Pedagogical Usability Checklist for ESL/EFL E-learning Websites

It is, thus, not surprising that English education has gained more attention than ever and there also has been a growing amount of interest in learning English online. Although there are a good number of ESL/EFL E-learning websites available, many of them are poorly designed technologically and/or pedagogically. It is true that technology, such as human-computer interaction (HCI) and computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools, has a great impact on Elearning; however, without appropriate pedagogy, learning outcomes are, ipso facto, limited in online ESL/EFL learning. The purpose of the present paper is to provide usability guidelines for ESL/EFL E-learning websites. Although there are a myriad of ESL/EFL websites available online, guidelines to designing and evaluating them with pedagogical considerations are still rarely found. By taking into account various curriculum theories, instructional design theories and learning theories, this paper proposes a checklist for ESL/EFL E-learning pedagogical usability. Instructors and web developers, on the one hand, can use this checklist as guidance when designing an ESL/EFL E-learning website. Learners, on the other hand, can utilize this checklist when evaluating and selecting a site for their purposes of learning and needs. The purpose of the present paper is to provide usability guidelines for ESL/EFL E-learning websites. Although there are a myriad of studies on general usability, systematic and theoretical usability checklists for E-learning websites grounded in pedagogy are still poor. By taking into account both general usability and pedagogical usability, this paper proposes guidelines to optimize online learning environments to maximize student learning.