1. Online Course Designs: Are Special Needs Being Met?
Introduce ourselves and give a broad overview of our study
Which online course design elements provide barriers or supports for students with special needs?
To what extent are online course designers addressing issues that are potentially beneficial or problematic for students with disabilities?
Christy Keeler
Mark Horney

2. Outline Study Purpose Literature Review Methodology
Results and Discussion
Implications
Presentation overview

3. Study Purpose Rapid growth in field Need for Accommodations
Market share
Students with special needs
Need for Accommodations
“Right thing to do”
Fiscally responsible
Federal law
Rapid Growth
E-learning is one of the fastest growing sectors of the education market expecting sales of $40bin 2005 (Thompson, Glass, & Simon, 2000)
National Center for Education Statistics, 2005
222,090 students enrolled in U.S., 47% are asynchronous models
20% of all students have a disability (French and Valdes)
“People with disabilities are among the least considered in the … context of online learning.” (Kinash, Crichton, and Kim-Rupnow, 2004)
Need for Accommodations
Cyndi Rowland (WebAIM) - three simple principles
“Right thing to do”
Fiscally responsible: revenue from additional learners (Rowland), expensive litigation (Edmonds), costly retrofitting (Banks et al.)
Federal law

4. Research Questions
Which online course design elements provide barriers or supports for students with special needs?
To what extent are online course designers addressing issues that are potentially beneficial or problematic for students with disabilities?
Presentation overview

5. Literature Review Research Organizations Laws
Americans with Disabilities Act
Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998
Section 504
Section 508
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
No Child Left Behind
Little Research
Kinash and colleagues recently completed a review of the literature on this topic and found that of the few research-based studies on the topic, “the source publications are largely conferences and journals within the field of disability studies rather than mainstream educational technology.”
Organizations
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has a Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) that designed Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, now in their second version (first in 1999, updated in 2004)
WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
CATE (University of Oregon): much research on students with learning disabilities and is currently testing a computer-Based Study Strategies course with this population. Also working with supported text

6. Guidelines/Checklists
IMS Guidelines
W3C Checklist of Checkpoints
Steps for Ensuring Accessibility (Smith)
Ensuring Access or Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities (Rowland)/Accessibility Recommendations for Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities (Bohman)
Section 508 Standards, Tools, and Techniques (Edmonds)
Summary of Design Issues by Disability Type (Bohman)
Little Research
Kinash and colleagues recently completed a review of the literature on this topic and found that of the few research-based studies on the topic, “the source publications are largely conferences and journals within the field of disability studies rather than mainstream educational technology.”
Organizations
W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) has a Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) that designed Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, now in their second version (first in 1999, updated in 2004)
WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind)
CATE (University of Oregon): much research on students with learning disabilities and is currently testing a computer-Based Study Strategies course with this population. Also working with supported text

7. Methodology Study Context Research Questions Secondary level
Virtual classroom model
Sample courses
Special populations
Research Questions
Identifying Design Variables
Study Context
Virtual classroom model (teacher and student geographically removed, duplicates traditional model, communications via technologies)
Secondary level
Special populations
Physical impairments (visual, hearing, motor, health issues e.g., epilepsy)
Cognitive Impairments (learning disabilities, low-level intelligence, ADD/ADHD)
There are 4 times as many people with cognitive disabilities as blindness (Rowland, 2004)
“Cognitive disabilities are the least understood and least discussed type of disability among Web developers.” (Bohman, )
Accessibility and Universal Design
Center for Universal Design (North Carolina State University) and Center for Applied Special Technology
Accessibility implies making a site available to a wide and varied audience by accommodating many special needs.
Most definitions of universal design encourage multiple representations of content to maximize access.
Bohman (2003, 2004) says we must consider our target audiences as what accommodates one audience may deter another
Identifying Design Variables
We merged literature, theory, laws, and the IODE
“Instrument of Instructional Design Elements of High School Online Courses” (IODE)

8. “Instrument of Instructional Design Elements of High School Online Courses” (IODE)
Undergone credibility, reliability, and validity studies
Contains 156 elements and 600 variables
Instrument of Instructional Design Elements of High School Online Courses (IODE)

