Running Head: PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 1

Capstone Project Proposal: Behavior Tracking Application

Client:
Chad Martinez

Team members:
Moises Bernal
Nicholas Tippner

Course:
CST 499: Directed Group Capstone
California State University, Monterey Bay

April 21, 2018

PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 2

Table of Contents

Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………………. ...3

Part 1…………………………………………………………………………………………… ...4
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………… ...4
Project Goals and Objectives………………………………………………………………. ...6
Environmental Scan and Literature Review……………………………………………….. ...7
Stakeholders and Community……………………………………………………………… ...8
Approach/Methodology……………………………………………………………………. ...9
Part 2…………………………………………………………………………………………… .11
Ethical Considerations……………………………………………………………………... .11
Legal Considerations………………………………………………………………………. .12
Part 3…………………………………………………………………………………………… .13
Project Scope………………………………………………………………………………. .13
Final Deliverables………………………………………………………………………….. .16
Usability .17
Testing/Evaluation………………………………………………………………..
Team .19
Members……………………………………………………………………………...
References……………………………………………………………………………………… .21
Appendix……………………………………………………………………………………….. .22
Appendix A………………………………………………………………………………… .22
Appendix B………………………………………………………………………………… .24
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 3

Executive Summary
Many schools currently have methods that track classroom behavior either through Excel
sheets, whiteboard applications, or simple pen and paper. However, current methods are
rudimentary or require heavy involvement from the teacher during class time. This proposal will
go over a product that tracks classroom behavior in an intuitive and easy-to-use way.
Program goals include designing an application that will improve efficiency of entering
behavior data for teachers, identify patterns of behavior for teachers, improve academic
performance of students, and improve communication between parents and teachers, as well as
fully deploying this application in a school and establishing secure protection for behavior data
and communication channels.
The timeline for completing this project will take place over an eight week period
beginning April 25 and ending June 16. In the first week, the developers will research behavior
data and compile resources around behavior improvement and complete the full design for the
application. Implementing student profiles, behavior tracking, a communication method for
parents and teachers, and security protocols and encryption for behavior and communication data
will be done in weeks 2 and 3. At this point, the first week of testing will begin, with feedback
being reviewed and implemented by week 5. The final features will be implemented by week 6,
and week 7 will consist of the last week of testing. All improvements will documented and the
program will be presented at the end of week 8.
The purpose of the application is to track both behavior and academic standing, as well as
schedule meetings between parents and teachers so that issues can be addressed. Keeping track
of student behavior information will allow teachers to identify trends that would indicate whether
a student is on a path to success or if a student is falling behind. It will also allow parents to have
more updates on their child’s behavior, so that corrections can be made faster than if they were
just informed at a yearly PTA meeting.
The initial population that will be affected by this application include teachers, parents,
and students that are a part of Wasco High School, as well as any other school populations that
are willing to participate in the testing phase of the project’s runtime. The client for this project is
Chad Martinez, a mathematics teacher that gained approval to test this project from Wasco High
School’s administrative board. If the project is successful, then this application could positively
affect school populations across the country.
After the testing phase is complete, the main anticipated outcome is successfully
producing a working version of the designed application. This will include all critical errors
being resolved, all database entries being able to register successfully, and all messages being
successfully sent and received on the communication channel. Beyond getting a functional
version of the product working, the development team is looking to make sure that the client and
all stakeholders are satisfied with usability, and security protocols are successful so that the
integrity of student behavior data is maintained. If the development of the product goes
exceptionally well, the development team will look to market the product to other educational
facilities that would be able to make use of it.
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 4

PART 1:

Introduction

For the upcoming Capstone project, this team will be working with high school teacher

Chad Martinez to develop a behavior tracking application in the academic environment,

tentatively called Classroom Tracker. The application will track both behavior and academic

standing, as well as schedule meetings between parents and teachers so that issues can be

addressed. Teachers can end up managing multiple classes of students, making it hard to identify

patterns that would indicate that a student is falling behind. This application will make it easier

for teachers to see these patterns, and provide parents a real-time view of their child’s learning

experience.

Few classroom behavior-tracking apps and parent-teacher meeting schedulers exist

already, and the ones that do can lack both context and convenience. The problems that this

project aims to solve are the inconvenience of entering student behavior data during class time

and the difficulty of comparing different kinds of behaviors across all classes and identifying

meaningful patterns that can be brought to the attention of parents and addressed. It will also

tackle the problem of underprivileged families not having access to all the digitized data that

technology-integrated classrooms would be compiling.

