2001 Conference Proceedings
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INCLUSION IN AN ELECTRONIC CLASSROOM - ACCESSIBLE COURSEWARE
STUDY
Greg Gay and Laurie Harrison
Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto
130 St. George Street
Toronto, Ontario,
M5S 3H1
Project URL: http://snow.utoronto.ca/initiatives/inclusion.html
Introduction
With the recent increase in the popularity of Web based
instruction and computer accessed information in general, it is
becoming increasingly important for the electronic community to
become aware of the barriers people with disabilities face in
these virtual environments. As technologies emerge to deliver Web
based instruction, it is also important to educate both
courseware developers and educators of solutions they can apply
to insure that persons with disabilities are not excluded from
participating in this new and quickly developing form of
education.
The partners of this project are experts in the field of
disability, education, assistive technology, and Web based
instruction. Partners include the Adaptive Technology Resource
Centre (ATRC), The Centre for Academic Technology (CAT), and the
Special Needs Opportunity Windows Project (SNOW), each affiliated
with the University of Toronto. Partners also include the
Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), the Learning
Disabilities Association of Ontario (LDAO), and Bruce Landon,
educator and researcher in the field of distance education and
Web based delivered instruction.
The project is an extension of the work Bruce Landon conducted
in 1998, which looked at the pedagogical aspects of Web Based
courseware tools. Admittedly missing from his research is an
assessment of the accessibility of these tools for learners with
disabilities who might use them. To accomplish this assessment
through the current study, two participants from each of four
disability groups were trained on appropriate assistive
technologies and asked to participate in mock online courses
created in a number Web based courseware tools.
Participants in the study represented the following disability
groups: Blind, Vision Impaired, Mobility Impaired, and Learning
Disabled. The technologies with which individuals of these groups
accessed the courseware tools depended on the nature of their
disabilities. Assistive technologies used to access the course
included screen reading, screen enhancement, onscreen keyboards,
a head operated pointing system, and a text-to-speech
systems.
The results of this study have implications for the future
development of courseware, for training of educators who work in
a Web setting with persons who have disabilities, and will raise
awareness in the general public and governing bodies of issues
associated with access to information by persons with
disabilities.
Project Background
Networks such as the Web, Intranets or dedicated broad band
networks are being used to teach, to conduct research, to hold
tutorials, to submit assignments and to act as libraries. The
primary users of Web based instruction include universities,
professional upgrading, employment training and lifelong
learning. Those that can benefit most from this trend are
learners with disabilities. Web based instruction is easily
adapted to varying learning styles, rates, and communication
formats. Issues of distance, transportation and physical access
are reduced. Electronic text, unlike printed text, can be read by
individuals who are blind, vision impaired, dyslexic and by
individuals who cannot hold a book or turn pages.
Unfortunately, Web delivered education is not barrier free. A
preliminary study conducted at the Centre for Academic Technology
at the University of Toronto (1998) revealed that none of the
currently available Web based courseware tools address
accessibility. Given the rising popularity of online courses,
this represents a serious threat to inclusion that must be
corrected before courseware tools develop further.
Fortunately courseware tools or applications used to teach at a
distance are in the early stages of development. If proactive
steps are taken now, more inclusive design conventions can be
established. A consortium of partners representing consumers,
experts in the field, developers and leading providers of
distance education will address these barriers. This project will
be an extension of the research started by Dr. Bruce Landon, who
assessed the pedagogical effectiveness of online educational
delivery applications (see http://www.ctt.bc.ca/landonline/).
The tools that were previously assessed will be further assessed
for their support of accessible design, from the perspective of
administrator, designer or instructor, and student.
Project Description Objectives The purpose of this project was
to make it possible for learners with disabilities to participate
fully in Web based educational opportunities.
The objectives of the project were to: Evaluate the
accessibility of courseware tools to those who might be expected
to administer, design or instruct, or take a course over the Web.
Evaluate the accessibility of courseware related communication
tools to those who might be expected to administer, design or
instruct, or take a course over the Web. Create a set of
guidelines for courseware developers, to assist in promoting
accessibility issues through Web-based educational design tools.
Create a set of guidelines for Web based course designers and
instructors, to assist in developing their knowledge of
accessibility issues and accessible curriculum design.
Contributions to Knowledge
In order to meet the needs and demands for accessible Web
delivered education in all sectors of society, it is essential
that we address the authoring tools used to create curriculum. It
is unrealistic and inefficient to attempt to retrofit
inaccessible content. It is also impossible to create assistive
technologies that can communicate with all file formats to
extract and translate inaccessible content. Through the authoring
tools we can reach the majority of educators producing Web based
educational material, whether they have the knowledge or the
motivation to produce accessible content. The project took a
proactive approach by addressing the emerging technologies, and
introducing guidelines that advance the field of distance
education as a whole, for learners with and without
disabilities.
