Download - Rethinking Accessibility
RETHINKING ACCESSIBILITY IN E-LEARNING:
TOWARD DIDACTIC GUIDELINES TO DESIGN INCLUSIVE ACTIVITIES
Eleonora Guglielman
ATEE Winter Conference Genoa, 07 march 2013
The emerging issues of the research✲ 2 million 600 thousand persons with disabilities in Italy,
12,403 of whom enrolled at the University (2007-08, ISTAT and Ministry of Education)
✲ Dramatically increase of the universities offering e-learning/blended courses, with use of collaborative activities (forum, chat, wiki, etc.).
✲ Access to technologies by people with disabilities is a priority at European and national level ("Law Stanca", January 9, 2004, n. 4)
✲ All students must have ensured "full access" to all study activities, including online activities (Law 104/1992 on disability, Law 17/99, specialized tutoring, Law 170/2010, learning disabilities).
The meaning of accessibilityDefinition: “the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible”
From the technological point of view the concept is declined mainly in three areas:
Assistive technologies
Web and software standards
Learning Management Systems
A bidimensional accessibilityTechnological accessibility: access to HW and SW – accessibility of websites, LMS, digital contents.It is defined by standards and parameters
Pedagogical accessibility: ✲ Access to contents and resources✲ Access to interaction and collaboration tools (chat, forum, wiki)✲ Access to activities: workshops, debates, collaborative works,
simulationsnot still realized
A 3 levels modelAccess to VLE Access to contents Access to activitiesLogin Read text Communicate Visit the home page Convert files Interact Surfing Download contents Collaborate Read information Sharing knowledge
Building new meaningsUsing web 2.0 tools
There are different levels of accessibility, each of which is a prerequisite for subsequent
Time to rethink accessibility!
How to address the challenge?The solution: guidelines for the design of e-learning courses that are accessible both at a technological and a methodological-didactic levelThe target: Students with special educational needs (deaf, blind, motor disabilities, learning disabilities)The paradigm: Universal Design - Services and environments must be designed so that they are accessible and usable for all (in educational field: Universal Instructional Design and Universal Design for Learning)
The research phaseSurvey with the
studentsSurvey with experts Desk study
Case studies (5) Web survey (112)Interview (9)
Online data (Istat, Miur,University)
Tools:Grids for observation,
interview
Tools:Questionnaire with closed
ended questions Questionnaire with open
ended questions
Quantitative data
The GuidelinesAre formulated taking as a reference model the existing guidelines for the technological accessibility; are structured according to the macro-phases of the design of an e-learning course in the following framework
A. Pre-design B. Methodological designA1. Course Organization B1. Didactic methods and strategies
A2. Users profile and identification of prerequisites
B2. Course planning
B3. Design and structuring of contents
B4. Activities and toolsB5. Didactic support
Structure of the Guidelines
Articulation of the guidelines35 generic guidelines and 9 methodological guidelines for students with learning disabilitiesEach guideline including:✲ Phase and macroarea✲ Types of disability N O é & ✲ Indicator ✲ Methodological-didactic descriptors✲ WACG 2.0 standard(s)✲ References
Future trends✲ Decline guidelines for specific
disabilities✲ Test, validate, redesign guidelines in
online courses to their full adoption✲ Make the course staff acquire
accessibility skills✲ Contribute to the dissemination of
the culture of Universal Design✲ A new professional role: the e-tutor
expert in accessibility