By enabling real-time input that tracks frequent behaviors and participation rates, this

product will reduce the amount of data that a teacher needs to enter during class time while still

maintaining the detail and integrity of that data. It will also track different kinds of behavior so

that unique issues and academic performance for students can be addressed or rewarded
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 5

appropriately. The application will also compile all relevant data for a student into a meaningful

report that can be printed out and reviewed by parents without digital capabilities.

Teachers will be the ones that benefit the most from this project, as it will improve their

behavior tracking methods as well as make them more efficient. Parents looking to be involved

in their child’s academic progress also stand to gain, as they will have real-time access to their

child’s behavior and potential areas for improvement that they could address through an

improved line of communication with their child’s teachers. Finally, students’ academic lives

will be enhanced, as parents and teachers can provide better support towards identified areas of

improvement and maintaining interest in academic success.

According to the American Psychological Association, students can find success later in

life despite IQ and socioeconomic status if they maintain an interest in school and are a

responsible student (Sliwa 2018). This means that keeping track of student behavior and

participation is vital to their success later in life, and improving the efficiency of tracking

methods allows teachers to make sure that no student is forgotten. By providing these resources

to the people that need them, this project could become a necessary part of the educational

system.

There are two notable applications that are notable for attempting to address these and

similar issues. ClassDojo is a behavior management app designed primarily to improve

communication between parents and teachers, and uses positive reinforcement to reward good

behavior. It is actively used in 90% of K-8 schools in the US, making it the most widely used

behavior tracking app (ClassDojo 2017). Liveschool is another behavior tracking app, with its

primary focus being behavior tracking across all classes and graphing trends through a points
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 6

system (LiveSchool 2018). Like this project, both applications allow teachers to track behavior

and improve communication with parents. However, this project will identify patterns of specific

behavior and how they affect a student’s learning experience and the experience of those around

them.

Project Goals and Objectives

Goals

● Improve efficiency of entering behavior data for teachers

● Identify patterns of behavior for teachers

● Improve academic performance of students

● Improve communication between parents and teachers

● Fully deploy product in one school after successful test run in one class

● Establish secure protection for behavior data and communication channels

Objectives

● Research behavior data and compile resources around behavior improvement (by Week

1)

● Complete full design for application (by Week 1)

● Implement student profiles (by Week 2)

● Implement behavior tracking (by Week 2)

● Implement communication method for parents and teachers (by Week 3)

● Implement security protocols and encryption for behavior and communication data (by

Week 3)

● Deploy in test classroom (by Week 4)

PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 7

● Review feedback from teacher and parents (by Week 5)

● Review academic performance of students (by Week 5)

● Finish redesign of product based on feedback (by Week 6)

● Implement seating charts (by Week 6)

● Implement analysis of behavior data (by Week 6)

● Redeploy in classroom (by Week 7)

● Document effects of improvements and compile into presentation for Capstone festival

(by Week 8)

Environmental Scan and Literature Review

This environmental scan will be taking a deeper look at ClassDojo, the popular classroom

behavior management application created in 2011 (ClassDojo, 2017), and its effectiveness.

ClassDojo tracks and rewards students through a points system, as well having features to allow

parents and teachers to communicate and for teachers to share images and stories with parents

and teachers. Due to its wide usage for the past seven years, there are many reports featuring

feedback from teachers, but surprisingly few that look at the application’s effects on students.

ClassDojo utilizes a points system to track and display student behaviors for teachers and

students to see. Based on this points system, students can be rewarded or punished based on the

amount of points they get, gaining points for good behaviors like participation and teamwork,

and losing points for missing assignments and being disruptive. Teachers can also utilize a

“stories” system, similar to social media sites, that allow them to share pictures and tell stories

from class that parents and students can see. Finally, reports on each student based on behavior
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 8

data can be generated and reviewed by both parents and teachers, showing good behaviors in

green and bad behaviors in red.

Child psychology is a complicated subject, and so the full effects of ClassDojo in

classrooms is hard to measure. However, feedback from teachers and parents using the

application can be reviewed. Teachers have generally reported a good experience with the

application, with one teacher saying in a New York Times review of ClassDojo, “ClassDojo

gave students feedback as a way of encouraging them to develop skills like leadership and

teamwork” (Singer, 2014). However, parents have some concerns about both privacy of student

data and the public nature of behavioral rankings, saying that it results in “public shaming.”

