eduwai: disabilities & ict's 4 learning

Disabilities & ICTs 4 learningdeveloping an accessible learning environment from a User Centered Design perspective

Dr. Eva P. Gil-RodríguezPablo Rebaque RivasLlorenç Sabaté JardíOffice of Learning TechnologiesOffice of the Vice President for TechnologyUniversitat Oberta de Catalunya

Lorena Bourg-ArceoAriadna Servicios Informáticos

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya

Office of Learning Technologies · learningtechnologies.uoc.edu0UNIVERSITAT OBERTA DE CATALUNYA

Distance University

On-line

Digital contents

Virtual classrooms

www.uoc.edu

http://www.uoc.edu/

0.

AGENDA


Introduction: Disabilities & ICT’s 4 learningUser Centered Design of Virtual Learning EnvironmentsTheory Methodology: Participant Observation of final users

Results & RecommendationsConclusions

Introduction: Disabilities & ICT’s 4 learning

1.



ICT’s & Disabilities: Opportunity or Risk?

Depending on the adaptation of technologies to people with disabilities

1.



eduwai project: developing a specific learning environment for the inclusion of people with disabilities into the job market

http://eduwai.grupogesfor.com

http://eduwai.grupogesfor.com/

http://eduwai.grupogesfor.com/

User Centered Design of Virtual Learning Environments

2.



2.



Our users!

Theory

3.

Theory


ICT make the construction of flexible and personalized learning routes possible (Beale, 2005)

Besides this, it is clear that people with intellectual disabilities improve their quality of life when they have a job (Eggleton et al., 1999; O'Brien and Dempsey, 2005; Kraemer, 2003)

No research about how technology may help people with intellectual disabilities to become included in the job market

3.

Theory


The accessibility standards and e-learning communion does not guarantee a satisfactory experience for people with visual disabilities (Lawton & Grossnickle, 2005)

The clearest example is the screen reader, which reads the website in a linear way, where reading in sighted people is holistic and hypertextual (Lazar, J. et al. 2006)

No research about usability of Virtual Learning Environments for visually impaired people

Methodology: Participant Observation

4.



Learning Scenario 1: people with visual disabilities

Learning Scenario 2: people with intellectual disabilities

4.




www.uoc.edu

http://www.uoc.edu/

4.




www.fundacionprodis.org

http://www.fundacionprodis.org/

4.




• Participant Observations at home

• Non Structured Interviews

• User Tests of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) with assistive technologies

4.



17 students: 2 screen reader, 8 magnifier, 7 zoom PC

7 men & 10 women, aged between 22 & 64

Most of them lived with their family

Different studies

4.




• Participant Observations in 3 classes with 12 students each one (both genders, most of them with Down Syndrome, aged between 18 and 30)

• Focus group with 8 educators and employment mediators

4.



Content Analysis, Workflows & Task Flows

Profesora Alumnos

Teoría

Nóminas

Dispositivo de Autoevaluación

Gestos simbólicos

HHSS

Colores

Esquemas simples y con la misma

lógica

- Libera a profesora de carga de trabajo

- Fomenta la motivación y la autonomía del estudiante

Ejemplos de situaciones reales

de empresa

- Diferentes competencias

- Alumnos tardan menos que otros y se

quedan parados

Enseñanza transversal

A base de repeticiones

Fichas con nombre de los

estudiantesAlmanaques Facturas Sobres

Fichas con letras de colores

Un mismo material tiene la posibilidad de

alternar diferentes formas de clasificar

Organizar y clasificar

Trabajo en parejas e individual

Dificultad aprendizajey generalización

Dificultad aprendizaje

Uso constante de la repetición

Results & Recommendations

5.

Accessibility and usability of Virtual Learning Environment is not enough: you should also provide access to accessible and usable contents IN ADVANCE

Provide all possible formats (audio, word, pdf...), put self-explanatory links, priorize information!

Train teaching staff in accessibility issues



5.



Priority given to visual content over read content

VLE should allow personalization

VLE should adapt to the different stages of the student’s training (in class and while employed)

VLE should help families and work coleagues to learn how to interact with students

Conclusions

6.

Conclusions


Specific users require different solutions:

Specific solution (platform to create videogames) is

developing now

Universal Design of VLE’s is possible!

learningtechnologies.uoc.edu

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK:

The eduWAI project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, the Advanced R+D Programme (AETSI Avanza I+D 2009) TSI-020312-2009-27

UNIDISCAT, funded by the Agency for the Administration of University and Research Grants (AGAUR, the Catalan government), Case No. 11

More information: [email protected]

@evapatriciagil

mailto:[email protected]