Web-Based Teaching and Learning for Blind and Visually Impaired Faculty

2011 ◽  
pp. 124-143
Author(s):  
Maggie Lynch ◽  
Patti DeWitz
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Usability Analysis ◽  
University Support ◽  
Technology Initiatives

Currently, 24% of the population has experienced significant vision loss. Though there has been some progress on developing accessible Web pages, there has been little work on providing Web page development accessibility to visually-impaired faculty. This chapter presents a study designed to assist educational organizations with blind or visually-impaired (BVI) faculty in the development of online courses and in the teaching of those same courses. The study used the tools of interview, usability analysis, and experimentation. Issues discussed include software accessibility, college or university support requirements, motivational factors, instructor skill levels, and strategies for working with BVI faculty. The findings and recommendations are specific to the WebCT environment, but some of the strategies may be generalized to other similar environments. The article ends with a discussion of major technology initiatives currently underway.

Assistive Technologies as a Search Tool for the Demanded Profile of Special Library

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-147
Author(s):  
Yuri Y. Lesnevsky
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Modern World ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Related Field ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Applied Development ◽  
Special Library ◽  
Almost All

Digital transformation of the modern world requires any person, including people with partial or complete vision loss, to have new competencies in organizing their own lives. The share of high-tech services is growing in almost all areas of library and information activities.The process of inclusion of visually impaired people in the world of new opportunities is directly related to the formation of the image of socially active special library. The author analyzes the management decisions and development of the Novosibirsk Regional Special Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired as a consumer and participant of the intersectoral and interdepartmental market of rehabilitation industry products. The article reveals the role of assistive (auxiliary) technologies in the expansion of a number of educational services for the interested social and professional groups of the population.The empirical basis of the article is the results of the information and applied development of the assistive technology sphere by the specialists of the Novosibirsk Regional Special Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Various social, technical, regulatory and economic aspects have defined the development of the institution over a long period of time. The interdisciplinary nature of the proposed method involves the use of advanced assistive technologies as the basis for expanding the services of special library.The article considers the proactive approach that takes into account the priorities of the readership as an actual and effective way to develop a system of special library and information services. The author proposes and approves as innovation the idea of using the achievements of the related field of activity — accessibility technologies. Educational and training activities of the library in this context become a targeted tool for informing and motivating specialists of various branches. The article shows the need for additional efforts to organize and coordinate the work in the conditions of different levels of competence of specialists. Advanced development of assistive technologies allows expanding the range of users.

Teaching Statistics and Operations Research Online

2010 ◽  
pp. 298-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Juan ◽  
J. Faulin ◽  
P. Fonseca ◽  
C. Steegmann ◽  
L. Pla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Operations Research ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Face To Face Instruction ◽  
Based Instruction

This chapter presents a case study of online teaching in Statistics and Operations Research (OR) at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). UOC is a purely online university with headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, with students from many countries. As common to most math-related knowledge areas, teaching and learning Statistics and OR present difficult challenges in traditional higher education. These issues are exacerbated in online environments where face-to-face interactions between students and instructors as well as among students themselves are limited or non-existent. Despite these difficulties, as evidenced in the global growth of online course offerings, Web-based instruction offers comparative benefits to traditional face-to-face instruction. While there exists a plethora of literature covering experiences and best practices in traditional face-to-face instruction in mathematics, there is a lack of research describing long-term successful experiences in Statistics and OR online courses. Based on the authors’ experiences during the last decade, this chapter aims to share some insights on how to design and develop successful online courses in these knowledge areas.

scholarly journals Spatial orientation and cognitive load as factors influencing learning amongst blind learners in the Life Sciences

2012 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mbulaheni O. Maguvhe ◽  
Msongelwa J. Gumede ◽  
William J. Fraser ◽  
Henoch Schoeman
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Spatial Orientation ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Auditory Functions

Little research is done in South Africa on factors influencing cognitive load during teaching and learning. It challenges our social accountability towards learners with special education needs as the principles of equity and equality are not always achieved in this field of specialisation. This article reports on a secondary analysis conducted on the results of two recent investigations by Maguvhe (2005) and Gumede (2010) that focused on the teaching of Life Sciences to blind and visually impaired learners. The purpose of the secondary analysis was to determine from the original results how the principles of cognitive load, modality and spatial orientation are accounted for when Life Sciences is taught to blind and visually impaired learners. The secondary analysis confirmed that blind learners very seldom participate in investigations, experiments and activities, and when they do, such interactions remain basic, elementary and confirmatory. Because teaching occurs mainly by means of narratives, the possibilities remain high that cognitive load might decrease the auditory functions in the absence of other visual and tactile stimuli. Tactile stimulation depends heavily on factors such as specialised resources, well-trained teachers, Braille trainers, readers and writers, and a sound understanding of a holistic methodology that can optimise the tactile senses of blind and visually impaired learners.