Child development professor Brigitte Vittrup (2015) discusses ClassDojo’s effects, writing

“Color charts and behavior apps simply display the behavior. They don’t provide guidance for

problem solving, nor do they provide motivation for long term behavior change — other than the

fear of public shaming.”

Stakeholders and Community

The stakeholders of this project include the customers, direct users, project team

members, and the client. As stakeholders, they are affected by the outcome of this project. The

education community also stands to gain a tool for managing student behavior through the

collection and analysis of behavior data acquired directly from teachers and parents.

The direct users include the teachers and parents/guardians of K-12 students. In general,

the teachers will utilize the application to update student behavior and parents/guardians will

have access to these updates. The teachers stand to gain a tool for managing student behavior

that is more effective than typical discipline systems (e.g., steps, detentions). The
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 9

parents/guardians stand to gain an easier way of keeping track of how their children are behaving

in school. Rather than relying on asking their children or waiting for contact from teachers or

administrators they can access this information through the application.

The customers would include teachers, administrators, and schools/districts. The team

intends to have a fully functional product which teachers, administrators, and/or entire

schools/districts could purchase to be used in their classes. Therefore, these stakeholders stand to

gain a behavior management system for students and stand to lose the money spent on

purchasing the product.

The project team members, Moises Bernal and Nicholas Tippner, stand to gain

experience developing software as well as a successful project to be included in their portfolio.

The project team members also stand to gain or lose a passing grade in the CST 499 course.

The client for this project is Chad Martinez, a mathematics teacher for Wasco High

School in Wasco, California. The client is also a stakeholder who stands to gain a working

application which he can use to manage the students in his classes.

Approach/Methodology

In the beginning stages of the design phase, the team will look at research papers on child

psychology in the classroom in order to prioritize behaviors that should be being tracked.

Research papers on improving child behavior will also be compiled, so that helpful suggestions

to address bad behavior and maintain good behavior can be generated. Additionally, the team

will look at reviews of other behavior tracking applications to see which features should be

included and which ones should be avoided. Once all features of the application have been

researched thoroughly, the team will move from the design phase to the implementation phase.
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 10

The features will be converted to stories which can be tracked through an agile project

management system (i.e., Pivotal Tracker). The stories will include the software implementation

descriptions and requirements. These stories will be carried out by utilizing either backend or

frontend solutions. For the backend implementation we will be using PHP, Apache, and MySQL

with Amazon AWS. The frontend implementation will be accomplished using HTML, CSS, and

JavaScript. A version control system (i.e., Git) will be used for the team members to work

collaboratively.

The team will receive weekly feedback from our client who will be using the developed

application. This will include feedback on added features and suggestions of features that could

be added in the future. After receiving feedback, the team will determine whether more stories

should be added to the project management system. Each week will consist of adding/amending

features to the project by going through development and testing phases.

In order for the client to use the application in the classroom, the team will ask the client

to add students to a classroom. The client will also be able to add behavior information about

students regularly. Once the team has deployed a version of the application, the client will ask

parents if they would like to use the application. If parents use the application, the team will also

ask them for feedback.

PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 11

PART 2:

Ethical Considerations

In order to promote effective improvement in classroom behavior of students, a proper

balance of documentation and intervention must be struck. However, if this balance is not struck,

then students might be unduly punished or otherwise negatively affected by the program as a

result. Students could also be discouraged if their classmates are repeatedly rewarded for positive

behavior that they might not be able to replicate, either because they are intimidated by public

speaking or they feel they are not as knowledgeable as their classmates.

Underprivileged groups such as lower-class families and children in abusive homes face

potential negative impact compared to their peers. As this is a digital application, lower class

families could potentially fall behind without the same access to the applications resources that

other families would take for granted. This would only compound the education gap between

wealthy and poor families. Additionally, children in abusive homes face physical consequences

from overreporting of classroom behavior, as behavior that would not normally be brought up

with parents would be included in the digital reporting application. This would guarantee a worse

academic experience for the student, and affect them negatively for the rest of their life.

During the deployment phase, the programming team will need to closely monitor

feedback from the teacher to address any potential apprehension and negative reaction from

students unused to having their behavior monitored closely. A new technology in the classroom

always runs the risk of causing disruption among students. In the future, the team will need to

maintain the integrity of student behavior data and maintain continuous security updates to

prevent any privacy infringement. If the product is deployed in other schools, then the team will
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 12

need to make sure that the product is deployed effectively so that disadvantaged schools are not

left behind when it comes to providing product maintenance and support.

