Supporting Historical Inquiry by Design: The Implications of User Experience Design in Digital History
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Authors
Farmer Lacombe, Benjamin
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Digital history , UX , User experience design , Design thinking , Inquiry-based learning , Historical inquiry , History education , Educational websites , Federal Indian Day Schools
Alternative Title
Abstract
My Master’s research explores the implications of user experience design (UXD) for history education in the Province of Ontario. I propose to integrate this established framework from the discipline of computer science to the development of digital resources intended for the history classroom. Long-standing efforts to shift history education away from content-based pedagogies have led Ontario and other jurisdictions to adopt historical inquiry into curriculum. Since the early 2000s, digital history has been proposed as an innovative means of engaging students in this type of knowledge construction. However, digital resources in history education often fail to meaningfully promote inquiry due to a decades-old shortfall: “Most web pages created by historians tend to be text-heavy and to contain few opportunities for innovative interactions by the user beyond a set of links to explore” (Vess, 2004, p. 386). Today, much of the discussion on digital history still revolves around its unrealized promise to engage students in historical inquiry. My research aims to shift the discursive focus away from the potential benefits of digital history and towards a practical creation process which could help realize these benefits in a Canadian context. First, a document analysis of existing digital history projects was undertaken, utilizing an operationalized lens of historical inquiry. This was concurrently accompanied by the creation of a new digital project mapping the Federal Indian Day Schools. A review of the foundations of UXD was also undertaken, contextualized by the previous explorations, which was synthesized into a new model for developing virtual resources in history education: the Digital History Design Process (DHDP). This research contributes to the classroom application of digital history by publishing a new interactive resource. It also contributes to academic literature by presenting a new framework for developing inquiry-rich resources.
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Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
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Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
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ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.