Inclusive educational tools are prerequisites to an inclusive
education system. In the current educational climate teachers are
faced with less preparation time, and classes which are much more
diverse than they were only a decade ago. Realistically, with
these constraints, accommodations for students with disabilities
must require little or no additional effort on the part of the
instructor. The guidelines resulting from this project will
insure that these accommodations are a byproduct of developing
courseware and effective instructional design.
In order to promote an inclusive social environment, there must
be no compromises made to the education of the class as a whole
while accommodating the needs of students with special needs.
This project will insure that state of the art technology can be
used in on-line instruction without excluding students with
disabilities. In addition, the guidelines will influence the
design of courseware in such a way that instructors and learners
will be educated on access issues in the process of preparing and
using the courseware. This in and of itself should lead to a more
inclusive educational environment.
The guidelines developed by this project will be required by
educational institutions at all levels from elementary school,
through secondary schools, to universities, colleges, continuing
education programs, professional upgrading programs, adult
education programs, communities of practice and lifelong learning
programs. Most of these educational programs in Ontario, Canada,
the USA and around the world are legally mandated to accommodate
students with disabilities. The guidelines will also be in demand
by any corporation or institution conducting professional
development, employee training or upgrading. Insurance companies,
vocational rehabilitation programs, and other institutions
responsible for retraining workers will require the guidelines
and methodologies developed.
In Ontario, the largest effort of this kind is the SNOW or
Special Needs Opportunity Windows project, lead by the ATRC. The
goal of the SNOW project is to provide professional development
and innovative teaching resources to educators who teach students
with special needs. Outcomes include development and moderation
of on-line courses and discussion forums, dissemination of
information and resource materials related to the education of
students with special needs, and electronic delivery of
innovative curriculum resources in accessible formats. This site
has become the leading Web based resource on teaching students
with special needs in Canada and around the world. All online
programs are hosted on the SNOW server, located at the ATRC. (see
http://snow.utoronto.ca/)
The NODE Learning Technologies Network, based in London,
Ontario, is a not-for-profit electronic network, facilitating
information and resource-sharing, collaboration and research in
the field of learning technologies for post-secondary education
and training. The NODE's Web site is a focal point for
information and discussion forums on issues related to teaching,
learning and technological development. ATRC staff have
contributed to the activities of NODE through online forum
moderation, participation in interviews, and submissions to their
online journal. (see http://node.on.ca/)http://node.on.ca/
DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and
Technology), based at the University of Washington, is an
organization which assists people with disabilities in
successfully pursuing academics and careers, and offers workshops
and educational outreach to promote the use of technology to
maximize the independence, productivity and participation of
people with disabilities. The ATRC has had ongoing consultation
and resource sharing with DO-IT, in particular in relation to
their projects concerning electronic access. (see
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~doit/)
EASI, based in Rochester New York, is a virtual organization
that serves the education community by providing information and
guidance in the area of access-to-information technologies by
individuals with disabilities. Outreach programs include both
on-site and on-line workshops, and use of web casting to research
and disseminate information to colleges, universities, K-12
schools, libraries and into the workplace. The CNIB, ATRC and the
Provincial Schools Branch have collaborated and consulted on a
number of projects with EASI. (see
http://www.isc.rit/edu/~easi/)
The internationally recognized Web Accessibility Initiative
(WAI) is the W3C group responsible for ensuring that access
provisions are integrated into new standards of Web technology.
Jutta Treviranus, Manager of the ATRC, is also the chair of the
W3C WAI Authoring Tools Guidelines Working Group. Staff at the
ATRC have contributed to the development of various guidelines
related to accessible authoring and interface design, and
conducted research contributing to the work of the WAI. (see http://www.w3.org/WAI/)
Dr. Campbell McBurney in his "Report on the Operational
Feasibility Study for Post-secondary Transcription Services,"
outlines the problems faced by post-secondary students with print
impairments who wish to access educational material whether in
print or electronic form. "In a period of shrinking and limited
financial resource allocations, restructuring and new directions,
creativity is needed in responding to this service delivery
problem." The Web Accessibility Initiative launched by the World
Wide Web Consortium recognizes accessibility of education
delivered over the Web as a primary area of concern.
Computer mediated distance education can be preferable to
traditional instruction for students with sensory, physical or
learning disabilities for the following reasons:
the student can adjust the pacing of the learning session to
meet their needs, the material can easily be presented in
redundant, reinforcing or alternative formats e.g., speech,
print, graphics, the material can be adapted to various learning
styles, the student can clarify, rehearse and review supporting
materials without interrupting the flow of the learning session
for classmates, issues of distance, transportation and physical
accessibility are reduced, by eliminating the need to travel,
time and energy are conserved, for students who use augmentative
or alternative communication methods, the method and rate of
communication is transparent to fellow classmates, allowing more
equal participation. asynchronous instruction can offer greater
opportunities for peer interaction and collaboration, and
student-instructor interaction and assistance. At present,
electronically delivered education may be a preferred mode of
learning for people with disabilities, in the near future it may
become the only mode of delivery for certain critical educational
opportunities. There are a growing number of college courses,
university electives, professional upgrading courses, and
vocational training courses that are delivered only over the Web.