As part of the mitigation plan for potential negative effects, the programming team has

identified solutions that will address the ethical problems aforementioned. Parents without access

to the necessary technology to use the application will be brought printed out behavior reports

generated through the application and designed to have the same pertinent information as other

families. Students will also have the option to come to teachers in order to have their behavior

reports "generalized." This process will cut back on the list of negative incidences and instead

focus on how the student generally behaves in class.

Legal Considerations

Recording of student behavior by a teacher without parental permission is fully legal, but

the application will still emphasize communicating what the teacher will be recording, how they

will be recording it, and what types of actions they would take to address problems. The

application will also inform the teachers downloading it that they need to get permissions from

the school administrators to use it and that they should inform their fellow teachers so that there

are not miscommunications about how student behavior is monitored.

PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 13

PART 3:

Project Scope

April
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Week 1 Share Design Settle on a
Begins results and client-side design for
Begin choose the version of the
Classroom resources the client-side
Behavior to be used application version of
Research in the based on the
Phase application results of application
research
phase

29 30
Design Settle on a
server-side design for the
version of server-side
the version
application

May
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3 4 5
Design Week 2 Convert all Implement Implement
database Begins design ideas storage of storage of
and Create into stories student student
connect the GitHub for Pivotal information information
three project and Tracker
designs database
together server

6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Implement Implement Implement Week 3 Implement Implement Establish
behavior behavior conversion Begins communicatio data sharing security
tracking for tracking for of data into Test all n​ ​between between protocols for
students students printable written parents and parents and sending of
reports functions teachers teachers data
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 14

13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Implement Test Revise Week 4 Receive daily Receive Patch any
encryption security code as Begins feedback daily immediate
for all data protocol needed Review and from client feedback bugs
and begin testing from client encountered
encryption application by client
with client

20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Review Receive Receive Week 5 Analyze Establish Review
changes daily daily Begins trends in what student
with client feedback feedback Review feedback data changes to behavior
from client from client feedback for UI should data
the week be made
based on
feedback

27 28 29 30 31
Analyze Establish Review all Week 6 Implement
trends and what potential Begins new changes
improveme changes in changes Begin
nt s in the the with the implementin
data algorithm client g new
should be changes
made

June
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2
Implement Implement
student student
seating seating charts
charts

3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Implement Implement Review all Week 7 Receive Receive Patch any
behavior behavior changes Begins daily daily immediate
graphing analysis and with client Begin feedback feedback bugs
improvement second from client from client encountered
suggestions testing by client
phase

10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Review Receive daily Receive Week 8 Write Create, Capstone
changes feedback daily Begins speech practice Festival
with client from client feedback Gather presentation
from client application
information
and its
effects
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 15

In this project, there will be few resources required during the development and testing

phase. Initially, the product will be tested on an Amazon Web Services EC2 server, and can be

moved if server needs change. Visual Studio Code will be used to write both server-side and

client-side code, while temporary Apache servers will be opened to test SQL commands to the

database. The database will be designed and implemented using MySQL Workbench. Beyond

software resources and server capabilities, this project will require varied browser-capable

devices for testing purposes.

Each phase that is part of creating the application will have clear and achievable

milestones. In the design phase, the first milestone will be finishing the design for the user

interface, while the second milestone will be finishing the design for the server-side

infrastructure and database. Then, in the development phase, the milestones will be completing

behavioral tracking capabilities, completing teacher-parent communication capabilities, and

successfully getting the finished product interfacing with the database. In the final testing phase,

the milestones will be seeing improvement in student behavior based on feedback, and

completing a bug-free test run.

As this project will be tested on a live server, any server outages will adversely affect the

ability for development and testing to continue. Other risks that would affect development time

include objectives not being scheduled appropriately, major unexpected bugs, and personal

emergencies of the developers. This project depends on completing all objectives in a timely

manner, the server maintaining integrity through the development phase, and that all major errors

are found during development phase before passing the application on to the client. The most
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 16

important dependency of the project is getting the feedback from the client so that any necessary

changes can be made and any application-breaking errors can be fixed.

