Rethinking Accessibility
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The document discusses the importance of rethinking accessibility in e-learning for students with disabilities in Italy, emphasizing the need for inclusive design guidelines. It outlines the critical areas of technological and pedagogical accessibility, advocating for universal design principles to ensure access for all students. The research presents a structured framework of guidelines aimed at creating accessible e-learning courses and identifies future trends for enhancing accessibility in educational environments.
Rethinking Accessibility
- 1. RETHINKING ACCESSIBILITY IN E-LEARNING: TOWARD DIDACTIC GUIDELINES TO DESIGN INCLUSIVE ACTIVITIES Eleonora Guglielman ATEE Winter Conference Genoa, 07 march 2013
- 2. 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).
- 3. The meaning of accessibility Definition: “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 Web and Learning technologies software standards Management Systems
- 4. A bidimensional accessibility Technological 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, simulations not still realized
- 5. A 3 levels model Access to VLE Access to contents Access to activities Login Read text Communicate Visit the home page Convert files Interact Surfing Download contents Collaborate Read information Sharing knowledge Building new meanings Using web 2.0 tools There are different levels of accessibility, each of which is a prerequisite for subsequent Time to rethink accessibility!
- 6. 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 level The 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)
- 7. The research phase Survey with the Survey with experts Desk study students Case studies (5) Web survey (112) Online data (Istat, Miur, Interview (9) University) Tools: Tools: Quantitative data Grids for observation, Questionnaire with closed interview ended questions Questionnaire with open ended questions
- 8. The Guidelines Are 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 design A1. Course Organization B1. Didactic methods and strategies A2. Users profile and identification of B2. Course planning prerequisites B3. Design and structuring of contents B4. Activities and tools B5. Didactic support
- 9. Structure of the Guidelines
- 10. Articulation of the guidelines 35 generic guidelines and 9 methodological guidelines for students with learning disabilities Each guideline including: ✲ Phase and macroarea ✲ Types of disability N O & ✲ Indicator ✲ Methodological-didactic descriptors ✲ WACG 2.0 standard(s) ✲ References
- 11. 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
- 12. Thank you for your attention www.guglielman.com