Accessible E-Learning Demonstrations Using IMS Accessibility Specifications

Madeleine Rothberg

WGBH National Center for Accessible Media

Jutta Treviranus

University of Toronto Adaptive Technology Resource Centre

ATIA 2006

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Accessibility Standards Efforts

• IMS Guidelines for Developing Accessible Learning Applications

• IMS Access For All Specifications

• New! ISO JTC1 SC36 Standard in progress (IMS/DC/LOM)

http://support.imsglobal.org/accessibility

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Each Learner Learns Differently

• Varies even for the same learner: with context and discipline

• The major value added by on-line learning is the ability to personalize learning

• On-line learning gives us the ability to scale the individualized learning experience to a large group of learners

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Disability in Learning Context

• Disability= Mismatch between learner needs and education offered

• Not a personal trait but an artifact of relationship between the learner and the learning environment or education delivery

• Accessibility= The ability of the learning environment to adjust to the needs of all learners

• Environment includes AT tools

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Two Approaches to Meeting Accessibility Commitments

• One compliant resource for everyone

  • Rejection of valuable resources that are not compliant

  • Time and expertise required of all resource creators

  • "Accessible for everyone but optimal for no-one"

  • Two resource versions and maintenance neglect (diversity of people with disabilities)

• A transformable, flexible resource system

  • Cumulative authoring

  • Matching resources

  • Resource re-aggregation

  • Providing tools needed by each learner

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Accessibility =

• Flexibility of education environment, curriculum and delivery

• Availability of adequate alternative-but-equivalent content and activities

• Access to AT

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Serving…

• Learners with disabilities

• Learners with diverse learning approaches

• Learners with diverse hardware and software

• Learners in disabling environments

• Learners with diverse cultural or linguistic requirements

• Anyone who diverges from the hypothetical norm

• Any context, including commerce, government, publishing

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Must avoid…

• Stereotypes and assumptions of requirements

• Labeling or classifying users/learners in politically sensitive ways

• Collecting irrelevant private information

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Take advantage of ability to:

• Transform user interface of resource (display and control)

• Re-aggregate learning resources

• Configure tools to meet user needs

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Advances Response to
Equal Access Requirements

• Addresses legislative and regulatory requirements

• Does not compromise the experience of the student majority

• Does not unduly burden education provider

• Facilitates cumulative and collaborative authoring

• Respects unique individual requirements (learner-centric)

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AccessForAll Standard

• A description of the learner's or user's personal needs and preferences
  (IMS AccLIP, ISO PNP)

• A description of a digital resource
  (IMS AccMD, ISO DRD)

• Can be used with or without other personal profiles and other resource metadata

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Personal Needs and Preferences

IMS Accessibility for Learner Information Package or AccLIP

ISO PNP

• • How do I want/need things to be displayed?

  • How do I want/need things to be controlled? (includes AT information)

  • What content alternatives, equivalents or helpful tools do I want/need?

  • In what context?

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Context

• When I'm tired

• When I'm using my portable

• When I'm at work...

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Accessibility Metadata

IMS Access For All Metadata or AccMD

ISO Digital Resource Description or DRD

Information about

1. The Original Resource

• Can the display be transformed, is the method of control flexible?

• Does it require hearing, sight, tactile sensation, or text literacy?

• What are the locations of any known equivalents?

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Accessibility Metadata

Information about:

2. The Alternative

• Pointer to the primary resource this is an equivalent for

• A detailed description that parallels the content requirements of AccLIP/PNP

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Implementations

• Web-4-All

• TILE

• CWIS

• ANGEL

• Others

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Web-4-All

• Developed for Industry Canada to ensure seniors, new Canadians, and people with disabilities or literacy challenges have computer access to services & information on the Internet.

• Each user can select, save, and deploy their own interface preferences using personal smart card technology that automatically configures a suite of assistive software & hardware.

• Makes public internet access locations accessible to those requiring "non-standard" computer technology.

• Developed by University of Toronto & Canadian partners

http://web4all.atrc.utoronto.ca/

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Web-4-All

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Web-4-All

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Web-4-All

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Web-4-All

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TILE

E-learning environment that enables
learner-centric transformation of learning content and delivery

• • • Authoring support for transformable content
      and for metadata

    • Browser

    • Learning Object Repository

    • Learner Preference System
      

http://inclusivelearning.ca

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CWIS: ACCLIP/ACCMD in Practice

• CWIS = "collection in a box" portal software package developed for NSDL by the Internet Scout Project

• CWIS is open source web software implemented using PHP and MySQL

• CWIS is a turnkey package with a low technology barrier to entry

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ACCLIP with a Malleable User Interface

• CWIS supports multiple user interfaces and multiple user interface themes

• Interfaces are intended to be readily customizable by the portal implementer

• Interfaces are "cascading" so portal implementers only need to add or change what is necessary to add a new interface

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ACCLIP and the CWIS UI

• Added "mini-wizard" to CWIS to solicit AccLIP values from users

• CWIS UI is CSS-based

• AccLIP values (visual settings) are used to customize user interface via dynamic modification of CSS

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ACCMD and Finding Resources in CWIS

• Added AccMD fields to standard metadata schema used to describe resources

• Results are flagged based on matching AccMD metadata fields with AccLIP user settings when browsing resources

• Results can be filtered based on AccLIP user settings when searching resources

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Looking at CWIS

• Software is free and downloadable at:
  
  (live demo also online there)

• CWIS requires PHP 4 and MySQL and is intended to run on a Linux or OS X web server

• CWIS 1.4.0 includes mini-wizard and UI modifications based on AccLIP settings, AccMD fields and resource flagging/filtering

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ANGEL Learning

• Commercial course management system

• Accessibility pilot in partnership with Penn State University

• Adapting UI to AccLIP settings

• Importing a content package with AccMD metadata and assigning appropriate resources to learners

http://angellearning.com

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More Information

Visit:

to find all the documents and
links to implementations

Contact us at:

madeleine_rothberg@wgbh.org

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