Faculty Horizons Program: UMBC Getting the Most out of Teaching

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Faculty Horizons Program UMBCGetting the Most
out of Teaching

• Shelly Heller
• ADAA
• Professor - Computer Science

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Our Session Will

• Move back and forth between Professor and
  Workshop presenter
• Provide Examples of Teaching Ideas
• Open a discussion on using a variety of teaching
  and learning events
• Incidentally, present material on computer
  designing for the elderly

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Something old, something new Designing for the
Aging Population

• What do we already know about design and
  usability that
• addresses the needs of the aging population
• Shelly Heller, GWU
• sheller_at_gwu.edu

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Remember, we already established

• Elderly 65 years
• Young Old 65 74 years
• Middle aged Old 70 80 years
• Aged 75 years
• Chronically Old 70 years
• Oldest Old 80 years and more

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What we will cover

• Recap what we know about features of the elderly
• needs based on usability (toward diverse
  capabilities)
• needs based on use (toward quality of life.)
• Highlight some previous studies
• Review Taxonomies for Design
• Review Guidelines for Design

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Dynamic diversity - Crossroads of advancing
technology and advancing age

• Gerontechnology - new interdisciplinary field of
  scientific research in which technology is
  directed towards the aspirations and
  opportunities for the elderly persons.
• Designed flexibility

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Usability Testing - Some studies

• Effects of Age and Training on World Wide Web
  Navigation Strategies -
• Older users differed significantly from younger
  they searched less efficiently
• they had the most problems with tasks that
  required 3 or more moves
• they had more difficulty recalling previous moves
  and the location of previously viewed
  information.

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Some more studies

• Usability and Accessibility of Aging/Health-Relate
  d Web Sites -
• Compared usability (BOBBY and LIFT) sites
  maintained for elderly by different
  organizations.
• US government sites best at less than 50
• Designing a Touch Screen Kiosk for Older Adults
• User centered design

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And more studies

• Exploring How the Elderly Use the Web
• slower than the college-age users
• made fewer screen inputs
• traveled to fewer pages
• less likely to return to a previously visited
  page while completing a task .
• took the time to carefully read the text on a
  webpage before continuing

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A Pause to Reflect ..

• What styles have you noted?
• Setting expectations
• Review
• Humor
• Use of current tools
• Active learning
• Pair/Share

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Form
Multimedia Taxonomy in the Context of the
Elderly
Format
Context
Rachelle S. Heller, GWU
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Guidelines

• What works for the elderly works for us all
• NLM/NIA Checklist http//www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/chec
  klist.pdf
• Visual and auditory
• Manipulative
• Cognitive

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Guidelines - Presenting Information and Text

• Have the computer "speak" the text.
• What to do about size?
• Font Size and Preference - 14 pt, Ariel
• Magnify everything on the page by as much as
  250.
• Enlarge the size of menus and scroll bars
• See text in huge, one-inch high, letters in a
  banner above the page.

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Guidelines - Presenting Information and Text

• Morning activities are preferred
• Change the color of text/backgrounds to improve
  readability.
• Bright, fluorescent, or vibrant can have edges
  that appear to blur
• Maximize the contrast between foreground and
  background colors

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Guidelines - Presenting Navigational Elements and
Links

• Use the keyboard not mouse for movement.
• Sticky icons
• Turn images and animations off reduce
  clutter/confusion.
• Small screens-full - elderly scroll not scan
• The user can "try out" preferences and
  immediately to see the effect SeniorNet/IBM
  Project Web Sit http//www.seniornet.org/ibm/

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Guidelines - Presenting Navigational Elements and
Training

• Clear reminders to aid memory
• Clear Home Page navigation
• Action Training for total usage, Concept training
  for menu navigation
• Navigation distinct and easy to see
• fairly large (at least 180 x 22 pixels for a
  graphic button), and
• have plenty of open space around them.

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Guidelines - Presenting Sound

• Aging require louder, lower pitch sounds
• Harder to play sound files

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What has the experience been like?

• Note-takers?
• Viewers?
• Learners?
• Use the index cards now..
• Side 1 The main idea for todays class was
• Side 2 I sat here all this time and I still
  dont know

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Teaching Tips Used in This Session

• Learning Styles
• Defining Questions
• Using current data
• Bringing research into the classroom
• Note taking techniques
• Guided note-taking
• 1/2 Class note takers

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Teaching Tips Continued

• Pair-Share
• Questioning techniques
• Advanced organizers
• Repeat the question
• Stage setting here are some questions
• Use of case study
• One minute madness

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Your Turn