Maximizing Accessibility in E-Learning with IMS Specifications

1. Accessible E-Learning Demonstrations Using IMS Accessibility Specifications Madeleine Rothberg WGBH National Center for Accessible Media Jutta Treviranus University of TorontoAdaptive Technology Resource Centre ATIA 2006

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. 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

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

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

10. 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)

11. AccessForAll Standard • A description of the learner’s or user’s 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

12. 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?

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

14. 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?

15. 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

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

17. 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/

18. Web-4-All

19. Web-4-All

20. Web-4-All

21. Web-4-All

22. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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 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

35. 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

36. 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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