As a result of this growing trend it is important to insure that
at the beginning of such new educational practice, accessibility
is addressed as an integral part of curriculum. The tools used to
develop electronic curriculum are a logical place to start. The
results of this study will help us move toward that end,
influencing the development of courseware tools, and as a result
of curriculum developed through these tools, educating teachers
regarding accessibility issues in electronic education.
Target Audience
The audiences directly targeted for interest in the outcomes of
this project are courseware developers, and educators who plan to
offer, or are already offering instruction over the Web.
Participants in the study included 8 educated individuals with a
visual, learning, or mobility impairments, selected from the
clientele of the CNIB, LDAO, and ATRC. These individuals might be
expected to administer, design, teach, or take a Web-based
course.
The beneficiaries of this project will ultimately be all
learners with disabilities. The partners participating in this
project represent and serve a broad spectrum of disabled users.
The users directly served by partners are briefly outlined
below.
Students with Disabilities Learners who are presently excluded
from using Web Based educational environments due to access
barriers include individuals of all ages:
who are blind and depend upon screen reading or refreshable
Braille technology, who are visually impaired and require screen
magnification tools (this includes a rapidly growing population
of aging learners), who are physically disabled and require
alternative keyboards and mice, who have learning disabilities
and require text-to-speech and/or voice recognition tools.
Seniors With a growing population of seniors, who quite often
develop mobility, cognitive, and sensory disabilities, online
communities can play an important part in maintaining their
health by reducing isolation and connecting them with others. The
SNOW project, the ATRC, and the CNIB offer seniors a place to
develop their understanding of technologies that can improve the
quality of their lives. It allows seniors to interact with
experts in the field and with others experiencing similar life
changes. It also provides Web-based access to instruction that
previously required physically attending an educational
institution.
Ontarians with Print Impairments
The Ontario branch of the CNIB provides educational material in
accessible formats to all Ontarians with print impairments
(people who are blind, vision impaired, learning disabled, and
people who cannot manipulate books due to physical disabilities).
The CNIB is moving toward electronic delivery of publications and
requires the products of this project to insure their materials
are accessible to all disability groups. The Learning
Disabilities Association of Ontario also provides educational
materials and advocacy for inclusion of those with print related
and other types of learning disabilities.
Implementation Setup: Courseware demonstration server and
software installation was created to provide a platform for
testing various courseware packages by students with
disabilities. The courseware packages studied included:
BlackBoard Courseinfo WebCT Virtual-U TopClass Mallard Web Course
in a Box Additionally, three workstations were set up at the lab
for user training and testing. Each machine had installed one or
more of the popular assistive technologies from the following
categories: 1) Screen Readers (Jaws 3.2), 2) Screen Enhancers
(ZoomText Extra), 3) Voice Recognition (Dragon Dictate), 4) On
Screen Keyboards (Wivik), and 5) Text-to-Speech (TextHelp).
Subject Selection:
The project administrators at each of the partner sites
collaborated on the selection of individuals to participate in
the study. Criteria for selection included those with
disabilities that might be expected to administer, design or
instruct, or take an online course. Ages will spanned from 18
through 55. Individuals selected were either be enrolled or
teaching at the college or university level and had a visual,
mobility, or learning impairment. It was assumed that
participants at this level were of average or superior
intelligence.
User Training:
The 8 participants received, in addition to basic Internet
skills, training from ATRC staff on their respective assistive
technologies, and training from the CAT staff on basic web based
instructional design. Training occurred over a period of five to
eight 3-hour sessions depending on the severity and type of
disability, the type of assistive technology being used, and the
participants experience with computers and the Internet. It was
expected that most of the participants would be novice users
requiring instruction in technologies and the Internet.
Instrument development:
The instrument used to assess the accessibility of courseware
tools was based on the WAI Accessibility Guidelines, which
outlines recommendations for creating accessible Web based
documents (Treviranus et al , 1999).
Observer Training: an independent observer was trained to
identify and distinguish between difficulties associated with the
use of assistive technologies, and those associated with access
to courseware tools.
User Testing:
Each of the participants, after being trained on their respective
assistive technologies, were observed to record their ease or
difficulty in accessing each of the tools outlined by Landon
(1998). In five to ten three hour sessions (depending on the rate
at which the participant progresses), the trained observer guided
each participant through participation in a Web based course
module using each of the courseware tools being assessed. A
module is synonymous with a weekly class meeting in the
traditional educational setting, providing course notes,
discussions, resources, exercises, and testing.
Analysis:
For each of the courseware tools assessed, quantitative data was
collected as an accessibility score, or the extent to which each
of the courseware features supported (or failed to support)
access by individuals using assistive technologies.
Qualitative data was collected by tape record and transcribing
all sessions. Data is being compiled from two perspectives:
Accessibility of each courseware product, and Accessibility by
each disability group.
Results of this study will be presented at CSUN 2001.
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