Considering OER Accessibility for Diverse Learners Chetz Colwell
Considering OER & Accessibility for Diverse Learners Chetz Colwell, Open University, UK Matilde Gallardo, Open University UK Andy Lane, Open University UK Una Daly, OCW Consortium March 11, 2014 1
Collaborate Window Overview Audio & Video Participants Chat
Today’s Agenda • • Introductions Accessibility Needs and Goals OER & Accessibility Considerations Case Study: Dyslexia in Modern Language Learning Staff Development • Resource Links • Discussion 3
Welcome Please introduce yourself in the chat window Mathilde Gallardo SL/Staff Tutor Modern Languages Open University Chetz Colwell, Andy Lane Una Daly, Manager Accessibility Community College Environmental Systems Professor Teaching and Learning Outreach Director Open University OCW Consortium 4
Open Education Accessibility Needs & Goals Una Daly, Community College Outreach Director OCW Consortium 5
Open Educational Resources Teaching, learning or research materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution. OER Logo 2012, J. Mello CC-BY Sources: UNESCO, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation 6
What is an Open License? • Free: Free to access online, free to print • Open: Reuse, Revise, Remix, Redistribute • Creative Commons: less restrictions than standard copyright but author retains full rights.
Examples Includes – • • • Course materials Lesson Plans Modules or lessons Open. Course. Ware (OCW) Open textbooks Videos Images Tests Software Any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support ready access to knowledge adapted from Judy Baker’s ELI 2011 OER Workshop cc-by license 8
Characteristics of OER • Digital – Easy to customize – Free distribution • Open License – Reuse, Revise, Remix, • No/Low cost Labeled for reuse by Mr. KCools. Photostream – Expands access to education
OER Conundrum DIGITAL +ACCESSIBLE OPEN LICENSE 10
Need for Accessibility • ~1 billion worldwide have form of disability World Report on Disability, 2011 • Disproportionate affect on health, education, employment, and poverty World Report on Disability, 2011 • 11% U. S. postsecondary students report disability AIM Commission Report, 2011 • Many experience accessibility barriers. AIM Commission Report, 2011 11
Treaties and Laws • United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) – Ratified by 141 countries • United Kingdom Equality Act (2010) • Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) • Canadian Human Rights Act (1985)
Diverse Learner Challenges • • Cognitive learning disabilities Sensory or motor impairments Language deficits Lack of engagement Kersti Nebelsiek CC-BY Source: http: //cast. org
OCWC Accessibility Goals • Improve learning for all – Universal, inclusive design • Help curriculum developers – Design OER to be accessible Used with permission from Virtual Ability, Inc • Empower faculty adopters – Evaluate OER and adapt for accessibility • Build a Community of Practice – Open Univ, MERLOT, Inclusive Design Centre, NFB, .
Design & Guidelines • Universal Design for Learning – Providing multiple means of expression, representation, & engagement • Web Content Access Guidelines (WCAG) 2. 0 • • Perceivable Operable Understandable Robust http: //www. cast. org/udl/ 15
Open Textbook Accessibility Reviews Textbook: Collaborative Statistics Accessibility reviewed by: Virtual Ability, Inc. collegeopentextbooks. org merlot. org
OER, Accessibility & Strategic Alliances http: //oeraccess. merlot. org
Considering accessibility of OERs for diverse learners Chetz Colwell Institute of Educational Technology Open University, UK
Introduction • The Open University (OU) has approx 200, 000 students who are mainly studying at a distance • Approx 20, 000 students have declared a disability • OU provides OERs as part of its charter to provide education to the public • OU has range of Open activities: Open. Learn, i. Tunes U, OER Research Hub, Open Research Online, Future. Learn (MOOCs and platform). • OU has long history of supporting disabled students. Has programme of work to embed inclusion in its curriculum
OER accessibility policy • OU working towards a policy to address questions such as: – Is accessibility support in OERs ‘required’ or just ‘nice to have’? – To what extent should OERs conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines? – How can we achieve full inclusion of OERs without stifling openness and innovation? • Need to consider these in legal and pedagogic contexts
