Mid-South Instructional Technology Conference
Teaching, Learning, & Technology
Transforming the Learning Environment
April 4-6, 2004
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Dolruedee Suppacheewa Harriette L. Spiegel Ahmet F. Satici Track 2 - Promoting Transformation in the Learning Environment |
Abstract
Web accessibility ensures that "content is accessible when it may used by someone with a disability" (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, 1999). In the design of effective online learning resources, course management systems should provide guidance to faculty in creating accessible course content. This presentation will look at the accessibility of course management systems, the guidance provided for faculty and staff, and the feasibility of this guidance. Based on our research, we will provide recommendations at three levels (faculty, institution, and course management systems).
Description
Course management systems are used by educational institutions to enable faculty and staff to deliver effective online learning resources. Creating effective online learning resources has many challenges, including designing a site that provides universal usability. Federal regulations contained in Section 508 of the 1998 Rehabilitation Act have added the additional concern of web accessibility issues. Web accessibility ensures that content is accessible when it may be used by someone with a disability. (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, 1999) For example, users with vision impairment use a screen reader which will not recognize graphics in a web page. The designer should include "alt tags" in the html code that enable the screenreader to interpret a graphic.
Even though Section 508 requires all federal institutions (public institutions) to comply with its guidelines, the majority of educational online resources are not in compliance. Opitz, Savenye and Rowland (2003) found that 74% of State Department of Education home pages were not in compliance. A similar study by Bray, Flowers, Smith and Algozzine (2003), found that 57.4% of elementary school home pages were not fully accessible. The majority of these web pages are created by professionals who have the necessary expertise in web design.
The design of online resources requires technical skills and knowledge. However, many of the faculty and staff who use online learning resources do not have this expertise. Therefore, we believe that course management systems should be responsible for making these online learning resources accessible.
This presentation will look at the accessibility of course management systems (Blackboard, and WebCT), to what extent guidance is provided for faculty and staff, and how feasible this guidance is. Based on our research, we will provide recommendations at three levels (faculty, institution, and course management systems).