Date of Award

2014-01-01

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

English Rhetoric and Composition

Advisor(s)

Beth Brunk-Chavez

Abstract

Inviting Citizen Designers to Design Learning Management System (LMS) Interfaces for Student Agency in a Digital Cross-Cultural Contact Zone assesses how FYC students from periphery cultural and linguistic backgrounds perceive Blackboard Learn and other learning management system (LMS) interfaces. The report of an empirical study shows that the current LMS design does not provide writing students in general and writing students from periphery cultural and linguistic backgrounds in particular an opportunity of a higher-level interactivity with the LMS. The current design neither includes periphery students' cultural and linguistic norms and values, nor does it allow them to affect the existing design through their design activities. These LMSs are currently constraining users from higher-level interactions. As a result, writing students have to act as the LMS ask them to do, and they remain passive in these platforms. Based on the web usability test responses, this study proposes to invite Citizen Designers, writing students from periphery cultural and linguistic backgrounds, to design LMS interfaces to enhance user activities and transform them into cross-cultural platforms. This study analyzes interface designs by Citizen Designers to see how designers acquire their agency in a cross-cultural digital contact zone. This study concludes that Citizen Designers' participation in interface design helps them create favorable electronic environments that help them acquire their agency and enhance their (digital) writings and researches.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

218 pages

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Rajendra Kumar Panthee

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