Accessibility and inclusion

Dr Michelle SelingerExecutive Adviser for Education

Cisco Systems, EMEA

Question

Is technology making education more accessible and inclusive?

Challenges

Disabilities

Technology dissonance

Digital divide

Technology dissonance

Global e-learning programs Cultural norms and prevailing pedagogy

Blended learning Online teaching

Increasing diversity of students in country Non-traditional students

Technology Dissonance

The imposition of an inappropriate technology into an unprepared cultural context and one that is incapable of reaping the benefits of the technology innovation

It is important to study cultural differences, expectations, and traditions surrounding teaching and learning in a variety of contexts, and examine how the recognition of cultural preferences can be used to make technology use more relevant

Research on cultural issues and implications for learning

Assumptions about learning and meaning of learning vary across cultures

Cultural contexts have an impact on thinking and learning Much of the global research focuses on e-learning which has

little face to face contact and in which tutors are remote Examples in materials are often drawn from another culture

Idioms often do not transfer between culturesThe style of writing may be alienScreen design and colour scheme could be inappropriate

Relationships between teachers and learners vary across cultures

Cultural disconnection

Affirmative & Affirmative & Deferential Deferential cultureculture

Individualistic Individualistic & & Collectivistic Collectivistic cultureculture 

CulturCulture biase bias

  High & Low High & Low Context Context cultureculture

 

Most of the current instructional principles concern on the separation of different cultural needs but neglect to provide an environment to help learners to share their experiences and make cultural connections. .

Ruolan WangRuolan Wang & & Patrick DillonPatrick Dillon

Linguistic disconnection

English English deficiencdeficiencyy

ConceptualConceptual structure structure differencesdifferences

The absence of The absence of gestural & gestural & bodily elementsbodily elements

Inner Inner speech speech differencesdifferences

Low speed in reading and writing in English Slow responses by constructing ideas in English Misunderstanding during the discussion with native

English speakers.

Ruolan WangRuolan Wang & & Patrick DillonPatrick Dillon

Digital divide

Economic and social divide In country Internationally

Digital literacy

Disability

Assistive technologies Physical disabilities Sensory disabilities Cognitive disabilities

Disfolks Cripping the Mainstream: Theorizing Being Disabled in a Culture of Ableism

Can these promises be met?

Multimedia and IP communications will provide increased access to understanding

Digital divide will be reduced through ease of use and both ubiquitous and new forms of access (e.g. set top boxes, mobile phones, etc and community access centres)

RLOs and content sharing will reduce costs

Multimedia and IP communications will provide increased access to understanding Video/audio/subtitles/text (Stratford, Sloan and

Stone)

Cultural norms Pedagogical practices Access to Internet

bandwidth Content and contexts VLEs Digital literacy

Digital divide will be reduced

Disability (Claire Stockton)

Age (wrinkly ware) Language Location (Pieter Conradie) Socially excluded Minority groups Legislation (and creativity) Ability – (NLN research in FE Maria Smith & Colin McCaig)

RLOs and content sharing will reduce costs Design issues

use of metaphorspersonalisationlanguagecolour (Yasmin Valli)imagescognitive demandscommunity learning (Fred Garnett)starting pointsstudent involvement

Open courseware – How open? Who pays and for what?

FE/HE

Plus factor

Teacher education (Skills for Access)

Technical support Reliability Employee awareness (SNCRU – Christopher Bailey)

Thank you

mselinge@cisco.com