Reflection
Integrating feedback from my usability testers pushed this course from “good idea” to something much more intentional, inclusive, and grounded in real classroom practice (Nielsen, 1993). Looking back, the most important shift wasn’t just the edits I made to the Canvas pages, it was how I learned to see my course through the eyes of very different educators who all work with Emergent Bilingual students in different ways.
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I started by asking each tester to complete a survey and then write a 500-word summary of their experience with the Introduction/Overview/Start Here section. My testers included a district ESL Director, an ESL high school teacher for newcomers, a 9th grade English teacher, a dyslexia interventionist/special education teacher, and a Hispanic assistant principal. On the survey, they all rated the course very positively: they strongly agreed that it deepened their understanding of how language proficiency connects to content learning, agreed that they felt more confident using TELPAS and ELPS, strongly agreed that my facilitator/coach/mentor stance supported their learning, and said yes to feeling prepared to advocate for EB students. That told me the core of the course was working (Fink, 2013; Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).
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The real gold, though, was in the written summaries. Each role noticed something slightly different, and their feedback helped me see the “Start Here” section not just as an introduction, but as a signal of who the course is for and what it values.
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The district ESL Director pushed me to think about district alignment. From their view, the course was strong, but the Start Here section didn’t clearly connect to district ESL goals or campus improvement plans. I integrated that feedback by adding a short “How this course supports our district’s EB vision” section. Now, when teachers open the course, they can immediately see how their learning ties into bigger priorities and accountability, which should also help administrators support implementation (Fullan, 2016).
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The ESL newcomers teacher helped me realize that I was talking about EB students in general but not explicitly naming newcomers and recently arrived students. For teachers in that world, those words matter. In response, I revised the course overview language to make newcomers visible in the first description, specifically mentioning early proficiency levels and students with interrupted formal education. This small shift signals from the start that their students are not an afterthought; they are part of the design.
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The 9th grade English teacher, who is new and only speaks English, made me see that my language could still feel intimidating to teachers who don’t “live” in ESL acronyms. She understood and appreciated the course, but suggested a simple “EB 101” snapshot early on. I integrated that feedback by creating a Key Terms at a Glance section in the Start Here module, with short, plain-language definitions of Emergent Bilingual, TELPAS, and ELPS. This doesn’t water down the content; it lowers the barrier to entry. Now, a first-year teacher can enter the modules with less anxiety and more clarity (Knowles et al., 2015).
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The dyslexia interventionist highlighted the reality of students who are both EB and receive special education or dyslexia services. She loved that the course framed TELPAS and ELPS as advocacy tools but noticed that the introduction didn’t explicitly acknowledge these “double-identified” students. That was a blind spot. I added a line in the overview that names EB students who receive SPED/dyslexia support and a brief note about using TELPAS data alongside IEPs and 504s. That small addition sends a message: these students and the educators who serve them are part of this conversation from the very beginning.
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The assistant principal loved the course but pointed out that campus leaders need to know how to plug in. His suggestion led to one of my favorite changes: a “For Campus Leaders & Coaches” box in the Start Here section. In it, I outline ways administrators and instructional coaches can support implementation, such as building in PLC time, visiting classrooms with a language lens, or showcasing ePortfolio artifacts. This reinforces that the course is not just a teacher-only project; it can be supported and amplified through leadership.
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Beyond the specific edits, the feedback also helped me think about alignment. The survey results showed that testers felt the outcomes were being met: they were more confident with TELPAS and ELPS, they found the strategies useful, and they felt more prepared to advocate for EB students. The summaries helped me better surface that alignment in the Start Here section. I now make the learning outcomes more visible and explicitly connect introductory language to the activities that follow: TELPAS practice tasks, student sample analysis, ePortfolio work, and collaborative discussions. I want learners to see a clear line from “Here’s what this course is about” to “Here’s what you’ll actually do” to “Here’s how we’ll know it mattered.”
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This process also made me more intentional about infrastructure and support. Because testers all answered “yes” to feeling comfortable with Canvas, Google Docs, the TELPAS Practice Portal, and ePortfolio platforms, I knew the structure was working, but I also realized that comfort came partly from my Technology Checklist and navigation supports in Start Here. I doubled down on that by tightening up instructions, making sure tech steps are explicit, and planning to add short screencasts in the future.
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Overall, integrating feedback didn’t require me to rebuild the course; it required me to refine the front door. The Introduction/Overview/Start Here section is now more inclusive, more explicit, and more clearly connected to district systems, classroom realities, and different educator roles. I learned that usability testing isn’t just about “Is the link broken?”, it’s about “Do people see themselves and their students here?” and “Can they tell what this learning is really for?”
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The biggest lesson: when I design with multiple voices at the table, district, classroom, intervention, leadership, I end up with a course that feels more human, more anchored, and more usable. And that directly improves the learner experience and, ultimately, the experience of our Emergent Bilingual students.
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References:
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Fink, L. D. (2013). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
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Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). Teachers College Press.
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Knowles, M. S., Holton, E. F., III, & Swanson, R. A. (2015). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development (8th ed.). Routledge.
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Nielsen, J. (1993). Usability engineering. Academic Press.