Raising awareness of the accessibility challenges in mathematics MOOCs

MOOCs provide learning environments that make it easier for learners to study from anywhere, at their own pace and with open access to content. This has revolutionised the field of eLearning, but accessibility continues to be a problem, even more so if we include the complexity of the STEM disciplines which have their own specific characteristics. This work presents an analysis of the accessibility of several MOOC platforms which provide courses in mathematics. We attempt to visualise the main web accessibility problems and challenges that disabled learners could face in taking these types of courses, both in general and specifically in the context of the subject of mathematics

Mathematics, dyslexia, and accessibility

This paper is based on my experiences in one-to-one mathematics support to students with additional needs, in particular dyslexia. It will build on a number of case studies, in order to explore the differences that students experience and the errors they are likely to make. The aim is to show how greater accessibility could help the dyslexic mathematician focus on developing their mathematics and demonstrate their capabilities. Three areas will be covered, namely: reading, writing and memory

Contexts for ‘pure’ mathematics: a framework for analysing A-level mathematics papers

The use of context in mathematics test items is now accepted practice in many forms of national assessment in the UK. Yet research suggests that such use of context is not straightforward and that children may apply a variety of interpretations to contextual mathematics problems. Our analysis focuses on the use of context in post-16 ‘pure’ mathematics questions set by two UK Examination Boards. From our analysis, a framework for analysing the use of context is proposed that encompasses issues such as accessibility, realism and authenticity

Accessibility of mathematics examinations to students with hearing impairment: a case study of a school for the deaf in Nyeri County-Kenya

The objective of this study was to establish the extent to which mathematics examinations are accessible to students with HI. The study adopted a qualitative approach via a case study design. The participants included the principal, Head of the mathematics department, teachers, and students from Clifftop school for the deaf. Purposive sampling was used to select the 5 students with HI and 3 mathematics teachers. Data was collected through focus group discussion (FGD) with students and teachers separately and classroom observation. In addition, the principal and the head of the mathematics department were interviewed to ascertain the general accessibility of mathematics examinations to students with HI and identify strategies that can be employed to enhance the accessibility of mathematics examinations to students with HI. Furthermore, documents such as students’ mathematics examinations answer sheets, standard examination test papers, and KCSE results were analysed for corroboration of data collected from interviews and FGD. Although the students stated that they could access some mathematics concepts, the findings showed that mathematics examinations are highly inaccessible to students with HI. At the end of the study, the teachers and students indicated that mathematics needs to be adapted to increase access to mathematics examinations. The study suggests that providing necessary accommodations in testing should be done with caution to avoid affecting the validity of the test scores

Mathematical Formula Recognition and Transformation to a Linear Format Suitable for Vocalization

Students with vision impairment encounter barriers in studying mathematics particularly in higher education levels. They must have an equal chance with sighted students in mathematics subjects. Making mathematics accessible to the vision impaired users is a complicated process. This accessibility can be static or dynamic, in static accessibility the user is presented with a representation of the entire mathematic expression passively such as using Braille, dynamic accessibility allows the user to navigate the mathematical content in accordance with its structure interactively such as audio format [1]. MATHSPEAK is an application that accepts objects described in LaTeX and converts it to a linear or sequential representation suitable for vocalization, describing functions to people with severe vision impairment. MATHSPEAK provides interactive dynamic access to mathematic expressions by rendering them to audio format. This paper describes a method to create plain text from images of mathematical formulae and convert this text to LaTeX which is used in the earlier developed algorithm, “MATHSPEAK”

The importance of being accessible: The graphics calculator in mathematics education

The first decade of the availability of graphics calculators in secondary schools has just concluded, although evidence for this is easier to find in some countries and schools than in others, since there are gross socio-economic differences in both cases. It is now almost the end of the second decade since the invention of microcomputers and their appearance in mathematics educational settings. Most of the interest in technology for mathematics education has been concerned with microcomputers. But there has been a steady increase in interest in graphics calculators by students, teachers, curriculum developers and examination authorities, in growing recognition that accessibility of technology at the level of the individual student is the key factor in responding appropriately to technological change; the experience of the last decade suggests very strongly that mathematics teachers are well advised to pay more attention to graphics calculators than to microcomputers. There are clear signs that the commercial marketplace, especially in the United States, is acutely aware of this trend. It was recently reported that current US sales of graphics calculators are around six million units per year, and rising. There are now four major corporations developing products aimed directly at the high school market, with all four producing graphics calculators of high quality and beginning to understand the educational needs of students and their teachers. To get some evidence of this interest, I scanned a recent issue (April 1995) of The Mathematics Teacher, the NCTM journal focussed on high school mathematics. The evidence was very strong: of almost 20 full pages devoted to paid advertising, nine featured graphics calculators, while only two featured computer products, with two more featuring both computers and graphics calculators. The main purposes of this paper are to explain and justify this heightened level of interest in graphics calculators at the secondary school level, and to identify some of the resulting implications for mathematics education, both generally, and in the South-East Asian region

Contexts for pure mathematics: an analysis of A-level mathematics papers

While there has been some research into the use of context in mathematics assessments pre-16, little, if any, work exists on the role of context in post-16 mathematics. For A- and AS-level mathematics courses in the UK, assessment schemes are required to include questions that test candidates' abilities to apply mathematical models to real-life contexts, and to translate real-life contexts into mathematics. This paper explores the ways in which context occurs in ‘pure’ mathematics questions and, through this, suggests a framework for analysis that encompasses issues such as accessibility, realism and authenticity

WCAG 2.1 Meets STEM: Application, Interpretation, and Opportunities for Further Standard Development

This paper offers an overview of changes introduced in the recent Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 standard that have implications for the accessibility of content in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In reviewing new provisions of WCAG 2.1, interpretive questions are raised regarding their application to mathematical and scientific materials. The paper is concluded with a brief discussion of opportunities for further enhancing accessibility of STEM materials in future revisions of the Guidelines

Aesthetic Considerations in Mathematics

Drawing on some of the principles of humanistic mathematics first outlined by Alvin White, this paper seeks to examine the way in which value judgments are implicated in the growth of the mathematics discipline. After a short overview of some of the roles ascribed to the mathematical aesthetic historically, I turn to more contemporary positioning of the aesthetic in order to develop a framework that offers insight into the particular values, assumptions and desires that constrain what is done in mathematics, how it is done and why. My goal, at least in part, is to bring together under one umbrella some of the recent work that is being done in the cultural ethnography and cognitive history of mathematics and, in so doing, provide a stronger rationale for the importance and relevance of aesthetic considerations in the history and philosophy of mathematics. Finally, I use this framework to promote the idea of a mathematics critic, who could do for mathematics what art critics do for the arts, namely, to not only evaluate and explain art, but to work toward establishing its accessibility and credibility

Strategies in Maximizing the Use of Existing Technology in Philippine Schools

One of the challenges that continue to confront teachers in Philippine schools is the accessibility of technology for the study and learning of mathematics. In this paper, we will look at several situations and actual experiences happening in Philippine schools. Strategies on how existing technological tools are to be maximized will be discussed, including the creation of lesson plans and classroom activities. The use of technology-based manipulatives in mathematics learning as alternatives to unavailable technology will also be looked at