9. Methodology Study Context Research Questions Secondary level
Virtual classroom model
Sample courses
Special populations
Research Questions
Identifying Design Variables
Levels of Practice
Levels of Practice
Gleaned data from a 2003 Keeler study
Sample size: 22 courses, 66 lessons, and 183 assessments from 5 online high schools (using a biased random selection method)
Sample schools varied in enrollments from 500 to tens of thousands and the schools spanned the U.S.
Courses included about 4 each from social studies, math, science, language arts, and other
Included AP and non-AP courses
Data collection occurred between August and October of 2003 by a single rater

10. Results and Discussion
Research Question 1
Identified Elements
Hand out data sheets
Identified Elements
Found 38 elements in common including 304 variables

11. Special Education Instructional Design Elements
Vision Accommodations
Hearing Accommodations
Bias
Mouseclicks
Design Consistency
White Space
Background
Font
Font Size
Font Style
Font Color
Graphic Images
Course Image Type
Lesson Image Type
Required Materials
Optional Materials
Course Technologies
Lesson Technologies
Number of Audios
All Audio
Average Audio Length
Audio Style
Voice
Number of Videos
Average Video Length
Video Style
Instructional Activities
Peer Interactions
Reading Ease
Reading Level
Spelling
Grammar
Course Options
Lesson Options
Assessment Options
Timed
Summaries
Required Supports
Support People
Support Means
Context Help
Element possibilities vary from inclusion of all audio to use of lesson summaries.
Within each element, there are numerous variables. For instance, the element “Audio Style” notates whether audios are for the purposes of pronunciation, text-to-speech, authenticity, or non-text speech.
Special Education Instructional Design Elements
for Online Courses

12. Results and Discussion
Research Question 1
Identified Elements
Excluded Elements
Some excluded elements from IODE were:
Too ambiguous for subjective responses
Not accessible due to lack of access to source code
Assistive technologies were not available for data collection purposes

13. Results and Discussion
Research Question 1
Identified Elements
Excluded Elements
Categorization Schema

14. Special Education Instructional Design Elements
The schema includes five categories: website design, focus on disabilities, technologies used, instructional methodologies, and support systems.
Some categories have subcategories (e.g., readability, which falls under “Instructional Methodologies,” includes reading ease, reading level, spelling, and grammar)
Special Education Instructional Design Elements
for Online Courses: Categorization Schema

15. Results and Discussion
Research Question 2
Focus on Disabilities
“Hearing Accommodations”
“Vision Accommodations”
General:
Literature base is very wide concerning recommendations for accommodating individuals with visual and hearing impairments and for excluding bias in all facets of education.
“Hearing Accommodations”
95% of all courses did not provide barriers for people with hearing disabilities though audio usage is still uncommon
“Vision Accommodations”
59% did not pose any obvious problems
Problem areas included use of pop-up windows and use of moving content
1/4 of the courses failed to provide adequate textual descriptions for all visual elements
None of the courses had audio components for all text
“Bias”
None of the courses included obvious bias against disabilities or people with disabilities

16. Results and Discussion
Research Question 2
Website Design
Visual design of pages
Site and page layouts
Graphics
General
This category focuses primarily on visual design, but also addresses issues of navigability, link structures, and overall congruence of the site across pages
Site and page layouts and Visual design of pages
Layouts need to offer a consistency that allows users to actively and fully participate in the entire expected experience of a website (e.g., completing the course). Students with disabilities must be able to learn the content and participate in instructional activities and assessments at a level equivalent to their non-disabled peers. They are unable to do this is simple accessibility issues deter them before they even reach the primary content. For instance, if the site structure is so confusing that they cannot access individual lessons, they will not be able to complete the course. This could be a problem with visually impaired individuals who cannot see visual cues or to learning disabled students who become quickly frustrated when facing incomprehensible situations. Issues such as lack of white space, busy backgrounds and inconsistent page patterns attribute to this frustration.
Overall, current course designs are doing well in regard to site and page layouts as well as visual design of pages.
Graphics
More complicated
Course designers are included images in 83% of their lessons
While graphics are difficult for people with visual impairments, they can be extremely beneficial for individuals with cognitive impairments. Supplementing text with graphics can facilitate comprehension. Some may even do better with the absence of text.
Also, some graphics may not be possible to adequately describe without graphics. (e.g., describe a feeling gained when looking at before and after satellite shots from the Asian tsunami or the screaming picture).
Universal design suggests use of a multi-modal approach while Bohman suggests a targeted approach. Identify your target audience and design for them.

