Improving the Interactive Course Web User Interface

AJAX web applications are proliferating. AJAX is designed to provide smoother interactivity and more responsiveness in web systems, and a web user experience closer to that of a desktop application. Students will naturally come to expect that their courseware applications will respond as quickly. Course site designers and course developers need to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the AJAX technology so that they can make effective use of this technology. This report addresses issues in the areas of user interface, web culture, design, software engineering, performance, and security. Awareness of these issues allows course designers and developers to more effectively utilize AJAX in educational courseware. Future developments and areas of research needed to use AJAX technology are indicated.