Teaching Web Accessibility at Laurea Terhi Krpnen Johanna

Teaching Web Accessibility at Laurea Terhi Kärpänen Johanna Lahti Laurea University of Applied Sciences

We are Laurea • Finland’s most popular university of applied sciences. • The employment rate among our students is excellent. • Our applied research produces new knowledge. • We are a strong regional developer.

Laurea in the heart of the Helsinki Metropolitan Area

Laurea in numbers

Laurea’s way of learning Lb. D (Learning by Developing) is a unique and award-winning pedagogical model developed at Laurea. § Focused on practical projects § Collaboration with companies and employers § Students learn through practical experience

Degree Programme in Business Information Technology • Degree title: Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) • Duration of studies: 210 ECTs, 3, 5 years • Offered both in Finnish and in English • Employment in software development, data security, system management, digital service development, sales and marketing. • Core competence (150 ECTs) and complementary competence (60 ECTs) modules. • Service Design –studies as part of the core competence.

Service Design • Service Design, 10 ECTS • Part of Service Business – module • Design for All • Real project cases (Lb. D) • Web accessibility projects pilots in Service Design -study unit spring, 2019

Workshop in Finland • Workshop in May, 2019 • 45 participants • students, university representatives and professional accessibility experts • Service Design student’s pilot

Service Design pilot • Service design students presented web accessibility by testing Laurea’s website • Video illustrated the accessibility testing • Accessibility testing help from accessibility experts.

Workshop feedback • Workshop feedback from participants was very positive: • “Thank you, it was great to see how accessibility is taken into account in studies and how students and companies co-operate in different projects!” • ”The workshop and video was really good!” • ”I hope we can have more events here in Finland addressed to accessibility and inclusive design, spread the knowledge, educate students and professionals. ”

What has been done… to increase web accessibility in education in Finland? • • • More web accessibility company assignments and projects More thesis work related to web accessibility Co-operation with other universities Visiting lecturers Articles and publications related to web accessibility • Web accessibility teaching to vocational education teachers

Finally • More work needs to be done to increase accessibility knowledge • More co-operation with different study-units • More co-operation with other Finnish universities

Thank you!