Balancing Learner Experience and User Experience in a Peer Feedback Web Application for MOOCs

Educational technology practitioners at the University of Michigan created a web application called the Gallery Tool, which provides a space for learners to share their work and receive feedback on it. After piloting the tool in two online courses for seven months, we interviewed learners from these courses. We found that learners most often used the Gallery Tool to "check all the boxes" of the course or to find inspiration for their own assignments. They liked its aesthetic and ease of use, but low levels of feedback activity decreased its value to them. As a result, it typically had a neutral impact on their course experience. Our findings are most relevant to other educational technology practitioners, as they reveal insights for balancing and improving learner experience and user experience in web applications for massive open online courses.