UK legal context • UK Equality Act requires Universities to avoid discrimination against disabled people by making 'reasonable adjustments' • Covers both formal and informal teaching & learning • How do we define what is ‘reasonable’? – No test cases (as yet!) – Some technical guidance on weighing up costs and benefits, e. g. whether it is a core service and whether it affects educational outcomes
Pedagogic context • Regardless of legal context, the moral position to enable disabled people to participate in formal and informal learning • Still need to resolve issues around access to subject areas, such as STEM, Arts, Languages, – These exist in formal teaching, but there may be less resource available for making adjustments in OERs • Floe Inclusive Learning Design Handbook provides useful guidance and techniques but does not help prioritise adjustments or navigate legal contexts
Technical context • WCAG gives us technical guidance, with priorities, but lacks learning or legal context • Authoring tools are beginning to support accessibility, such as OERPub
In an ideal world • Authors would fully understand the needs of diverse learners – And know how to address them – And not feel accessibility stifled their openness or innovation • Institutions would have policies to guide authors and technical developers • Authoring tools would support authors in considering accessibility – E. g. would create / prompt for accessibility-related metadata • Delivery platforms would be fully accessible, e. g. MOOC platforms • Further recommendations are made in Anna Gruszczynska's report: – Creators would be supported with policies and guidance, and strategies for simple fixes – OER projects would address accessibility, etc.
Questions • If accessibility for diverse learners is required and not just nice to have, what steps are we taking towards that ideal world? • Acknowledgments: – Tony O’Shea Poon, Head of Equality, Diversity and Information Rights, OU – Megan Beckett, Siyavula Education (Pty) Ltd.
Developing inclusive practice through OEP and OER: the Dyslexia and Modern Languages project Matilde Gallardo The Open University, UK m. gallardo@open. ac. uk)
Overview Ø A Staff Development project at the Department of Languages (OU) in 2013. Ø Aimed to: -raise awareness of Sp. LD and dyslexia in ML learning -share knowledge and good practice among tutors -work collaboratively to design inclusive ML OER -develop confident practitioners and, by extension, support dyslexic students in their learning goals.
The context Ø Second Language Acquisition, SLA, research and dyslexia; concepts of learning and transferable skills. Ø Adult language learners with dyslexia in Higher Education. Ø Areas of possible difficulties (students and teachers) Ø Identified gaps: § Lack of subject-specific resources for teachers § Need for greater awareness of the challenges faced by dyslexic adult language learners § Guidelines for course writers, advisers and teachers
The work
Labels and definitions Autistic spectrum disorder Dyspraxia Attention deficit disorder Dysphasia Dyslexia
Aspects of collaboration in the groups • Roles and responsibilities • Communication: timing, setting out work, choice of tools • Differences between individuals: - expectations, personal goals - amount of time - knowledge of subject matter - level of engagement • Sharing work – OER and OEP • Commenting and peer review • Sharing and developing expertise on an area of common interest
Presentations in Elluminate
Staff Development
LORO http: //open. ac. uk
Resources on the LORO home page http: //loro. open. ac. uk/3353
http: //loro. open. ac. uk/3340
http: //loro. open. ac. uk/3353/
http: //loro. open. ac. uk/3912/
Resource Links • OER and Accessibility MERLOT Community – http: //oeraccess. merlot. org/ • FLOE Project Handbook – http: //handbook. floeproject. org/index. php/ • Open University OER – http: //www. open. ac. uk/about/open-educational-resources/ • OER Research Hub http: //www. oerrhub. org • A Guide to Good Practice: Supporting Students with Dyslexia in Modern Languages http: //loro. open. ac. uk/3912/ • CCCOER-OCW Open Textbook Reviews – http: //www. collegeopentextbooks. org/opentextbookcontent/acce ssibility-reviews- • OCW Toolkit Accessibility Issues – http: //www. ocwconsortium. org/resources/toolkits/accessibility/ 39
Questions for Panelists Contact Info: Chetz Colwell, Chetz. Colwell@open. ac. uk Una Daly, unatdaly@ocwconsortium. org Matilde Gallardo m. gallardo@open. ac. uk Andy Lane, Andy. Lane@open. ac. uk http: //openeducationweek. org
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