Accessibility in Open Educational Resources is Nascent, Requiring Focus on Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust Design Principles
Category: User-Centred Design · Effect: Moderate effect · Year: 2020
Current open educational resources (OER) and practices (OEP) are not adequately designed for disabled learners, indicating a significant gap in accessibility that requires a deliberate application of established accessibility principles.
Design Takeaway
Designers of educational materials must proactively incorporate the principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust design to ensure equitable access for all learners, particularly those with disabilities.
Why It Matters
Designers and developers creating educational content must recognize that a substantial and growing population of learners has diverse needs. Failing to integrate accessibility from the outset leads to exclusion and can result in learners disengaging from educational opportunities. Proactive design ensures inclusivity and maximizes the reach and impact of educational materials.
Key Finding
The review found that open educational resources are not yet fully accessible to disabled learners, and designers need to more consistently apply principles like making content perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. The use of assistive technologies with these resources also needs more attention.
Key Findings
- Accessibility within OER is still in its early stages of development.
- There is a need to consistently apply the four core accessibility principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
- Limited research has explored the integration of assistive technologies with OER.
- Recommendations exist to enhance OER accessibility for functionally diverse students.
Research Evidence
Aim: To systematically review existing research on accessibility within open educational resources and practices for disabled learners and identify key areas for improvement.
Method: Systematic Literature Review
Procedure: A systematic review was conducted on 31 research papers to synthesize current understanding of accessibility within OER and OEP for students with functional diversity.
Sample Size: 31 papers
Context: Educational Technology and Open Educational Resources
Design Principle
Design for accessibility by adhering to the POUR principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) to ensure inclusivity for diverse user needs.
How to Apply
When designing any digital educational content, conduct an accessibility audit against the POUR principles and research how assistive technologies can be integrated.
Limitations
The review highlights that the research landscape itself is limited, suggesting that the findings are based on a nascent body of work and may not capture all nuances of the problem.
Student Guide (IB Design Technology)
Simple Explanation: Making online learning materials easy to see, use, understand, and compatible with different tools is important for everyone, especially students with disabilities, but current online learning materials aren't doing this well enough.
Why This Matters: Ensuring your design project is accessible means more people can use it, which is a key goal in user-centred design and makes your project more successful and ethical.
Critical Thinking: To what extent do current design tools and platforms inherently support or hinder the creation of accessible educational resources, and what responsibility do designers have to overcome these limitations?
IA-Ready Paragraph: This research highlights that accessibility within digital educational resources is still developing, with a critical need to integrate the POUR principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) to better support disabled learners. My design project aims to address this by [briefly state how your project addresses accessibility].
Project Tips
- When designing a product, think about how someone with a visual impairment, hearing impairment, or motor difficulty would use it.
- Research existing accessibility guidelines (like WCAG) and apply them to your design choices.
How to Use in IA
- Reference this review when discussing the importance of accessibility in your design process and how you addressed the needs of diverse users.
- Use the POUR principles as a framework for evaluating your design's accessibility.
Examiner Tips
- Demonstrate an understanding of accessibility principles beyond basic usability, showing how they apply to specific user groups.
- Critically evaluate the limitations of your chosen accessibility solutions and justify your design decisions.
Independent Variable: Design features of OER/OEP (e.g., use of multimedia, navigation structure, content format)
Dependent Variable: Accessibility for disabled learners (measured by usability, e-inclusion, user satisfaction)
Controlled Variables: Type of educational institution, subject matter of OER, specific disability group being considered.
Strengths
- Provides a comprehensive overview of a critical but under-researched area.
- Offers clear recommendations for future research and practice.
Critical Questions
- How can the principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust be translated into concrete design patterns for various digital educational formats?
- What are the most effective strategies for integrating assistive technologies seamlessly with OER to enhance user experience for disabled learners?
Extended Essay Application
- An Extended Essay could investigate the effectiveness of specific design interventions aimed at improving the accessibility of a particular type of OER for a defined group of disabled learners.
- Further research could explore the economic and social benefits of designing universally accessible OER.
Source
Accessibility within open educational resources and practices for disabled learners: a systematic literature review · Smart Learning Environments · 2020 · 10.1186/s40561-019-0113-2