Designing Websites for Learning and Enjoyment: A study of museum experiences

Authors

  • Aleck C. H. Lin The Australian National University
  • Shirley D. Gregor The Australian National University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v7i3.364

Keywords:

E-learning, learning, enjoyment, museum, website design

Abstract

This study reports on an exploratory research study that examined the design of websites that encourage both learning and enjoyment. This study examines museum websites that offer educational materials. As part of their mission, most museums provide the general public educational materials for study and enjoyment. Many museums use the Internet in support of their mission. Museum websites offer excellent opportunity to study learning environments designed for enjoyment. Computer-supported learning of various types has been studied over the years, including computer-aided learning, computer-aided instruction, computer-managed learning, and more recently, learning via the Internet. However, the concept of online learning for enjoyment – specifically when learning is not part of a formal instructional undertaking – has not been well studied and thus is not well understood. Some relevant work appears in the literature on pleasure (Telfer, 1980), happiness (Perry, 1967; Veenhoven, 1984), playfulness (Lieberman, 1977; Webster & Martocchio, 1992), and flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Pace, 2004). The study reported here seeks to redress this gap in the literature, specifically ‘learning for enjoyment,’ by reporting on a number of semi-structured in-depth interviews with museum and educational experts in Taiwan. Our study identified a number of characteristics required of online learning websites, and we conclude some suggested guidelines for developing an online learning website for enjoyment.

Author Biographies

Aleck C. H. Lin, The Australian National University

Aleck C. H. Lin is a PhD Candidate at the Australian National University. Aleck's research interests lay in the strategic development of Web information systems; multi-media and interactive information systems; human-computer interaction in knowledge spreading; Web Information Systems (WIS), and e-Commerce. Aleck C. H. Lin's email address is: Aleck.Lin@anu.edu.au

Shirley D. Gregor, The Australian National University

Prof. Shirley D. Gregor is the head of the School of Accounting and Business Information Systems at The Australian National University. Prof. Gregor's email address is: shirley.gregor@anu.edu.au

Published

2006-12-20

How to Cite

Lin, A. C. H., & Gregor, S. D. (2006). Designing Websites for Learning and Enjoyment: A study of museum experiences. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v7i3.364

Issue

Section

Research Articles