Complete LibTech 2013 Print Program

PDF of the complete print program from the 2013 Library Technology Conferenc

From Disability to Usability in Online Instruction

This article is a primer on the work needed to ensure accessibility in online instruction. It discusses different disabilities, reviews relevant laws and standards, and explores the relationship between accessibility and the principles of universal design. The article introduces a number of best practices for creating accessibility in online instruction

Evaluating and Testing User Interfaces for E-Learning System: Blackboard Usability Testing

E-learning usability studies require the involvement of real end-users. Different users with varying background of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) knowledge behave differently when using any e-learning tools. To study user behaviour in the e-learning context, an empirical usability study on a specific e-learning tool is conducted. The study is performed by using usability evaluation questionnaires collected from two different groups of real users of the tool; one group with HCI knowledge and the other without HCI knowledge. It is found that end users without HCI knowledge are more satisfied than the end-users with HCI knowledge, as they have more expectations concerning the tool. Categories and Subject Descriptors: H.5.2 [Information Interfaces and Presentation (e.g., HCI)]: User Interfaces-User-centered design, Evaluation/methodology; H 5.3 [Information Interfaces and Presentation (e.g., HCI)]: Group and Organization Interfaces-Evaluation/methodology, Web-based interaction; K.3.1 [Computers and Education]: Computer Uses in Education-Collaborative learning Keywords: E-learning usability heuristics, Blackboard, e-learning tool, Usability evaluation, HCI

Effectively incorporating web tools into the community college composition curriculum

This project shows how web tools can be effectively integrated into the community college composition curriculum through staff development. It shows the need for adaptation of materials designed for K-12 education to the community college level and the development of grade-appropriate materials using web resources. The need for authentic assessment is explored and the means to prove it were supplied. Examples of web tools, sites for developing web tools and resources for accessing and applying authentic assessment tools were given

Users' trust in information resources in the Web environment: a status report

This study has three aims; to provide an overview of the ways in which trust is either assessed or asserted in relation to the use and provision of resources in the Web environment for research and learning; to assess what solutions might be worth further investigation and whether establishing ways to assert trust in academic information resources could assist the development of information literacy; to help increase understanding of how perceptions of trust influence the behaviour of information users

Towards Universally Designed Assistive Technology E-Learning

The aim of this dissertation is to provide Assistive Technology (AT) professionals involved in the area of education and training with a set of reusable technological tools and techniques that will enable them to increase the reach, efficiency, effectiveness and accessibility of their training through online delivery. There are a number of broadly accepted reasons why an organisation in any field might choose to make training available online or partially online (blended) rather than relying on traditional face to face methods. Of the four considered here and mentioned above, accessibility is the biggest concern in the context of AT. It is essential that an AT course follows accessibility best practice and in terms of education this means adhering closely to the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Through an extensive literature review the intrinsic properties of AT that might influence its delivery as e-Learning will be examined, followed by a review of previous AT education initiatives. A suitable Learning Management System (LMS) will then be selected and the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation) model will be used to develop initial pilot modules. The evaluation of these pilot modules will take the form of a detailed questionnaire issued to course participants and will be supplemented by an examination of the user data captured by the LMS. There will also be a further examination of the pilot modules against the UDL checkpoints. From these findings the design process will be modified and an improved design methodology will be proposed. This improved design methodology and supporting documentation will help AT educators to identify and utilise a range of reusable tools to create Universally Designed Learning Objects that will enable them, as the experts in the field, to successfully transfer their expertise from the classroom to an online medium. On completion, the improved design methodology will be offered back to AT professionals for expert evaluation. This evaluation will be documented and will inform further work including the building of UDL AT Learning Objects and the creation of an AT Learning Object Repository where the resulting learning objects can be easily accessed for reuse. Key words: Assistive technology, e