As is analysis by Rhayssa Hinkle: OSU Carmen's Discussion Board

Although OSU Carmen's Discussion Board isn't a website, it is the closest service we found to our Student Board, a place where students can exchange information about their classes and homework. For that reason we found it was relevant to analyze Carmen's Discussion Board.

1. Visibility of system status

The Discussion Board is easy to find and pretty straightforward, right under the Activities menu. The mobile version is a lot more challenging. In order to even find Carmen you have to switch to the desktop version.

2. Match between system and real world

The language is simple and easy to understand. The messages can be sorted by "unread" and "read", as well as "shared".

3. User control and freedom

It is pretty clear how to go back and switch to another class to enter a different discussion board. All a student has to do is click on the class name on the top left hand corner to return to the class menu, or click on "Home" also on the top left hand corner to return to the Carmen menu and select a different class.

4. Consistency and standards

The Discussion Board is really simple and it doesn't have many commands. Although it is consistent, it very limited on what it offers. 

5. Error prevention

Since it is very limited there isn't much room for error. A message pops up after you post a comment to let you know it was successfully posted. However, it does not let the student know when someone replies to the post. The student has to keep checking to see if there are any replies.

6. Recognition rather than recall

The Discussion Board doesn't have many function so it easy to remember where to go and what to do.

7. Flexibility and efficiency of use

The Discussion Board is very limited in its function so it doesn't tailor to unexperienced users any differently than to experienced ones. 

8. Aesthetic and minimalist design

The design is very minimalistic. The background is white on gray. It looks like a paper page with two tabs on the top. It isn't very aesthetically pleasing. It looks really boring and plain.

9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

To access the Discussion Board the student needs to first log into Carmen. Carmen gives out an error message if a wrong user name or password has been typed. On the right side of the screen there is a list of questions students can click on that will help to reset the password in case it has been forgotten. 

10. Help and documentation

The Discussion Board has a "Help" tab that informs the student of its purpose. It doesn't allow the student to ask questions or receive answers. It is not interactive and not helpful at all.  

   The Discussion Board is very minimalistic and easy to use. It doesn't have many functions and it is very limited on what it offers. I couldn't figure out a way to make any posts on some of my classes so I am assuming that the Discussion Board has to be activated by the instructor before it can be used by the students. Instructors don't usually activate the Discussion Board unless it is part of their requirements that students make comments and reply to one another on a particular subject. And that is usually the only time that students will use the Discussion Board. It is not checked by students very often so and questions that would be posted on the Discussion Board would have a very slow response. In spite of being easy to use it is not very efficient. Students most of the time resort to mass emails when they have questions. Overall, the Discussion Board is easy to use but extremely limited.