Evaluating the mobile web accessibility of electronic text for print impaired people in higher education

The aim of this extended abstract is to demonstrate a framework that provides a novel solution for evaluating the mobile web accessibility of electronic text for print impaired people in Higher Education (HE). The current framework explores over 500 device settings. Furthermore, the scope of this research is outlined alongside two research questions. The paper then concludes by suggesting the potential impact this research could have on existing standards, the public availability of metadata and guidelines, and the automatic generation of personalised eTexts as per user need

An exploration of the potential of Automatic Speech Recognition to assist and enable receptive communication in higher education

The potential use of Automatic Speech Recognition to assist receptive communication is explored. The opportunities and challenges that this technology presents students and staff to provide captioning of speech online or in classrooms for deaf or hard of hearing students and assist blind, visually impaired or dyslexic learners to read and search learning material more readily by augmenting synthetic speech with natural recorded real speech is also discussed and evaluated. The automatic provision of online lecture notes, synchronised with speech, enables staff and students to focus on learning and teaching issues, while also benefiting learners unable to attend the lecture or who find it difficult or impossible to take notes at the same time as listening, watching and thinking

The VIVID model : accessible IT e-learning environments for the vision impaired

Sighted learners and vision impaired learners experience different problems when accessing e-learning environments. Web designers use complex visual images and interactive features which learners with vision impairment are unable to access. Learners with vision impairment must rely on assistive technologies to acquire the information they are seeking. Vision impaired learners must have conversion facilities to translate the contents of these displays into readable and accessible formats.This research identifies problems faced by learners with vision impairment and demonstrates how e-learning environments must be modified to ensure success. The most significant problems are the lack of accessibility to teaching materials and an inability to participate in the learning experience to the same extent as sighted learners. Learning materials designed for sighted learners are often unsuited to those with vision impairment. Frequently, text provided is too small and unable to be altered; colour graphics are of little value unless accompanied by text or audio description and interactive Web sites present numerous challenges in navigation. Most courses are designed for sighted learners and learners with vision impairment struggle to maintain the required timeframe because of difficulties in reading texts and documents, completing assignments and sourcing reference materials due to their inaccessible formats and presentation.These problems result in lower academic achievement for vision impaired learners, which in turn lead to a lack of choices in employment opportunities. Learning environments for people with vision impairment need specific consideration in design and implementation. This ensures that the learning materials meet their needs and allow maximum accessibility so that the learners can achieve the same outcomes as their sighted peers.There is a small number of existing models to assist the design of e-learning sites for people with a disability. Kelley’s holistic model (2005) and Seale’s contextualised model (2006) are designed for people with disabilities in general and not specifically for those with vision impairment. Lazar’s Web accessibility integration model (2004) does not take into account the importance of social elements. Prougestaporn’s WAVIP model, (2010) whilst it has generic guidelines, the model is limited in its scope.Venable’s Design Science Research method was chosen to investigate the specific problems faced by vision impaired learners enrolled in IT e-learning courses. The characteristics of approximately one hundred adult vision impaired learners were investigated using two case study environments. The data were collected by observation and semi-structured interviews. Additionally, data were collected from these same learners to identify their specific needs in a Web-based learning situation. Accessibility needs were also identified and analysed. These activities involved the Problem Diagnosis stage in the Design Science Research model. Accessibility guidelines and legal and statutory requirements from several sources were also investigated. The components needed to deliver an effective, fully accessible IT curriculum in two Web-based e-learning environments for the vision impaired was then identified.Information was compiled from studying two learning environments for the vision impaired. Data instruments used in this phase were observations and semi-structured interviews with vision impaired learners and teachers. These activities involved the Problem Diagnosis and Theory Building stages of the Venable model. The relationships between the characteristics and needs of the learner, and the components of the learning environment for an Information and Communications and Technology (ICT) curriculum were analysed and then synthesised to build a conceptual model of an effective Web-based e-learning environment for the vision impaired.A new theoretical model, the Vision Impaired using Virtual IT Discovery (VIVID) was then developed. This holistic framework takes into account the specific needs of vision impaired learners. It also includes a social element which vision impaired learners identified as being extremely important to the success of their learning. This activity involved both the Technology Design/Invention state and the Theory Building stage in the Venable model.An evaluation was carried out by a focus group of eight experts in the field of accessible and e-learning course design and the model was then modified to incorporate their suggestions.The resulting model is a high level, comprehensive conceptual model that can be applied in differing pedagogical environments relating to IT education for adult learners with vision disabilities. It provides a framework to guide education managers, instructional designers and developers who are creating accessible IT e-learning environments for the vision impaired.Whilst this model relates only to the IT area, further research could extend its use to other curriculum areas and to those learners with multiple disabilities

New communication technologies for inclusive education in and outside the classroom

This chapter explores new communication technologies and methods for avoiding accessibility and communication barriers in the educational environment. It is focused on providing real-time captions so students with hearing disabilities and foreign students, among others, could participate in an inclusive way in and outside the classroom. The inclusive proposals are based on the APEINTA educational project, which aims for accessible education for all. The research work proposes the use of mobile devices for teacher and students in order to provide more flexibility using the APEINTA real-time captioning service. This allows using this service from anywhere and at anytime, not only in the classroom.APEINTA is the result of collaboration among the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Electronic Technology, Universidad Carlos III, and the Spanish Centre of Captioning and Audiodescription (CESyA)1. This project was initially supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (2007 I+D projects - EA2008-0312) within the program of Studies and Analyses - Actions to Improve the Quality of Higher Education and the Activity of University Professors. Currently, the research presented in this chapter is being partially supported by France Telecom España S.A. and the MA2VICMR (S2009/TIC-1542), GEMMA (TSI-020302-2010-141) and SAGAS (TSI-020100-2010-184) research projects.Publicad