In Support of Specialized Programs for Blind and Visually Impaired Children: The Impact of Vision Loss on Learning

1987 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.H. Hatlen ◽  
S.A. Curry
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Educational Needs ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Emotional Needs ◽  
Loss Of Vision ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Impaired Children ◽  
Visually Impaired Children

The learning needs of blind and visually impaired children can be divided into three categories: needs that are met by adapting the curriculum, needs that are met by changes in methodology, and developmental and educational needs that are unique to these children. To fulfill the needs in each category, it is essential that instruction be provided by special teachers of the visually impaired who are knowledgeable of the effects of the loss of vision on learning, trained in effective methods of adaptation and remediation, and sensitized to the emotional needs of this population.

Why is it difficult to teach Chinese at a virtual classroom? – A pedagogic view

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
JIA YAN ◽  
WILLIAM W. SONG
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Virtual Classroom ◽  
Traditional Classroom ◽  
Learning Problems ◽  
Chinese Characters ◽  
Online Classroom ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Teaching Chinese

Nowadays, more and more courses are made available online to increase flexibility in learning time, easy accessibility for students, and richness in usable learning materials. However, many problems occur in Chinese as Second Language (CSL) teaching activity at virtual classroom compared with traditional classroom. For example, it is hard to notice whether a student is present at the classroom or not or it is difficult for students to clearly observe in what exact sequence a Chinese character is written. Through comparison of the CSL learning cases between online classroom and traditional classroom, we intend to identify the web-based teaching and learning problems in teaching Chinese characters from the perspective of pedagogy, and propose a possible solution to the problem. With a case study of teaching the Chinese characters at virtual classroom and a comparative study among online courses, virtual classroom and campus classroom education, we present an initial data analysis of an IT-based method tackling the problems with the proposed solutions.Keywords: Chinese teaching and pedagogy, virtual classroom and online courses for teaching Chinese, descriptive design, Sweden

Internet Accessibility for Blind and Visually-Impaired Users: An Evaluation of Official U.S. State and Territory COVID-19 Websites

2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-158
Author(s):  
Dylan H. Hewitt ◽  
Yingchen He
Keyword(s):  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
Screen Readers ◽  
Blind And Visually Impaired ◽  
Online Format ◽  
State Territory

During the COVID-19 pandemic, most health information was moved to an online format for easier dissemination. However, many of these health websites may not be accessible to users who are visually impaired, such as people who use screen readers and magnifiers. This study aimed to test the accessibility of 55 U.S. state and territory COVID-19 websites using 3 automated accessibility checker tools (MAUVE++, CynthiaSays, and AChecker). The homepage, testing, and vaccine pages for each state/territory were tested. Accessibility violations were categorized based on their relevance to visual impairment and compared between categories. Individuals who have vision loss but still access the websites visually are the most likely to be affected, with relevant accessibility violations detected in 81% of the checked cases. In addition, states/territories were ranked by their accessibility ratings. Our findings emphasize the need to improve the accessibility of public-facing health informational websites and provide suggestions for remedies.

THE „CLOUDY“ CLASSROOM

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-352
Author(s):  
Atanaska Peneva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Mobile Communications ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Modern Approach ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Practical Guidelines ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Cloud Technologies

The report presents the author’s experience in integrating modern ICT technologies in the process of teaching and learning in school. The emphasis is on the use of mobile devices and the integration of cloud technologies in schools. As an ICT teacher, the author provides some practical guidelines on how to apply innovation. The generation of 7 screens does not know a world without digital technologies and mobile communications. The discrepancy between the expectations of the digital generation and the reality in our schools is in terms of the information and communication technologies (ICT) used in them and the didactic models. Adolescents, when they find themselves in an environment that does not meet their expectations, are demotivated and redirect their attention to other objects and goals and stop being active in class. The use of the so-called. „Cloud“ technologies will significantly increase the interest and retention of students. The modern approach to building information systems is focused on developing solutions in which the collection, input and output of information is carried out through WEB-based applications or platforms.

Science Teachers’ Beliefs about Teaching and Learning Implementing Inquiery-based Learning - A Case in Qatar Government Primary Schools

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alshaima Saleh Alyafei
Keyword(s):  
Science Teachers ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Years Of Teaching Experience ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Beliefs About Teaching ◽  
Voluntary Basis

The current study investigates the beliefs held by science teachers on constructivism and a traditional approach in Qatar government primary schools. More specifically, it aims to investigate the challenges that science teachers experience during inquiry-based learning implementation. A web-based survey was conducted in order to collect data from grades 4 to 6 science teachers. A total of 112 science teachers responded and completed the survey on a voluntary basis. The results indicate that science teachers hold a higher beliefs in constructivism than traditional approach. A T-test and ANOVA analysis have showed that there is no significant differences between the beliefs of science teachers’ and their gender, level of education, and years of teaching experience. In addition, science teachers faced challenges in lesson planning, assessment, and teacher support.

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