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Accessible digital textbooks in the mobile learning environment

Accessible digital textbooks in the mobile learning environment . Stephen R. Acker- OhioLINK /Ohio Board of Regents Ken Petri- The Ohio State University Presented to the 2011 Accessing Higher Ground Conference Denver, Colorado November 16, 2011. Context and content.

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Accessible digital textbooks in the mobile learning environment

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  1. Accessible digital textbooks in the mobile learning environment Stephen R. Acker- OhioLINK/Ohio Board of Regents Ken Petri- The Ohio State University Presented to the 2011 Accessing Higher Ground Conference Denver, Colorado November 16, 2011

  2. Context and content • Three learning megatrends • Explosion of smart phones and mobile computing • Ascendance of digital books and eTexts • Growth of mobile learning in higher education • Making mobile learning accessible • Design issues • User issues • Beyond accessible PDF

  3. Apple (not) computer

  4. Amazon (not) books • 105 eBooks for every 100 print books sold by Amazon in April 2011 (both paperback and hard cover). • The comparison excludes free eBooks (which would increase ratio). • 6% of all books sold in 2010 were digital; 14% of general nonfiction and fiction were digital. • New York Times (May 19, 2011)

  5. Education (not) static • Mobile Learning and eBooks one year from major impact (2011 Horizon Report)

  6. (Gradual) rise of the digital textbook • 2011: Digital textbooks are 2.5% of $5.5 Billion annual market in new textbook sales • Projected to be 19% by 2014 • On average 53% cheaper than paper • South Korea investing $2 Billion to move to digital textbooks • Equivalent for America?: < $50 Billion • Proposed legislation part of K12 public schools bill in Florida mandates all textbooks digital by 2015 - onlineeducation.net (October 2011)

  7. Our E-Book Study

  8. Collaborators • OhioLINK, Ohio Board of Regents, Columbus State Community College, The Ohio State University, Wright State University, Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission • McGraw-Hill, Inkling, Flat World Knowledge, Stitz & Zeager, AMAC

  9. Technologies • Readers: Kindle, iBooks, Blio, Read2Go, ReadHear, Adobe Digital Editions, VitalSource, Inkling, Nook Study • Formats: DAISY (+MathML), ePub, PDF, XPS, Amazon MOBI, proprietary • Platforms: iPad 2, Netbooks (Lenovo x120e), Android Tablet, Kindle 3, iPhone, Android Phone, Nook Color • iPad and Netbook loaded with other AT and study and productivity oriented software

  10. Research questions • Are access and learning opportunities substantially equivalent for equal effort for students with print disabilities in all eReader/digital format pairings? • What technology, policy, and purchasing strategies are likely to achieve equivalent access and support innovation in educational practices?

  11. User experience data collection • Students are paid volunteers • 3 LD (ADHD, degrees of dyslexia), 1 blind • A major limitation: no students with motor disabilities • Students are oriented to hardware and software • Student keep journals describing 40 hours mobile platform use • Each student uses 2 platforms for 20 hours each • Students write a 2- to 3-page Research Process Paper • Facebook Community serves for data collection and sharing • Usability specialist collects and analyzes journals and paper and conducts pre, mid, and post interviews

  12. Facebook sharing/data collection

  13. Orienting participants

  14. Soft/Hardware: PC Netbook • E-book readers: Adobe Digital Editions (1.8 preview), Blio, Kindle for PC with Accessibility Plugin, NookStudy, ghReadHear, VitalSource Bookshelf • AT and study tools: Firefox with Diigo add-on, Balabolka, R & W Gold, JAWS and NVDA, XMind, MS Suite, Evernote

  15. Soft/Hardware: Kindle 3 • Has TTS with restrictions (set by publisher) and limitations (of the device) • Reads menus and book text

  16. Soft/Hardware: iPad 2 • E-book readers: Blio, Google Books, iBooks, Inkling, Kindle, Read2Go, VitalSourceBookShelf • AT and Study Tools: Dictionary, Wikipanion, Flashcardlet, iThoughtsHD, Elements, Reminders, AudioNote, Evernote, Dragon Dictation, WritePad, Dropbox, GoodReader and a ton of “social” and “news” apps, including OSU Mobile

  17. Soft/Hardware: Should’ahad • Probably should have had CourseSmart Accessible Web Reader on PC and iPad • CourseSmart is involved with AccessTextand AMAC through STEPP (STudent E-rent Pilot Project) in making books readily accessible through the CourseSmart platform

  18. What we’re discovering • Disabilities play a role in the perception of the technology and shape student preferences

  19. What we’re discovering • Students wondering if problem is theirs or app’s (“it may be just me…” – very common question in usability testing, but perhaps more important with PwD) • Online help not very useful (or rarely referenced). Usually just Googledit. Used Orientation guide infrequently. Desire

  20. What we’re discovering • Want text to be highlighted as it is read • Not a surprise to DS folks, but our usability specialist noted that “split attention” often interrupts reception • (Some) want user highlighting with colors, bookmarking, noting-taking • Want syncing across platform (progress, notes, etc.) and between devices (iTunes)

  21. What we’re discovering • Kindle not very useful • For a blind participant: “Close to useless” • Keyboard and note-taking hobble device • Positive?: Portability • But size not a huge factor. Outweighed by utility.

  22. What we’re discovering • iPad is a device that “integrates with my life” • Though only one student would buy it with own money, all suggested DS office should loan device

  23. What we’re discovering ButiPad not necessarily a silver bullet • “Myth of Apple” tended to color feedback • Lots of “it must be me” because device is so “intuitive” • Favorite device for blind student (but did no in-app note taking) • Input a problem • Bluetooth and virtual keyboard a problem for LD students • Voice recognition (Dragon) works but cumbersome • Handwriting recognition not usable • Screen sensitivity a problem for some • VoiceOver not suited for visual access • Modal interface a problem • Too much “interface” read aloud • Uneven across apps (still the case with iOS 5 “Speak Selection”) • Even iBooks (simplest non-disability interface) bookmark usage not usable for blind user and PDF with VoiceOver navigation very limited

  24. Lessons (so far)

  25. Lessons (so far) • Accidents can happen (see previous slide…) • Scope of study • A goal was an “ideal” set up of e-book readers and apps. • But short time really requires limited scope: particular disability and/or particular e-book readers.

  26. Desired: rich math access

  27. Desired: cross-referencing and comparison

  28. Desired: synchronized reading + highlighting

  29. Desired: synced platforms

  30. Desired: Typographic control

  31. Desired: “real” book pages

  32. Desired: rich screen reader access

  33. Textbook replicated

  34. Textbook reinvented

  35. Re-visiting why it matters Pew Report August, 2011

  36. Social aspects Raine, November 10, 2011 Sloan-C Conference, Orlando, FL

  37. Questions? Comments?

  38. Contacts • Steve Acker (acker.1@osu.edu) • Research Director, Ohio Digital Bookshelf • OhioLINK/The Ohio Board of Regents • Ken Petri (petri.1@osu.edu) • Director, Web Accessibility Center • The Ohio State University

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