Accessible ELearning Demonstrations Using IMS Accessibility Specifications Madeleine

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

Accessibility Standards Efforts • IMS Guidelines for Developing Accessible Learning Applications • IMS Access For All Specifications • New! ISO JTC 1 SC 36 Standard in progress (IMS/DC/LOM) http: //support. imsglobal. org/accessibility

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

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

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

Accessibility = • Flexibility of education environment, curriculum and delivery • Availability of adequate alternative-butequivalent content and activities • Access to AT

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

Must avoid… • Stereotypes and assumptions of requirements • Labeling or classifying users/learners in politically sensitive ways • Collecting irrelevant private information

Take advantage of ability to: • Transform user interface of resource (display and control) • Re-aggregate learning resources • Configure tools to meet user needs

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)

Access. For. All Standard • A description of the learner’s or user’s personal needs and preferences (IMS Acc. LIP, ISO PNP) • A description of a digital resource (IMS Acc. MD, ISO DRD) • Can be used with or without other personal profiles and other resource metadata

Personal Needs and Preferences IMS Accessibility for Learner Information Package or Acc. LIP 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?

Context • When I’m tired • When I’m using my portable • When I’m at work. . .

Accessibility Metadata IMS Access For All Metadata or Acc. MD 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?

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 Acc. LIP/PNP

Implementations • • • Web-4 -All TILE CWIS ANGEL Others

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: //web 4 all. atrc. utoronto. ca/

Web-4 -All

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

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

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

ACCLIP and the CWIS UI • Added “mini-wizard” to CWIS to solicit Acc. LIP values from users • CWIS UI is CSS-based • Acc. LIP values (visual settings) are used to customize user interface via dynamic modification of CSS

ACCMD and Finding Resources in CWIS • Added Acc. MD fields to standard metadata schema used to describe resources • Results are flagged based on matching Acc. MD metadata fields with Acc. LIP user settings when browsing resources • Results can be filtered based on Acc. LIP user settings when searching resources

Looking at CWIS • Software is free and downloadable at: http: //scout. wisc. edu/Projects/CWIS/ (live demo also online there) • CWIS requires PHP 4 and My. SQL 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 Acc. LIP settings, Acc. MD fields and resource flagging/filtering

ANGEL Learning • Commercial course management system • Accessibility pilot in partnership with Penn State University • Adapting UI to Acc. LIP settings • Importing a content package with Acc. MD metadata and assigning appropriate resources to learners http: //angellearning. com

More Information Visit: http: //support. imsglobal. org/accessibility to find all the documents and links to implementations Contact us at: madeleine_rothberg@wgbh. org jutta. treviranus@utoronto. ca

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