Widgets for Inclusive Distributed Environments

Elaine Pearson,Voula Gkatzidou,Steve, Green, Franck Perrin

Accessibility Research CentreTeesside University, UK

Introduction Partners:

Teesside University, TechDis, Portland College

Aims To use a community based approach to make elearning

resources accessible and inclusive to disabled students.

Rationale To meet the needs of students with diverse needs to create an

environment suitable for all students regardless of how and where they access their learning.

Outcomes Suite of bespoke W3C standard widgets (Wookie)hosted on

repository, supported by wiki with accompanying learning designs

experience of CoP approach

Outline

Agile development methodology (Community of Practice approach)

Workshop experience

Widgets

Reflection

Agile development methodology• Lightweight approach suitable for collaborative project

• Based on iterative and incremental development• Requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration

• Involved community of practice• Staff involved directly in teaching or support of disabled students

• Informal team approach:• Designs formulated

• workshop)

• Specification outlined• (designs classified and prioritised, additional content identified)

• Prototypes developed• ARC developers

• Feedback illicited• designers

• Amendments made• Widget released for evaluation, use, adaptation

Workshops

• Pre workshop training event• Project partners, accessibility advisors, techical experts • Feedback on methodology, identify existing work, discuss technical

issues

• Three workshops (York, Mansfield, Teesside)• Participants from established user communities

• Facilitated by project team• Academics, researchers, developers, accessibility experts

• Learning designs produced • based on previous JISC Design for Learning project

Workshops process

• Pre workshop training event• Project partners, accessibility advisors, technical experts • Feedback on methodology, identify existing work, discuss technical

issues

• Three workshops (York, Mansfield, Teesside)• Participants from established user communities

• Facilitated by project team• Academics, researchers, developers, accessibility experts

• Workshop based on previous JISC Design for Learning project

Strengths

• Workshops produced more ideas than we expected

• CoP worked – feedback from everyone we’ve contacted

• Wookie as a development platform worked well in most cases

• Managed to develop (still ongoing) all but two of the designs:• Pronounce it and Spell it – because need APIs that so far we have not found

for free

Limitations

• Timescale too short• Too ambitious in estimated development time• Need another design stage between workshop and

development to confirm requirements specification• Some designs not clear• Sometimes extra content required

• Initial feedback good but need time for through evaluation

Widgets for Inclusive Distributed Environments

Elaine Pearson,Voula Gkatzidou,Steve, Green, Franck Perrin

Accessibility Research CentreTeesside University, UK