5.1: Lab 2 - Defining the Audience

Middle School Virtual Learning: Target Audience

• The target audience is the middle school student.
  
• Teachers and assistant teachers are also target audience as they would also use the platform.
• Principals, parents and school board members are stakeholders. They do not directly use the platform, but are investors and purchasers.
  
• Elementary and high-school students fall outside the audience spectrum because while they are also virtual students, they have platforms that are already targeted to their age ranges and grade levels.

Focus Group
Participants:

• Participant 1: Middle School Teacher
  
• Participant 2: Middle School Teacher
• Participant 3: Middle School Teaching Assistant
  
• Participant 4: Middle School Student
  
• Participant 5: Middle School Student

 Questions:

1. If you could build your own virtual learning platform, what features would you include?
2. What do you like about your current virtual learning platform?
3. What do you dislike about your current virtual learning platform?
4. What do you like about virtual learning?
5. What do you dislike about virtual learning?
6. What do you like about in person learning?
7. What do you dislike about in person learning?
8. What features would the ideal learning environment have?
   

Topic for Investigation
Original TFI:

• In most schools, the current standard delivery method of education is a virtual format.

• Many middle school students struggle to adapt, navigate, understand, and learn using virtual learning platforms and materials.

• Using graphic design I will help middle school children to adapt, navigate, and learn in the online learning environment.

Refined TFI:

• In most schools, the current standard delivery method of education is a virtual format.

• Many middle school students struggle to adapt, navigate, understand, and learn using virtual learning platforms and materials.

• In the future, we can teach children using a blended model, incorporating in-person and virtual learning simultaneously. Using graphic design, I will help middle school children to adapt, navigate, and learn in the online and blended learning environments by designing a virtual platform specific to their needs.

Through my research, I have discovered that students learn best in a blended environment, where learning is happening simultaneously through in-person teaching and the virtual platform. This means that not only is the teacher teaching in the classroom, the virtual classroom is also being utilized. With the right learning platform, geared to the needs and abilities of middle school students, learning can transition seamlessly from school to home. I would like to design a virtual learning platform specifically for middle school learners.