Online engineering education accessibility barriers disproportionately affect students with disabilities.

Why It Matters

As digital learning environments become more prevalent, understanding and addressing the unique challenges faced by diverse user groups is crucial for equitable access and effective education. Design decisions for online platforms and course delivery must proactively consider accessibility to avoid excluding or disadvantaging students with disabilities.

Key Finding

The study found that accessibility issues in online engineering courses created significant challenges for students with disabilities, leading them to perceive less value in their education.

Key Findings

• Students with disabilities faced significant accessibility barriers in online engineering courses.
• These barriers negatively impacted their perceived value of the online learning experience.

Research Evidence

Aim: To identify the barriers engineering students with disabilities face in online learning environments and to understand factors influencing their perceived value of this learning modality.

Method: Quantitative survey research

Procedure: A fixed-item survey was administered to engineering students with disabilities who had participated in online learning at four-year colleges and universities in the United States.

Context: Higher education, online engineering education, post-COVID-19 pandemic

Design Principle

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles should be integrated into the design of all digital educational content and platforms.

How to Apply

When designing online courses or platforms for engineering education, conduct user research with students with disabilities to identify potential barriers and incorporate accessibility features from the initial design phase.

Limitations

The study focused on undergraduate engineering students in the US and may not be generalizable to other disciplines or educational levels. The specific nature and severity of disabilities were not detailed.

Student Guide (IB Design Technology)

Simple Explanation: Online classes can be harder for students with disabilities because of technical problems and how the course is set up, making the learning feel less valuable.

Why This Matters: This research highlights the importance of inclusive design in digital learning environments, ensuring that educational opportunities are equitable for all students, regardless of their abilities.

Critical Thinking: To what extent do the findings on accessibility barriers in online engineering education generalize to other fields of study or to in-person learning environments?

IA-Ready Paragraph: Research indicates that students with disabilities encounter significant accessibility barriers in online engineering education, which diminishes their perceived value of the learning experience. This underscores the critical need for inclusive design principles and robust support systems in digital learning environments to ensure equitable access and participation for all learners.

Project Tips

• When designing digital products or services, consider how users with different abilities might interact with them.
• Incorporate accessibility checks throughout your design process, not just at the end.

How to Use in IA

• Reference this study when discussing the importance of accessibility in digital design, particularly for educational contexts.
• Use the findings to justify the need for user research with diverse user groups in your design project.

Examiner Tips

• Demonstrate an understanding of how design choices can create or mitigate accessibility barriers for specific user groups.
• Show how you have considered diverse user needs in your design process.

Independent Variable: Accessibility barriers in online learning environments

Dependent Variable: Perceived value of online learning

Controlled Variables: Student's disability status, field of study (engineering), educational institution type (four-year college/university)

Strengths

• Addresses a critical and timely issue in digital education.
• Focuses on a specific, often underserved, user group (students with disabilities in engineering).

Critical Questions

• What specific design features or pedagogical approaches could effectively mitigate the identified accessibility barriers?
• How can institutions best support faculty in creating accessible online engineering courses?

Extended Essay Application

• Investigate the impact of specific accessibility features (e.g., screen reader compatibility, captioning, alternative text for images) on the learning outcomes of engineering students with disabilities in online courses.
• Develop and test a framework for evaluating the accessibility of online engineering course materials and platforms.

Source

A Law of Diminishing Returns: Quantifying Online Accessibility for Engineering Students With Disabilities in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic · IEEE Transactions on Education · 2023 · 10.1109/te.2023.3326760