Final Deliverables

The main deliverable of this project will the main behavioral tracking application itself,

consisting of the ability to track, graph, and analyze behavior in the classroom as well as

communicate with parents about suggestions for improvement. However, the secondary

deliverables will consist of surveys designed to continuously the application as it is used by

different teachers, and surveys for parents and students in order for the application to be

genuinely helpful and avoid it becoming too intrusive on student’s personal life. In addition to

the surveys, there will also be a guide for setting up the application in a classroom in an

appropriate and respectful way.

The application will consist of three main components; the ability to input and track

behavior of students in the classroom, the ability to analyze and analyze and sort the input

behavior data, and the ability to communicate with parents. Any data sent and received by

teachers will encrypted appropriately and will go through the right security protocols that will

keep the data integrity intact. Keeping the user interface clean and easy to input data into will be

a major priority when designing the application, and any user interfacing with the application

will be able to understand the purpose of each element within the display.

The surveys for teachers will include questions concerning errors encountered, ease of

use, effectiveness in the class, and helpfulness of the behavior improvement suggestions. The

purpose of this survey will be to identify areas of the application where the user interface and

algorithm design can be improved, as well as finding the smaller bugs developers may have
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 17

missed. The surveys for parents and students will include questions concerning their views on

privacy, the potential intrusiveness of the application, and how it affects their academic

experience. This survey will identify data-gathering areas that could be potentially cut back.

Usability Testing/Evaluation

During the testing phase, the application will be deployed in a high school setting and run

by the client, a high school mathematics teacher. In each week-long testing period, the client will

use the application to monitor classroom behavior per the instructions of the usability testing

plan (see Appendix A), fill out a feedback form that details his user experience, and gather

feedback from students and parents that explain how the application affected them and whether it

improved or detracted from the academic lives of the students (see Appendix B).

Usability testing will have the client test the three main functions of the application;

behavior tracking, behavior analysis, and parent-teacher communication. Specific functions to be

evaluated will be the ability to enter varying behavior data, assigning students into a seating

chart, compiling behavior data into printable reports, and sending and receiving messages to

parents through the application’s communication channel. The goals of the first round of testing

will be critical error correction and improving ease of use, while the second round of testing will

focus on fixing navigation and presentation errors.

All user testing will take place in a mathematics classroom at Wasco High School, in a

classroom size of about 20-30 students. The client, mathematics teacher Chad Martinez, will

open the application with his browser, and interact with it as the need arises during class time.

When the class is over, he’ll review and compile all data generated then decide what information

he will need to pass on to the parents. When each round of the testing period is over, all relevant
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 18

information that could help to improve the product will be collected, such as demographic

information, satisfaction assessment, and suggestions for improvement.

In the first round of testing, only behavior data entry and the application’s

communication channel will be tested, with the Project Lead explaining each of the application’s

functions and the goals of the testing before the round begins. In the second round of testing,

behavior graphing and analysis will be enabled, along with seating charts and security protocols.

Improvements based on feedback from the client and other stakeholders will implemented during

the second phase as well.

The roles established as part of this project will include:

Facilitator

• Reviews instructions and goals with the client

• Defines usability and purpose of usability testing to client

• Supports the client to solve any immediate problems encountered

Developer

• Uses Agile development methods to implement immediate feedback changes

• Fixes critical application bugs encountered during the testing phase

• Monitors client’s usage of the application

User

• Reviews instructions and goals with the facilitator

• Provides thorough documentation on scenarios specified

• Writes and gathers feedback from other stakeholders

PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 19

During the testing phase, the client will look to complete thorough documentation when

the following scenarios occur; corrective action is taken over a student’s behavior, a parent is

notified about trends in a student’s behavior, incentives are given to improve student behavior.

The first testing round will be considered successful when all critical errors are resolved, all

database entries are registered successfully, and messages are successfully sent and received on

the communication channel. The second testing round will be considered successful when the

client and stakeholders are satisfied with usability, and security protocols are successful.

Team Members

Moises Bernal will act as the Project Lead, organizing project deadlines and workflow,

and assigning tasks as needed to make sure overall productivity is maximized. He will be the

main point of coordination with the client, Chad Martinez, and will communicate any requests

and ideas to the rest of the team. When the development phase is complete, he will present the

application to the client, and provide any necessary education towards using it. He will also

gather all feedback during the testing phase.

Nicholas Tippner will act as the Product Owner, representing the stakeholders and

making sure that their feedback is heard and acted upon during the development and testing

phases. He will be the main point of contact between the development team and the professors,

communicating project updates and problems as needed. When the development phase is

complete, he will produce feedback surveys. Then, when the first round of testing is complete, he

will update the surveys based on what successes and failures were encountered.

