Accessible E-Learning Demonstrations Using IMS Accessibility Specifications

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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-equivalen
  t 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 learners or users 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 Im tired
• When Im using my portable
• When Im 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
  athttp//scout.wisc.edu/Projects/CWIS/(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
• http//support.imsglobal.org/accessibility
• to find all the documents and links to
  implementations
• Contact us at
• madeleine_rothberg_at_wgbh.org
• jutta.treviranus_at_utoronto.ca

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Thank you!

• Thank you for attending this session and the
  ATIA 2006 Conference in Orlando,
  Florida.Please help us improve the quality of
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  evaluation form.Completed evaluation forms
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