Accessibility and inclusion

1. Accessibility and inclusion Dr Michelle Selinger Executive Adviser for Education Cisco Systems, EMEA

2. Question Is technology making education more accessible and inclusive?

3. Challenges Technology dissonance Disabilities Digital divide

4. Technology dissonance • Global e-learning programs Cultural norms and prevailing pedagogy • Blended learning • Online teaching • Increasing diversity of students in country • Non-traditional students

5. Technology Dissonance The imposition of an inappropriate technology into an unprepared cultural context and one that is incapable of reaping the benefits of the technology innovation

6. It is important to study cultural differences, expectations, and traditions surrounding teaching and learning in a variety of contexts, and examine how the recognition of cultural preferences can be used to make technology use more relevant

7. Research on cultural issues and implications for learning • Assumptions about learning and meaning of learning vary across cultures • Cultural contexts have an impact on thinking and learning • Much of the global research focuses on e-learning which has little face to face contact and in which tutors are remote • Examples in materials are often drawn from another culture Idioms often do not transfer between cultures The style of writing may be alien Screen design and colour scheme could be inappropriate • Relationships between teachers and learners vary across cultures

8. ?? Cultural disconnection Ruolan Wang & Patrick Dillon High & Low Context culture Affirmative & Deferential culture Individualistic & Collectivistic culture Culture bias Most of the current instructional principles concern on the separation of different cultural needs but neglect to provide an environment to help learners to share their experiences and make cultural connections.

9. x x x Linguistic disconnection Ruolan Wang & Patrick Dillon The absence of gestural & bodily elements Inner speech differences • Low speed in reading and writing in English • Slow responses by constructing ideas in English • Misunderstanding during the discussion with native English speakers. Conceptualstructure differences English deficiency

10. Economic and social divide In country Internationally Digital literacy Digital divide

11. Assistive technologies Physical disabilities Sensory disabilities Cognitive disabilities Disfolks Cripping the Mainstream: Theorizing Being Disabled in a Culture of Ableism Disability

12. Can these promises be met? • Multimedia and IP communications will provide increased access to understanding • Digital divide will be reduced through ease of use and both ubiquitous and new forms of access (e.g. set top boxes, mobile phones, etc and community access centres) • RLOs and content sharing will reduce costs

13. Multimedia and IP communications will provide increased access to understanding • Video/audio/subtitles/text (Stratford, Sloan and Stone) • Cultural norms • Pedagogical practices • Access to Internet bandwidth • Content and contexts • VLEs • Digital literacy

14. Digital divide will be reduced • Disability (Claire Stockton) • Age (wrinkly ware) • Language • Location (Pieter Conradie) • Socially excluded • Minority groups • Legislation (and creativity) • Ability – (NLN research in FEMaria Smith & Colin McCaig)

15. RLOs and content sharing will reduce costs • Design issues use of metaphors personalisation language colour (Yasmin Valli) images cognitive demands community learning (Fred Garnett) starting points student involvement • Open courseware – How open? Who pays and for what? • FE/HE

16. Plus factor • Teacher education (Skills for Access) • Technical support • Reliability • Employee awareness (SNCRU – Christopher Bailey)

17. Thank you mselinge@cisco.com