Both members of the development team will be working on the design and development

phase of the application. Moises and Nicholas will each gather student behavior research
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 20

resources, and then collaborate to determine what will be relevant towards the overall design of

the project. Nicholas will initialize the design phase, and identify core methods to be

implemented. Independent and pair programming will be utilized when programming the core

parts of the application. Moises will take point on database design, management, and

implementation. Nicholas will focus on the user interface and client-side scripts. The developers

will work together when designing and implementing the server-side code, as well as designing

the security protocols that will keep the integrity of all data passed through the application

secure.
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 21

References

About us. (2015, June 15). Retrieved April 8, 2018, from ​https://www.classdojo.com/about/

LiveSchool - Track, Reward, and Improve Behavior. (2018). Retrieved April 8, 2018, from

https://www.whyliveschool.com/

Singer, N. (2014, November 16). Privacy Concerns for ClassDojo and Other Tracking Apps for

Schoolchildren. Retrieved April 8, 2018, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/17/technology/privacy-concerns-for-classdojo-and-oth

er-tracking-apps-for-schoolchildren.html

Sliwa, J. (2016, February 26). Behavior in high school predicts income and occupational success

later in life. Retrieved April 8, 2018, from

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/apa-bih022218.php

Vittrup, D. B. (2016, October 13). Class DoJo App Is Already Past Its Expiration Date.

Retrieved April 8, 2018, from

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-brigitte-vittrup/class-dojo-app-is-already_b_8287582

.html
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 22

Appendix
Appendix A
Usability Evaluation Test Plan

Authors​: Nicholas Tippner and Moises Bernal

Contact Details​: Nicholas: ​ntippner@csumb.edu​, Moises: ​mbernal@csumb.edu

Final Date For Feedback​: June 12, 2018

Product:​ Classroom Behavior Tracker, a web application that organizes student behavior data

and converts it into printable reports.

Test Objectives​: This test will identify key runtime errors, common usability problems, and

general opinions surrounding the application.

Participants​: Chad Martinez, a high school mathematics teacher, applying the product in his

classroom.

Equipment​: A school-issued Windows desktop computer.

Test Tasks​: Go through the application’s menus, determine bottlenecks for student behavior data

entry during class time, generate multiple reports from behavior data, and message parents to

schedule meeting times to discuss student behavior.

Roles​: Moises Bernal (Facilitator), Nicholas Tippner (Developer), Chad Martinez (User)

Location/Dates​: Wasco High School, Wasco, California. First round of testing: May 16 to May

22. Second round of testing: June 6 to June 12.

Schedule​: On the first day of the week, the developer will explain to the client what changes

were made since the client was last updated on the status of the product, as well as what

functionality the product currently has. The facilitator will cover what responsibilities the user

has, how to use the current version of the product, and how appropriately give feedback. During
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 23

the next two days, the user will use the application to track student behavior, generate reports,

and schedule meetings with parents, giving daily updates to the facilitator about their experience.

Over the weekend, the developer will implement any necessary changes to fix errors encountered

by the user, as well as minor changes that the user suggests to improve functionality. The process

is repeated for the next two days, and at the end of the week, the user fills out their own feedback

survey and gathers feedback from students and parents about their experience.
PROPOSAL FOR A BEHAVIOR TRACKING APPLICATION 24

Appendix B

Feedback Surveys
Teacher Feedback Survey
1. How easy was it to input behavior data into the application?
2. Did using the application ever become distracting during class time?
3. Was the interface intuitive and easy to use?
4. How fast were you able to enter simple behavior data?
5. How fast were you able to enter comprehensive behavior data?
6. Did you encounter any errors during your use of the application? Please describe thoroughly.
7. If errors were encountered, did you understand what went wrong?
8. Were you able to easily recover from input mistakes?
9. Were the behavior improvement resources satisfactory?
10. Did you feel that you had enough resources for help with the application?
11. Do you think this application will help to improve student behavior?
12. Do you think the behavior reports will help parents understand their student’s behavior?
13. How was your overall experience with the application?
14. Are there any functions that you would like to see added?
15. Are there any design changes that you would like to see added?
Parent/Student Feedback Questions
1. Did the application make it easier to schedule meetings with the teacher?
2. Did you feel that the reports generated by the application were thorough enough?
3. What questions would you like answered in the behavior reports?
4. Was usage of the application noticeable during class time?
5. How did the application affect your overall academic experience?