The development of accessibility indicators for distance learning programs

A study was undertaken to explore program policies and practices related to the accessibility of American distance learning courses to qualified students with disabilities. A literature review was conducted, a draft list of accessibility indicators was created, examples of applications of the indicators in existing distance learning programs were collected, the indicators were systematically applied to one distance learning program, input from a variety of distance learning programs was used to further refine the indicators, and these programs were encouraged to adopt the indicators and make use of resources provided by the project. Results of this exploratory work suggest that incorporating accessibility considerations into policies, procedures and communications of a program requires consideration of the unique needs of students, course designers, instructors and evaluators; involves approval and implementation at a variety of administrative levels; and is an ongoing process that may be implemented in incremental steps

The Development of an On-Line Learning and Teaching Resource for the Socio-Centric Aspects of Sustainable Design

This paper fits into the topics of socially relevant design, design and emotion and sustainable design and explores the question how can we create a more sustainable way of life? The paper also addresses the central theme of the conference – Design Education – creating a better world. This paper reports on the next phase in the development of a web-based learning and teaching resource specifically aimed at the socio-centric dimension of sustainable design which can be found at www.sociocenticdesign.com . A more extensive literature review was conducted, of which a summary is presented, however, the focus is on the outcomes learned from the collection of further primary data. It is confirmed that there is strong dominance by the techno and eco-centric dimensions and that there is a lack of awareness of the socio-centric dimension. It is concluded that being sustainable in design actually is about leaving the final design to later; it means that first and foremost sustainable design is to consider the designs purpose and its effects on the user, the community and society as a whole. An evaluation of two existing web-based resources, that focus on eco-design, was also conducted and informed the outcomes presented in this paper. The paper sets outs in some detail the content, arrangement and suggested web-interfaces for the new learning resource focused on the socio-centric dimension. The content is arranged into the following sections based upon the recommendations generated by Conrad: Past and Future; Time; People; Consumption, Design and Theories. The results of the research suggest that a high level of interactivity in the web-interface will be required

E-Learning for Teachers and Trainers : Innovative Practices, Skills and Competences

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.Final Published versio

Inclusion and online learning opportunities: Designing for accessibility

Higher education institutions worldwide are adopting flexible learning methods and online technologies which increase the potential for widening the learning community to include people for whom participation may previously have been difficult or impossible. The development of courseware that is accessible, flexible and informative can benefit not only people with special needs, but such courseware provides a better educational experience for all students

The learning network on sustainability: An e-mechanism for the development and diffusion of teaching materials and tools on design for sustainability in an open-source and copy left ethos

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be obtained from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 InderscienceThis paper presents the intermediate results of the Learning Network on Sustainability (LeNS) project, Asian-European multi-polar network for curricula development on Design for Sustainability. LeNS is a mechanism to develop and diffuse system design for sustainability in design schools with a transcultural perspective. The main output of the project is the Open Learning E-Package (OLEP), an open web-platform that allows a decentralised and collaborative production and fruition of knowledge. Apart from the contents, the same LeNS web-platform is realised in an open-source and copy left ethos, allowing its download and reconfiguration in relation to specific needs, interests and geographical representation

A Learning Design Studio in Mobile Learning

Mobile learning is a young and vibrant field of research and practice. Teaching a university course on mobile learning is a challenge: how do you connect the theories and case studies to students’ experience, and make them relevant for their educational practice? This paper reports on one such course which was conducted using a Learning Design Studio format: working in groups, students identified an educational challenge, conducted independent search and analysis of the relevant literature, devised an innovative solution and evaluated it. The studio approach has been used successfully by several researchers in the past. The course described here was conducted at the University of Haifa in spring 2012. During the course, students engaged with core literature, reviewed case studies, and designed, implemented and evaluated six mobile learning projects. We argue that the Learning Design Studio format is particularly suitable for teaching about mobile learning, as it situates students learning in a genuine context and allows them to learn through conducting meaningful research

A new ethos for a multipolar design learning community: A mechanism for the development and diffusion of teaching materials on design for sustainability in an open-source and copy left ethos

Copyright @ 2010 International Association of Technology, Education and DevelopmentFinally, the time has arrived in which there is a shared opinion that sustainable development requires a system discontinuity, meaning that radical changes in the way we produce, consume and socially interacts are needed. Finally, the time has arrived in which there is an emerging understanding that an important contribution to this change can be directly linked to the role of the design. However we have to admit that the designers are still more part of the problem, than part of the solution, i.e. proactive and diffused actors of the radical change requested by the transition towards a sustainable society. Within the so called learning society, new visions and tools are urgently requested for the design. A new political agenda is needed, looking at all of the of the design’s bodies (the designers, the design educators and the design researchers) as a learning community that urgently needs to accelerate the process of consolidation and diffusion of the new knowledge and know-how, for a new generation of designers. Under this perspective, a key role should be played by the design schools. The paper will explore this issue and in its framework presents the vision, the ambitions and the tools developed within the Learning Network on Sustainability (LeNS) project, an Asian- European multi-polar network for curricula development on Design for Sustainability, financed by the European Commission under the Asia-Links programme

Designs on the Web: A case study of online learning for design students

The De Montfort University Electronic Campus initiative started in September 1999. Web‐based learning resources and support have been provided for over 3,000 students via a portfolio of thirty projects ranging across all levels of the university and within every faculty. This paper focuses on one aspect of this initiative: the development of online teaching and learning materials to support first‐year IT modules for students of art and design. An undergraduate module has been converted from traditional, face‐to‐face, delivery to a hybrid combination of Web‐based and studio‐based work in accordance with Laurillard's conversational framework. In the first year of use all the new material has been made available on a pilot basis to a group of 440 students in parallel with conventional lectures and seminars. All the students have had access to the online resources; some students have used them, but some have not. Data on student expectations collected prior to starting on the module are compared with student feedback gathered at the end of the module and student performance data across the two mode's of presentation are compared to establish the relative effectiveness of each approach. In addition the paper reviews the resource implications of developing, delivering and supporting online learning and discusses some of the barriers to implementation that were encountered and overcome

A web-based teaching/learning environment to support collaborative knowledge construction in design

A web-based application has been developed as part of a recently completed research which proposed a conceptual framework to collect, analyze and compare different design experiences and to construct structured representations of the emerging knowledge in digital architectural design. The paper introduces the theoretical and practical development of this application as a teaching/learning environment which has significantly contributed to the development and testing of the ideas developed throughout the research. Later in the paper, the application of BLIP in two experimental (design) workshops is reported and evaluated according to the extent to which the application facilitates generation, modification and utilization of design knowledge

Collaborative design of educational digital libraries for African higher education

This thesis will develop a model that can be used to guide collaborative design of educational digital libraries that are relevant to the learning objectives and are appropriate to African Higher Education. Factors affecting connections between educational digital library capabilities, learning processes and learners’ needs in higher education will be identified and used to develop the model. These factors will be identified through qualitative studies with the key players (i.e. academics, information professionals, digital library technical designers and students). The model will be iteratively developed and later evaluated for correctness by some of the key players. So far a preliminary literature review has been done to locate related work and identify knowledge gaps. In addition, a pilot study has been carried out and identified some temporal factors that will be pursued further in the proposed study