The Psychology of learning Environments

Analyzing our Moodle course management system according to the model of usability criteria:

1. Learnability: Through my experience I found Moodle very easy to learn, I understood what the teachers wanted me to use and how to use it. However, there are still some problems related to wikis that I have found difficult to use such as uploading pictures and resizing them.

2. Efficiency: I have been able to upload videos and audios with ease and with simple steps at the time of using Moodle. I have found very easy to get acquainted with what the teachers expect from me by using the platform.

3. Memorability: The steps to use Moodle are simple and easy to remember, so I could say that knowing how to use Moodle is like learning how to ride a bike, you will never forget how. But it is important to take into account that if the platform changes drastically like programs such as Microsoft Word (from the previous version to the actual one), one needs to study the program or platform in order to remember recognize the basic tools of it.

4. Errors: I think that the errors of using Moodle that came up during our Masters program is related to answering posts. At the beginning we did not know how to answer posts so what we did was create new posts to answer others instead of using the reply button.

5. Satisfaction: I feel comfortable using Moodle, so my personal experience with this tool has been gratifying. I have learnt to interact and develop ideas thanks to group discussions, and understood how to share ideas and feelings.

Careful, objective usability analyses of common digital environments should be conducted and problems should be addressed using similar decision-making processes and with the same sense of urgency that campuses apply when addressing poor conditions in brick-and-mortar classrooms.

Analyzing and comparing virtual and physical learning environments according to the 4 cognitive determinants of environmental preferente:

	Coherence	Complexity	Legibility	Mystery
Moodle	In Moodle most of the courses are well organized and it is clear what the teacher expects from us.	There are some subjects that fall in repetitivity, so it is complex to maintain full attention in the tasks that are required.	It is very easy to use and easy to follow as long as teachers have clear ideas.	It may become repetitive and predictable; it depends on the teacher’s designed activities.
My school’s classroom	In F2F classes is not always clear what is expected from the variants of the classroom.	I can see if the students are tired or lost and I can develop activities in order to regain students attention towards the class.	Class circumstances may change and the topic that was planned for the day may shift in to a new topic.	Here it also depends on the teacher, since there are teachers that may also become predictable.