[Skip navigation]

DEMOS Project

Online Materials for Staff Disability Awareness
[Resources] : Visually Impairment & E-Learning FAQ

E-learning

On this page:

What do we mean by e-learning?

E-learning...

'Covers a wide set of applications and processes, such as Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration. It includes the delivery of content via Internet, intranet/extranet, audio- and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive TV, and CD-ROM.'

Quoted from Learning Circuits [External link: Open in new browser window] (last accessed June 2002).

This is a good definition as it sees e-learning as more than just learning on a PC connected to the WWW. This may be particularly significant for students with a visual impairment.

E-learning is sometimes viewed as embracing more traditional methods of teaching too - again with its own set of implications for visually impaired students.

The Learning Circuits website [External link: Open in new browser window] also contains a very useful glossary on all aspects of e-learning.

[Back to top]

What is the difference between accessibility and usability?

'Usability focuses on making software, websites and on-line applications or services easy for people to use. Accessibility focuses on making them equally easy for everyone to use, including people who may use assistive technologies such as screen readers etc.'

Quoted from Frontend.com [External link: Open in new browser window] (last accessed June 2002).

It is important to remember that you can make something such as a drag and drop activity accessible with keystrokes but because it is a complicated procedure usability is reduced. As a result the effort required to actually use the learning materials may seriously impinge on the learning itself.

[Back to top]

How might e-learning affect a student who is visually impaired?

According to Nielsen (2001), it is 6 times more difficult for someone to use the Internet using a screen reader than using no assistive technology. Nielsen's study was carried out with people who had at least 3 years experience of using the assistive software and at least 3 months experience of using the Internet.

However, e-learning via the Internet may well enable the student to access more materials and work more independently than they could using traditional methods.

A student with a visual impairment may also need more time to complete assignments and may need more induction into using a VLE but, it is important to remember that each student will be different.

Always remember to ask the student directly if you are in any doubt.

References:

Coyne, K., and Nielsen, J., (2001), Beyond ALT Text: Making the Web Easy to Use for Users with Disabilities, NN/g comreports/accessibility, http://www.nngroup.com/reports/accessibility/.

[Back to top]

What do we mean be e-content?

The following may be considered to be examples of e-content:

[Back to top]

How can I make my web pages accessible?

It is not too difficult to make traditional html web pages accessible but multimedia and interactive materials are more problematic (however work is being done in this area e.g. Macromedia are researching this issue and guidelines are to be written on standardised keystrokes).

The Techdis website [External link: Open in new browser window] sets out 7 precepts in respect of accessible websites:

  1. Navigation and page layout;
  2. Visual presentation and customisation;
  3. Text description for images;
  4. Accessible mark-up of forms, lists, scripts and tables;
  5. Use and presentation of written language;
  6. Accessible issues for other media types;
  7. Help, searches, errors and documentation.

These precepts are a useful starting point towards achieving accessibility. For more in-depth advice try the Demos accessibility guidelines for web designers which also contain examples and specific information about how the Demos website was developed.

[Back to top]

How do I know if my content is accessible?

There are a number of evaluation tools available and some are free of charge. There are also tools which evaluate pages in terms of accessibility and give advice on how to repair them.

Bobby is perhaps the most famous. The on-line version for testing single web pages is free but the downloadable version which has more functionality costs $99.

http://bobby.watchfire.com/bobby/html/en/index.jsp [External link: Open in new browser window]

A-Prompt is freely available from the University of Toronto and has a facility to help repair pages.

http://aprompt.snow.utoronto.ca/ [External link: Open in new browser window]

There is no substitute though for testing with groups of end users. It is quite possible to create web pages which will satisfy the evaluation tools but are not accessible.

[Back to top]

Does all my content have to be accessible?

It is always best to include accessibility into your design and production process. Trying to make your materials accessible after the event can be costly and time consuming.

Also, recent introduction of legislation such as the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001 in the UK, means that educational institutions could face legal proceedings if they don't take into account the needs of disabled students. SENDA describes two main points that educational institutions should bear in mind:

This has implications for all aspects of e-learning. The legislation is also anticipatory so it may be no good saying that your materials are not accessible now but they will be next year.

For further updates and reports on how the legislation will effect producers of e-content try Techdis [External link: Open in new browser window] .

[Back to top]

[Previous] | Previous || Table of Contents || Next | [Next]