accessibility and distance education

7/30/2019 Accessibility and Distance Education

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Accessibility and Distance Education

Davilla Riddle, M.S.

Department of Educational Technology

University of Hawaii ManoaUnited States

[email protected]

Thomas Conway, MBA

Media Coordinator

Center on Disabilities Studies

College of Education

University of Hawaii ManoaUnited States

[email protected]

Pulelehua RuthMarie Quirk, MLS, M.Ed.

Library Services

University of Hawaii Manoa

United [email protected]

Abstract: Accessibility and Distant Education describes a 3-D virtual world instructional unitcreated in Second Life (SL). The instructional unit provides information for educators on how tomake distance education more accessible to those with special abilities or those with one of the

major categories of disabilities visual, hearing, motor or cognitive. The instructional unit wasbuilt on an SL island owned by the University of Hawaii, College of Education. Three phases ofthe project showcase the following: topics surrounding the definitions and issues of accessibility foronline education, media tools that can be used for online learning, and digital tools that can be

utilized for multi-user virtual environments (MUVE) like SL. The target audience for this unit isfaculty members at post-secondary institutions involved in distance education programs. Feedback

about effectiveness of the instructional unit was collected by the following: surveys, feedback notecards, solicited visitations, evaluation emails, and face-to-face interactions. An open house was

held for the instructional unit for review and solicited feedback.

Introduction

A typical scenario for the beginning of the semester might be as follows. All distance education students,

registered for a class that uses Second Life (SL) as its platform for delivery, receive an e-mail. Students are

provided with a link to the class website that has detailed instructions for an assignment that is due on the first day

of class. There are paragraphs of text, images, and numerous links that require students to navigate and researchinformation on the web for the assignment. Almost all of the students in class have no problem completing the

assignment. However, for one student, beginning the assignment is not possible because the information on the

classs website is not accessible for someone with a visual disability. The student is hesitant to identifyhimself/herself to the instructor for fear of being perceived as different from their classmates. What could the

instructor do to the course website to ensure that all students are able to access the information? This paper

summarizes our teams effort to use a 3-D virtual world environment to present an instructional unit about

accessibility and distance education.

Distance Education


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Now more than ever, there are unprecedented opportunities for individuals to obtain a degree through

distance education. Distance education is defined as a formal education process in which the student and instructor

are not in the same place (Parsad & Tice, 2008, p. 1). In a National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 2006-

07 survey, the authors defined this type of instruction as synchronous or asynchronous, and it involved

communication using video, audio, or computer technologies, or by correspondence (Parsad & Tice, 2008, p. 1).Parsad & Tice (2008) stated that two-thirds (66 percent) of degree-granting post-secondary institutions reported

offering online, hybrid/blended or other distance education courses during the 2006-07 academic year (p. 2).When designing and implementing distance education programs, several factors affect institutions decisions when

creating programs. These include meeting student demand for flexible schedules (68 percent), providing access to

college for students who would otherwise not have access (67 percent), making more courses available (46 percent),

and seeking to increase student enrollment (45 percent) (Parsad & Tice, 2008, p. 3). As the research shows,

institutions do think about increasing access to people seeking a college education, but they do not specify that this

access, whether technical or physical, is available for all students including the disabled.Individuals with disabilities turn to distance education to avoid the problems that are posed by face-to-face

institutions...because this may be the only practical means to a higher education (Richardson, 2009, p. 87).

Unfortunately, distance education programs are not designed for full access and participation by those with

disabilities (Edmonds, 2004). A student may have dyslexia and have extreme difficulty completing projects because

they are not notified of multiple search options during their research (Brewer, 2005, par. 1). Edmonds (2004) states

that a primary concern is the accessibility of web pages because most of the content is presented online in HTML

format (p. 55). Students need to able to login, navigate and participate online in class activities, discussions and

projects using different types of content management systems like Blackboard, Moodle or Sakai (Laulima).

Web Accessibility

What is accessibility? According to Henry (2010), Web accessibility means that people with disabilitiescan use the web. More specifically, web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand,

navigate, and interact with the web, and that they can contribute to the web (para. 1).

There is no single piece of legislation that requires institutions to create distance education courses that are

accessible to students with disabilities (Edmonds, 2004, p. 52). President Clinton signed Section 508 of the

Rehabilitation Act into law, as amended by the Workforce Investment Act, in 1998. This Act requires Federal

agencies electronic and information technology to be accessible to people with disabilities. Section 508 was

enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with

disabilities and to encourage the development of technologies that will help agencies achieve these goals (Section508, 2010).

Accessibility and Distance Education: SL Instructional Unit

Second Life (SL) is an open access technology platform that allows users to design and create content in a

virtual world (Molka-Danielsen & Deutschmann, 2009). Accessibility and Distant Education describes a 3-D virtual

world instructional unit created in SL. The instructional unit provides information for educators on how to make

distance education more accessible to those with special abilities or those with one of the major categories of

disabilities - visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive (Introduction to Web Accessibility, 2010). Three phases of the

project showcase the following: topics surrounding the issue of web accessibility, media tools that can be used for

online learning and digital tools that can be utilized for multi-user virtual environments (MUVE) like SL. The target

audience is faculty at post-secondary institutions involved in distance education programs.

Instructional Unit Goals and Performance Objectives

In Understanding by Design (UbD)by Wiggins & McTighe (2005), the authors recommend a three-stage

backward design approach to instructional planning (p. 17). The authors (2005) include instructional goals as part

of Stage 1 of the design process in which the designer considers their goals, content standards or curriculum

expectations (p. 18). Wiggins & McTighe (2005) define established goals as formal, long-term goals, such as


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state content standards, district program goals, departmental objectives and exit-level outcomes the desired results

that establish priorities for instruction and assessment (p. 58).

