a real plus. It puts flesh on the
bones of the project and its intent. It allows the viewer to move from
abstraction to concrete work. It also reveals the possibilities of
achievement within the students even at early age levels.
The pictures loaded smoothly and there was never any interruption in the
presentation of each section.
The text was written in a language that would be accessible to the average
viewer. It was not overwhelming or condescending, in fact, it was
informative and drew the viewer even deeper into the art experience. The
background contrasts just added to the artistic delight.
Yes, everything is appropriately titled and is properly coordinated.
Yes, the links do what they say they are going to do and follow a logical
process.
Yes, all links work correctly without hesitation.
All content is easily accessible and within reach.
Absolutely, one delight in the site is that the in depth content makes the
viewer almost jealous that they are not in Ms. Showalter's art class. What
the students are receiving is light years ahead of what the concept of "art"
was in the past.
Ms. Showalter is very informed. It is very apparent that she does her
homework as well. What she expects from her students is reflected in what
she expects from herself.
The site opens up each artistic topic for the viewer and stimulates the
viewer to go beyond their own somewhat limited concept of artistic boundary.
It allows the viewer to reflect upon the artistic projects much in the same
way that the students are asked to do, enabling the viewer to be brought
into the learning experience in a personal way.
Ms. Showalter is very careful to document and supply all information and
source material. She gives credit where credit is due again revealing her
own ability and dedication to fully investigate each topic.
Every page allows the viewer immediate access to Ms. Showalter and there is
no need to "hold onto" questions until a time when they may be forgotten.
The site offends no one - in fact - it goes out of its way to be inclusive.
Ms. Showalter is very revealing in terms of her own personal artistic talent
in that she has developed ideas that are very original, inviting, yet
challenging to the students on their appropriate level. Again she is very
careful to document any material which is not her own.
Insignificant typos were found but they were of no consequence and did not
interfere with the understanding of the material.
Yes, every page reminds the viewer when the material was previously updated.
Participants | Comments/Observations | Changes Suggested | Appendix
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