A usability evaluation model for accessible mobile e-book applications for the visually impaired

Evaluation plays a critical role in assessing the usability of e-book applications in terms of their accessibility which allows the visually impaired to get the same benefits as ordinary people. However, current e-book usability evaluation models are not for evaluating accessible mobile e-book applications for the visually impaired as they did not sufficiently consider the accessibility issues of these applications. This study aims to develop a model that evaluates the usability of accessible mobile e-book applications for the visually impaired. Literature review and requirement-gathering methods were used to generate usability evaluation factors and metrics and later constructed as a usability evaluation model. This model was verified with 11 domain experts, and the data were analysed using the Fuzzy Delphi Method. Besides, the model was reviewed for consistency, ease of use, understandability, verifiability, and overall impression. Further, a series of online usability tests and interview sessions were conducted with 12 visually impaired participants to validate on data collection ability of the model. The descriptive analysis method was used to analyse objective metrics, and deductive thematic analysis was performed to analyse subjective metrics from interviews. This study initially proposed five evaluation factors: satisfaction, accessibility, efficiency, effectiveness, and learnability, with 35 metrics which were refined to 31 metrics after being verified. Besides, the model was validated, and the findings showed the ability to collect data and the reliability of this model in the actual context of use. The proposed model contributes to the knowledge of accessibility design, evaluation methods and human-computer interaction. Mobile application developers or usability researchers can use this model as one of the references for developing excellent and usable accessible mobile e-book applications for the visually impaired. By having a usable and satisfying accessible mobile e-book application, visually impaired learning and reading routines could be more accessible

Visually Impaired Usability Requirements for Accessible Mobile Applications: A Checklist for Mobile E-book Applications

The definition of an e-book is a book in an electronic format, which can be beneficial to all readers, mainly those struggling with print books because of their vision impairments. Nevertheless, the visually impaired cannot access regular e-books because they do not meet their unique needs, and they require a more accessible e-book to reach the same expected advantages as those typically seen. Due to the lack of a clear list of these needs, developers are not aware of the specific requirements of the visually impaired for e-book applications. This paper aimed to analyse the visually impaired usability requirements for usable and accessible e-book applications. Three main activities were conducted: reviewing the literature, conducting an online survey of the visually impaired, and comparing the two results obtained earlier to acquire verified usability requirements. This study reviewed current works on the usability and accessibility of e-books from 2010 to 2022. Besides, this study also conducted reviews on common accessibility needs and standards for mobile applications. A total of 24 usability requirements were identified from the literature and compared with ten results from seven visually impaired respondents using an online survey. With these verified usability requirements, designers and practitioners can use them as a checklist to ensure all needs are considered when designing mobile e-books for the visually impaired

A comparative study of D2L's Performance with a purpose built E-learning user interface for visual- and hearing-Impaired students

An e-learning system in an academic setting is an efficient tool for all students especially for students with physical impairments. This thesis discusses an e-learning system through the design and development of an e-learning user interface for students with visual- and hearing- impairment. In this thesis the tools and features in the user interface required to make the learning process easy and effective for students with such disabilities have been presented. Further, an integration framework is proposed to integrate the new tools and features into the existing e-learning system Desire-To-Learn (D2L). The tools and features added to the user interface were tested by the selected participants with visually-and hearing- impaired students from Laurentian University’s population. Two questionnaires were filled out to assess the usability methods for both the D2L e-learning user interface at Laurentian University and the new e-learning user interface designed for students with visual and hearing impairment. After collecting and analyzing the data, the results from different usability factors such as effectiveness, ease of use, and accessibility showed that the participants were not completely satisfied with the existing D2L e-learning system, but were satisfied with the proposed new user interface. Based on the new interface, the results showed also that the tools and features proposed for students with visual and hearing impairment can be integrated into the existing D2L e-learning system.Master of Science (MSc) in Computational Science

Ebooks in education

Ebooks are coming of age in education, as this exciting collection commissioned by Jisc demonstrates. Case studies, reflecting ebook success stories across the higher and further education sectors, include: - An innovative app to encourage ebook take-up in a Welsh college. - A partnership between a library and research centre to create open access monographs and midigraphs. - Several examples of creative negotiations with ebook publishers. Insight chapters address hot topics in the ebook universe, including: - The changing world of access to scholarly digital content in the mobile environment. - The challenges faced by the library as online distance learning moves from margin to mainstream. - How ebooks have the potential to meet a wide range of accessibility needs. - Experimentation with ebooks as a shared service. This collection will provide inspiration and guidance to institutions as they develop projects and services to support students and researchers and will be of interest to library practitioners, publishers, ebook vendors, information professionals, teachers, lecturers and students. Jisc, in collaboration with Ubiquity Press, is pleased to be making this publication available open access on a CC-BY licence. (DOI: http://dx.doi.org//10.5334/bal

Challenging the five-stage model for e-learning: a new approach

The five‐stage approach to e‐moderating has provided a coherent model upon which to base online learning design in higher education. However, despite its growing popularity, there are concerns that the model is becoming a dominant discourse, being adapted as a template for the design of all online teaching and learning, to the exclusion of other ideas. It is suggested that the five‐stage model may not be the panacea it appears and alternative models of e‐learning cannot be ignored. This paper reviews the five‐stage model and contrasts it with a new conceptual model, ‘the e‐learning ladder’, conceived as part of research with healthcare students in the higher education setting