For this project, the instructional goal is to provide content knowledge about web accessibility and

associated digital tools to faculty, so that they have an elevated awareness of the need to make distance education

more accessible to those with special abilities or disabilities. The desired outcome is that, with the resources, mediatools and MUVE digital tools showcased in the project, faculty will implement what they have learned into their

own online learning programs.Hodell (2006) states that objectives are the conceptual and operational framework that inspires and

sustains the instructional design process. They are the nucleus of every aspect of instructional design (p. 45). He

suggests a framework for writing objectives. It is the A-B-C-D format where A is for audience, B is for behavior, C

is for condition and D is for degree (Hodell, 2006). Therefore, the projects objectives are as follows. Given the

information provided in the project about web accessibility, faculty should be able to:

- Recognize the need for distance education to be more accessible.- Implement suggested media tools as assistive technologies for online learning systems.

- Use suggested MUVE digital tools for 3-D virtual learning in platforms similar to SL.

Featured Digital Tools

The project is divided into three phases. Each phase focuses on different areas related to accessibility and

distance education. Phase I includes several stations with information (poster-style) about the definition ofaccessibility, reasons for accessibility, legislation related to web accessibility, and how people with disabilities

currently utilize and interact with the Internet.Phase II has several stations that deal with accessibility guidelines and suggested assistive media tools for

online learning. Using videos and URL providers, information about the importance of making distance education

more accessible using recognized standards via the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Accessibility Guidelines is

presented. Several media tools (i.e., caption creator, assistive online technologies, accessible document creator, and

screen reader) are showcased in this phase, too.

Phase III stations provide information about digital tools (i.e., screen reader interface in SL, keyboard

shortcuts to zoom in SL, and navigation tips for SL) that can be utilized for virtual environments like SL. This

information is presented using either videos or URL providers.It should be noted that the project was designed with accessibility in mind. All of the projects information

was created to be presented in multiple ways. Content was formatted for screen readers, captions were created for

all videos, all text was included on note cards, and a speakeasy HUD with instructions on navigating through a tourof the project was created.

Instructional Unit Feedback

Feedback about the instructional unit was collected during visitations from a test population and during an

open house from visitors to the instructional unit in SL. The test population included affiliated individuals with the

University of Hawaii (UH) and non-affiliated individuals. Dr. Megan Conway, Professor in the Center on

Disabilities Studies (CDS) at UH, was asked to submit her impressions and suggestions because she utilizes online

tools to teach her certificate program courses at the university. Graduate students with UHs Department of

Educational Technology were included in the test population. Alice Krueger was asked to provide her impressions

and suggestions. Ms. Krueger is President of Virtual Ability Inc., a non-profit organization that hosts Virtual Ability

Island in SL. This is a supportive virtual world community for people with diverse needs.An open house was held on Thursday, December 9, 2010 in SL. Announcements were sent via groups in

SL. Eleven visitors provided positive feedback about their experiences with the instructional unit. In addition toobtaining valuable comments and suggestions, new connections were made with faculty and students from UH and

other universities.

Feedback was collected by one or more of the following ways: surveys, feedback note cards, solicited

visitations, evaluation emails, and face-to-face interactions. Overall, positive comments were given. Suggestions

were given regarding consistency of signs, note card and gift bag activation, mood setting and theme, and

differentiating methods of presentations.


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Conclusion

Accessibility has impacted all of us at one time in our lives. For example, either our bodies have limited us

from climbing a steep hill to see a magnificent monument or our out-dated computer software wont allow us toview the latest and greatest video on YouTube. Not being able to participate in those moments should be remedied,

if possible.

Unprecedented opportunities for individuals to obtain an education through distance education is now a

reality. However, these opportunities are lost on those with special abilities or disabilities because most online

learning is not considered accessible. Had the instructor in the scenario at the beginning of this paper used several

of the suggested media tools from this project, the student might have been able to complete the assignment in timefor the first day of class. It is time to use 3-D virtual environments like SL as an instructional tool to help faculty

implement what they have learned about web accessibility and assistive online technologies into their own online

learning programs.

References

Brewer, J. (2005). How people with disabilities use the web. Retrieved from http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/#usage

Edmonds, C. (2004). Providing access to students with disabilities in online distance education: Legal and technical concerns forhigher education. The American Journal of Distance Education, 18(1), 51-62.

Henry, S.L. (2005). Introduction to web accessibility. W3C Accessibility Initiative (WAI). World Wide Web Consortium.Retrieved from http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php

Henry, S.L. (2010). Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). World Wide Web Consortium. Retrieved from http://www.w3.org/WAI/Hodell, C. (2006). ISD: From the group up. Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.Introduction to web accessibility. (2010). Retrieved from http://webaim.org/intro/McTighe, J. & Wiggins, G. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD Press.

Molka-Danielsen, J. & Deutschmann, M. (Eds.). (2009). Learning and teaching in the virtual world of Second Life. Trondheim,Norway: Tapir Academic Press.

Parsad, B. & Tice, P. (2008). Distance education at degree-granting postsecondary institutions: 2006-2007. Jessop, MD: NationalCenter for Education Statistics.

Richardson, J. T.E. (2009). The attainment and experiences of disabled students in distance education. Distance Education, 30(1),87-102.

Section 508: Standards summary. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=stdsSum
http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/#usagehttp://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/#usagehttp://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.phphttp://www.w3.org/WAI/http://webaim.org/intro/http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=stdsSumhttp://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/#usagehttp://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/#usagehttp://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.phphttp://www.w3.org/WAI/http://webaim.org/intro/http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?fuseAction=stdsSum

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