Accessible online learning: supporting disabled students
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| 2 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown.
Summary
This online course is concerned with improving access to learning for disabled students. There are increasing expectations in many countries that disabled students should be able to participate fully in post-16 education. This means that people responsible for provision in academic and support roles need to be aware of the impact of this on how courses are designed and delivered online. The course looks at the experiences of disabled students, the technical aspects of accessibility, and current debates and discussions about disability and accessibility in educational contexts. This course benefited from JISC TechDis expertise and materials in its production.
Course content
If you are a practitioner working within higher education, further education and adult or vocational learning and providing teaching or support for online learning, this course will be of interest to you. It is appropriate as a stand-alone professional development course, or it can contribute to the MA in Online and Distance Education.
All the materials are delivered online, which means that there are no printed materials. Your interactions with your tutor and other students take place through asynchronous online forums. This makes the course available for you to study anywhere in the world and provides the added bonus of being part of a lively international community of students able to learn from one another’s experiences in different cultural contexts.
The first part of the course is concerned with the learning experiences of students with disabilities. It looks at the technology that students use to adapt computers to suit their needs. It introduces the responsibilities of institutions for the provision of an accessible curriculum and appropriate support systems.
The second part of the course is concerned with the more technical aspects of accessibility. Different media raise different issues of accessibility for different groups of students with disabilities. Nowadays attempts are made to address these issues through the development of guidelines and standards, with varying degrees of success. In practice it is always necessary to evaluate the accessibility of learning outcomes and the accessibility and usability of particular forms of educational technology. The widespread introduction of virtual learning environments presents particular challenges. Activities will be designed so that students with different levels of technical skill will be able to contribute from their own perspective.
The final part of the course is concerned with current debates and discussions about disability and accessibility in educational contexts. Do institutions have the necessary information to ensure that their courses are accessible? Can senior managers do more to promote awareness and accessibility? Can the lessons learned in one educational or cultural context be applied to others? What is the likely impact of future technological developments on the experience and attainment of students with disabilities?
The learning outcomes are:
- an understanding of the accessibility issues faced by students, lecturers, tutors, course designers and support staff working in online and distance education
- insights into educational policy issues that address accessibility and disability
- an introduction to the research literature underpinning concepts, technical accessibility solutions and student support solutions
- a framework to assess the accessibility and support needs of learners in relation to particular technologies
- the opportunity for participants to evaluate and create examples of accessible online learning for their own working contents.
Entry
To take this course you must have a degree or equivalent qualification. Your proficiency in the English language should be adequate for postgraduate study. We strongly recommend that you can achieve an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of at least seven. To assess your English language skills in relation to your proposed studies, you can visit the IELTS website. You must also have continual access to the internet and be confident in online communication. In addition you should have some experience of reading and understanding academic literature. Success in a previous postgraduate course in education will be deemed as evidence that this requirement has been met. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
H810 is an optional course in our
- Postgraduate Certificate in Online and Distance Education (C23)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Online and Distance Education (D36)
- MA in Online and Distance Education (F10)
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
In this course you are expected to use a wide range of resources and to study emerging online technology. Most of these will be delivered as web pages, PDF files and web-based tools. Consequently, time spent online and using a computer will be extensive; if you use specialist software or hardware to access the internet and have any concerns about accessing the types of course materials outlined you are advised to talk to our Student Registration & Enquiry Service about support which can be given to meet your needs.
Written transcripts of any audio components and accessible Adobe Portable Format (PDF), MS Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) versions of essential external resources are available. Some students will find the amount of reading from technically different sources challenging. In many cases there will be sufficient alternative activities and material to complete assignments successfully. Where this is not the case, you will be given individual support by your tutor, in collaboration with other OU staff. Support for access to Library resources is available from the Library Helpdesk.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Internet resources, learning activities, online forums, course website.The course includes a book, E-Learning and Disability in Higher Education: Accessibility Research and Practice by Jane K Seale (London: Routledge, 2006). This will be provided online as part of the course materials. You will be expected to read most of the book so you may prefer to buy your own print copy.
As an OU student, you can use The Open University Library website. This provides access via the internet to a wide range of online resources such as databases, full-text journals, reference sources, ebooks, newspapers, images and more to support your studies. You can use these to do a literature search, keep up-to-date with your subject or read around a topic. Support for developing and improving your information searching skills is available on the Library website and the Library Learners Helpdesk is there seven days a week to provide held and advice on finding and using information.
You may also need access to a research library, either a university or large public or private library. There may be charges for borrowing rights, inter-library loans and photocopying. Details of free access schemes for borrowing and reference in academic libraries can be found on the Library website.
You will need
Some activities are based on common Microsoft and Windows software. If you use alternatives, you may have to adapt the activities yourself.
The course includes optional use of Elluminate, an online tutorial tool. If you wish to take part in the audio discussion, you will need a computer with audio and a headset with a built-in microphone.
Computing requirements
This course has online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. The course software is provided on CD-ROM or DVD.
You will need internet access and a computer with Microsoft Excel installed (other spreadsheet products are not suitable). If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you can use an Apple Mac or Linux computer if you can run Windows using Boot Camp or similar.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will guide you on many aspects of the course and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. You will be taught and assessed through a combination of media, including email, online forums and the internet. Contact our Student Registration and Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in September 2009. We expect it to be available once a year.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
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A postgraduate course in Education.
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