Approaches To Developing Accessible Learning Experiences

For the past five to ten years researchers have been developing tools and guidelines for developing accessible e-learning experiences for students with disabilities. Despite this, very few practitioners in higher education are confident that they know how to develop accessible e-learning experiences. This is prompting researchers to work with practitioners in order to develop meaningful approaches to addressing accessibility; ones that facilitate the development of a clear conceptualisation of why and how practice can be changed to meet the varied needs of students. This book describes these approaches and explores the extent to which they might challenge current thinking and understanding. Topics covered include: approaches to developing accessible multimedia and learning objects holistic approaches to developing accessible e-learning and blended learning experiences institutional and programme approaches to addressing accessibility issues. Exploration and discussion of these topics will challenge practitioners to reconceptualise their understanding of ‘best practice’ in relation to accessibility and e-learning and offer directions for future practice and development. This book was previously published as a special issue of Alt-J.

Making learning and development (L&D) content inclusive and accessible for everyone is not only a good thing to do, it's the right thing to do. Designing Accessible Learning Content provides evidence-based advice on designing digital learning content that ensures all learners are included and are therefore able to perform to their full potential. This is a practical guide on accessibility for anyone involved in the design, creation, development or testing of online learning content. It provides detailed guidance on how to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines making it essential reading for L&D professionals, instructional designers and course developers who need to comply with legal accessibility requirements. Using the author's 'eLearning Accessibility Framework', Designing Accessible Learning Content demystifies sometimes complex technical accessibility standards and provides an easy to follow contextual framework uniquely designed for learning content created using any authoring tool. This book also demonstrates how creating accessible learning content can improve usability and provide the best possible learning experience for everyone. In addition, it offers essential background information such as a focus on disability, an overview of assistive technology and an exploration of the case for digital accessibility. This guarantees that L&D professionals have the vital background knowledge they need to make sense of accessibility before they begin practically applying the principles. With online checklists, learner case studies, and industry perspectives, Designing Accessible Learning Content is an essential handbook for all L&D professionals seeking to harness the benefits of accessibility in order to improve their learning content for everyone.

It is widely agreed throughout the world that education and access to education are human rights. In order to accommodate the educational needs of people globally, technology will be required that supports inclusion and promotes equity for both learning processes and governance in educational institutions. In order to achieve this, technological resources must be designed to be accessible and usable for all individuals by implementing user-centered design (UCD) and user experience design (UXD) processes. UXD and UCD Approaches for Accessible Education is an academic research publication that explores thoughts and experiences on accessible and equitable education from perspectives on human-computer interaction, user research, and design thinking. It seeks to improve the understanding on how technology should be designed to truly contribute to and support accessibility and equity in education. Featuring a wide range of topics such as online courses, inclusive education, and virtual reality, this publication is essential for academicians, curriculum designers, researchers, instructional designers, educational software developers, IT consultants, policymakers, administrators, and students.

What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.

Creating a Culture of Accessibility in the Sciences provides insights and advice on integrating students with disabilities into the STEM fields. Each chapter features research and best practices that are interwoven with experiential narratives. The book is reflective of the diversity of STEM disciplines (life and physical sciences, engineering, and mathematics), and is also reflective of cross-disability perspectives (physical, sensory, learning, mental health, chronic medical and developmental disabilities). It is a useful resource for STEM faculty and university administrators working with students with disabilities, as well as STEM industry professionals interested in accommodating employees with disabilities. Offers a global perspective on making research or work spaces accessible for students with disabilities in the STEM fields Discusses best practices on accommodating and supporting students and demonstrates how these practices can be translated across disciplines Enhances faculty knowledge of inclusive teaching practices, adaptive equipment, accessibility features, and accommodations in science laboratories, which would enable the safe participation of students with disabilities Provides advice for students with disabilities on disclosure and mentoring

Universal Design in Higher Education looks at the design of physical and technological environments at institutions of higher education; at issues pertaining to curriculum and instruction; and at the full array of student services. Universal Design in Higher Education is a comprehensive guide for researchers and practitioners on creating fully accessible college and university programs. It is founded upon, and contributes to, theories of universal design in education that have been gaining increasingly wide attention in recent years. As greater numbers of students with disabilities attend postsecondary educational institutions, administrators have expressed increased interest in making their programs accessible to all students. This book provides both theoretical and practical guidance for schools as they work to turn this admirable goal into a reality. It addresses a comprehensive range of topics on universal design for higher education institutions, thus making a crucial contribution to the growing body of literature on special education and universal design. This book will be of unique value to university and college administrators, and to special education researchers, practitioners, and activists.

Exploration of holistic and institutional approaches will challenge practitioners to reconceptualise their understanding of 'best practice' in relation to accessibility and e-learning and offer directions for future practice and development.

Most people working within the higher education sector understand the importance of making e-learning accessible to students with disabilities, yet it is not always clear exactly how this should be accomplished. E-Learning and Disability in Higher Education evaluates current accessibility practice and critiques the extent to which 'best' practices can be confidently identified and disseminated. This second edition has been fully updated and includes a focus on research that seeks to give 'voice' to disabled students in a way that provides an indispensible insight into their relationship with technologies and the institutions in which they study. Examining the social, educational, and political background behind making online learning accessible in higher and further education, E-Learning and Disability in Higher Education considers the roles and perspectives of the key stake-holders involved in e-learning: lecturers, professors, instructional designers, learning technologists, student support services, staff developers, and senior managers and administrators.