17. Edvard Munch:
“The Scream”

18. Southern Asian Tsunami:
Before
After
Southern Asian Tsunami:
December 26, 2004

19. Results and Discussion
Research Question 2
Technologies Used
Non-web-based materials
General
Category addresses web (e.g., use of forms or threaded discussions) and non-web materials (e.g., lab kits, videos, or novels) needed to successfully complete a course.
Non-web-based materials
59% of the courses required non-web-based materials.
Materials that fail to offer accessible alternatives are not accommodating.

20. Non-Web-Based Required Materials
Examples of Problems:
Einstein trying to take calculus from a textbook.
A person with a hearing or speech impairment taking a class requiring a microphone and speakers. These are usually language courses - what if the student wanted to be a text-interpreter?
Non-Web-Based
Required Materials

21. Results and Discussion
Research Question 2
Technologies Used
Non-web-based materials
Web-based technologies

22. Lesson Technologies Examples of Problems:
Audios and videos may not have comparable textual alternatives.
Downloads (second-generation artifacts) may not be accessible.
Pop-ups and animations may be very distracting to students with ADD and ADHD, or even dangerous for students with photosensitive epilepsy.
Threaded discussions, chats, and simulations may move too quickly for students with motor impairments.
Lesson
Technologies

23. Results and Discussion
Research Question 2
Instructional Methodologies
Instructional Activities
General
This category addresses issues relating to activities students engage in during individual lessons. It touches on peer communications, readability, available options, timing requirements, and summaries.

24. Instructional Activities
Lecture may be good for visually-impaired individuals, but often this is hard for cognitively impaired individuals to follow. They may prefer more active methodologies such as:
Project-based learning
Labs
Brainstorming
Role Playing
Instructional
Activities

25. Results and Discussion
Research Question 2
Instructional Methodologies
Instructional Activities
Peer Communications
Student Options
Timed
Reading Level
Summaries
General
This category addresses issues relating to activities students engage in during individual lessons. It touches on peer communications, readability, available options, timing requirements, and summaries.

26. Results and Discussion
Research Question 2
Support Systems
“Context Sensitive Help”

27. Context Sensitive Help
Project Intersect – University of Oregon
Context-Sensitive Help occurred in 27% of the lessons.
Can have ASL, definitions, audio pronunciations, graphic explanations, etc.
Context Sensitive Help

28. Results and Discussion
Research Question 2
Support Systems
“Context Sensitive Help”
Support personnel
41% of the sample courses required some support individual other than the teacher. This is important because a student with a special need may not be able to communicate in writing what they are having a problem with. A person who can communicate with them face-to-face (23%) or using other non-text-based media can figure out the problem and communicate it to the teacher.

29. Implications Designers Administrators Teachers/Parents Awareness
Parental objections
Suitability for students
Determining method of accommodations
Financial liability
Technology infrastructure
Equivalent academic achievement
Emotional comfort
Potential problems
Ethical issue: Who’s the target audience (visually or cognitively impaired)

30. Online Course Designs: Are Special Needs Being Met?
Presentation Notes and Slides: .com
Paper: Keeler, C., & Horney, M. (2007). Online course designs: Are special needs being met? American Journal of Distance Education, 21(2).
Introduce ourselves and give a broad overview of our study
Which online course design elements provide barriers or supports for students with special needs?
To what extent are online course designers addressing issues that are potentially beneficial or problematic for students with disabilities?
Christy Keeler
Mark Horney