Network Teaching Platform Usability Evaluation Research

College instruction under the informalization environment should pay full attention and make full use of cyberspace and resources, combined with the traditional classroom instruction, which is the trend of higher education reform. More and more colleges and universities are using special web-based instruction platforms to assist classroom instruction. Thus, how well the practical application of platforms is directly related to the instruction quality. Whether the learners can carry on autonomous learning and teachers can play the leading role under the network learning environment constructed by web-based instruction platforms, which has great relationship with the usability of web-based instruction platforms and user experience of teachers and students.Usability has become the main measure of software product quality in recent years. Web-based instruction platforms as one kind of educational softwares, the usability of which should be considered beyond the pedagogical usability which is based on the usability standards of general software, and attract students to engage in. The interactions and tools that provided have to support learners achieve specific goals, rather than just technology improvement.According to the theory and practical application research of web-based instruction platforms at home and abroad, this paper forms a usability evaluation system of web-based instruction platforms that assists classroom instruction in universities based on usability evaluation standards research of domestic and international scholars. Based on the use of Tsinghua Education Online (THEOL) deployed in Yang Zhou university, this paper uses usability test, questionnaire and interview methods to do the usability evaluation, and get the usability problems of EOL platforms, then gives suggestions to improve the user experience. Main contents of this article are as follows:1. It summarizes usability evaluation research status of web-based instruction platforms at home and abroad, including theoretical research status (usability evaluation dimensions and methods) and practical research status(project analysis using usability evaluation methods).2. It ascertains the function and modules orientation of web-based instruction platforms that assist classroom instruction in universities based on research of domestic and international scholars and the practical application experience of special platforms.3. It analyses usability elements that affect the application of web-based instruction platforms that assist classroom instruction in universities using usability engineering theory, then forms usability evaluation system of the platforms based on usability evaluation standards research of domestic and international scholars.4. It evaluates efficiency, effectiveness and user satisfaction of the functional modules of EOL using usability testing, questionnaire and interview method as to know about the user experience of students.5. It summarizes the usability problems of EOL platforms, then gives suggestions to improve the user experience based on usability testing and analysis of the questionnaire and interviews.