LESSONS LEARNT FROM DEVELOPING A 3D ONLINE E-LEARNING PLATFORM FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING OF SPINE TO EDUCATE PHYSIOTHERAPY AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY STUDENTS: A PILOT USABILITY TEST

Introduction:
Usability testing is important for the development of software and information systems, and e-learning interventions of which the potential user is the focus (Sandars 2010).The findings of a usability test allow systematic identification of usability problems at an early stage of the development including for the development of a new online teaching and learning intervention. This paper reports key findings from a pilot usability test of the development of a virtual learning platform. The aim of this platform is to promote the active learning of undergraduate physiotherapy and occupational therapy students using online technologies for enhancing teaching and learning of the orthopaedics and traumatology of spine in Hong Kong. The objective of this test is to validate the design and explore the usability of the new intervention from the user’s view

Methodology:
The design of this project is underpinned by the pedagogical concepts of Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (Mayer 2005). A prototype was built for testing. 3DVista Virtual Tour Pro version software was used to create an online multimedia virtual learning environment. Adobe Photoshop CC and Nikon KeyMission 360/170 are the software used to collect and manage the photos included. Nikon 360 camera was used to take 360 degrees photos and videos to create the virtual environment including the background of the virtual laboratory and its virtual operating theatre. Two interfaces were created in the prototype: an online operating theatre and a case bank. Blackboard Collaboration Ultra was adopted for the operation of the prototype. Microsoft Excel was used for data analysis. A group of senior physiotherapy and occupational therapy students who passed the corresponding subject were invited for this test. Human subjects ethics approval was granted by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Reference no.: HSEARS20171012003)

Results:
Nineteen 3rd year physiotherapy and occupational therapy students from the University were included. A questionnaire was designed to collect their feedback on-site right after they have tried the prototype. This was to ensure they answered the questions with their fresh memory. The response rate was 100%. For the ease of use, most students considered it was a bit difficult to use (mean=3.05, SD=0.81). They considered the indicators on the platform were clear (mean=2.42, SD=0.64). For relevance, most students considered the contents are relevant for their learning (mean=2.63, SD=0.81). For feasibility, most students considered it is somewhat feasible to implement it (mean=3.11, SD=0.98). For suitability, most students considered it is somewhat suitable to be used (mean=3.16, SD=1.04)

Conclusion:
Findings imply that the students generally consider it is suitable and feasible to be applied for their learning. The contexts are relevant and clear to them. However, they consider it is still a bit difficult to use.This test revealed the user’s attitudes, understanding, acceptance and perceived usability towards the prototype. Further study and modification are needed to identify and address essential aspects to improve this e-learning intervention to accommodate their learning needs

References:
[1] Sandars, J. (2010). The importance of usability testing to allow e-learning to reach its potential for medical education. Education for Primary Care, 21(1), 6-8
[2] Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2005). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. Cambridge university press