International Journal of Education and Development using ICT

International Journal of Education and Development using ICT > Vol. 19, No. 2 (2023)

Usability Testing of a Mobile-based Learning Management System for Teacher Continuous Professional Development in Tanzania

Aron W Kondoro, University of Dar es Salaam
Salome Maro, University of Dar es Salaam
Joel Mtebe, University of Dar es Salaam
Björn Haßler, EdTech Hub
Jamie Proctor, EdTech Hub

Abstract
The last two decades have seen the growing adoption of mobile devices to enhance the quality of teachers' continuous professional development (TCPD) in low-income countries. Using mobile devices, typically not designed for educational use, presents new usability challenges, preventing teachers from effectively accessing learning materials in learning management systems (LMS). Therefore, it is important to test usability to improve the delivery of TCPD via mobile devices. This study evaluated the usability of TCPD-focused mobile-based LMS accessed via a mobile web browser and mobile app. The evaluation used a hybrid think-aloud method involving 63 teachers from 12 schools in Tanzania. Half of the schools were evaluated using a concurrent think-aloud method, and the other half using a retrospective think-aloud method. The study found that teachers encountered many usability problems in using the mobile app compared to those who accessed the LMS via mobile web browsers. The study also found usability flaws in the registration and login process, poor language translation, technical errors, and issues with quiz questions. These findings show the importance of user testing, even for well-developed LMS, such as Moodle. Additionally, this work provides useful guidance for those who want to implement mobile learning via an LMS in low-income countries.

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