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=Usability and Instructional Design Heuristics for E-Learning Evaluation=

Benson, L., Elliott, D., Grant, M., Holschuh, D., Kim, B., Kim, H., Lauber, E., Loh, S. & Reeves, T.C. (2002). Usability and Instructional Design Heuristics for E-Learning Evaluation. In P. Barker & S. Rebelsky (Eds.), Proceedings of World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia and Telecommunications 2002 (pp. 1615-1621). Chesapeake, VA: AACE. 

Abstract: “Heuristic evaluation is a methodology for investigating the usability of software originally developed by Nielsen (1993, 2000). Nielsen’s protocol was modified and refined for evaluating e-learning programs by participants in a doctoral seminar held at The University of Georgia in 2001. The modifications primarily involved expanding Nielsen’s original ten heuristics (developed for software in general) to fifteen heuristics (designed to be more closely focused on e-learning programs). The application of this evaluation protocol to a commercial e-learning program supported enhancements in the usability of the program.”

Benson et. al found that while heuristic evaluation is fast, convenient, and economical, Nielsen’s original ten usability heuristics were insufficient for e-learning programs. The refined heuristics are an attempt to address this.