EXPLORING USABILITY AND ACCESSIBILITY IN LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION HEURISTICS

Abstract

Mobile educational software has assumed a pivotal and indispensable role in the con- temporary educational landscape. It has become an essential tool for facilitating the use of mobile application software for crucial tasks such as hosting Zoom meetings, tracking classroom attendance, aiding in homework assignments, and facilitating quizzes and ex- aminations. Notably, Canvas and Blackboard have emerged as prominent and influential applications within this context. This study emphasizes the critical importance of non-functional requirements, with an emphasis on the usability of mobile applications, and falls under the purview of the Computer Science Department, under the realm of software engineering. This aspect establishes itself as a foundational cornerstone in ensuring the efficacy and user-friendliness of educational software, necessitating a thorough and meticulous exploration and evaluation. Usability holds a significant place as a non-functional requirement for mobile appli- cations, with usability and accessibility being key facets of Human-Computer Interaction within software engineering. This research comprises three interconnected studies, all anchored in the usability evaluation of mobile education applications, with guidance from the well-established Jakob Nielsen factors to Heuristic Evaluation. The first study delves into the analysis of mobile application reviews using a deep learning model and machine learning to unearth usability issues. The second investigates the user experience of educational applications, offering a comparative analysis of Blackboard and Canvas based on app reviews. The third extends to an empirical evaluation of the usability of these educational applications at different educational institutions. Mobile applications have emerged as a means of communication between educators and students, facilitating a more intuitive and inclusive digital learning environment and ul- timately benefiting learners across the spectrum, particularly those with specific educational requirements. In this paper, we examine the usability of two prominent educational applications, namely, the Canvas application and the Blackboard application, integrated within Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University (PSAU). We conducted an empirical investigation, inspecting the Canvas and Blackboard applications at the University of North Texas (UNT) and employing a student-oriented perspective. Through the synthesis of findings and insights from antecedent studies, we seek to augment the current body of knowledge and offer realistic recommendations for the enhancement of mobile education application usability. Our find- ings have the potential to improve the efficacy of platforms, offering developers a roadmap to refine application features and optimize the learning experience for both educators and learners.