Accessibility of OERs for Diverse Learners and Guidelines for Dyslexia in Modern Language Learning

Chetz Colwell, Open University, UKMatilde Gallardo, Open University UK

Andy Lane, Open University UKUna Daly, OCW Consortium

Considering OER & Accessibility for Diverse

Learners

March 11, 2014 1

Collaborate Window Overview

Audio & Video

Participants

Chat

Today’s Agenda

• Introductions• Accessibility Needs and Goals• OER & Accessibility Considerations• Case Study: Dyslexia in Modern

Language Learning Staff Development• Resource Links• Discussion

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Welcome

Please introduce yourself in the chat window

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Una Daly, Community College

Outreach DirectorOCW Consortium

Chetz Colwell, Manager AccessibilityTeaching and Learning

Open University

Mathilde GallardoSL/Staff Tutor

Modern LanguagesOpen University

Andy Lane Environmental

Systems Professor Open University

Open Education

Accessibility Needs & Goals

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Una Daly, Community College Outreach DirectorOCW Consortium

Sources: UNESCO, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

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Open Educational Resources

Teaching, learning or research materials that are in the public domain or released with an intellectual property license that allows for free use, adaptation, and distribution. OER Logo 2012, J. Mello CC-BY

What is an Open License?

• Free: Free to access online, free to print

• Open: Reuse, Revise, Remix, Redistribute

• Creative Commons: less restrictions than standard copyright but author retains full rights.

Examples

Includes –

• Course materials• Lesson Plans• Modules or lessons• OpenCourseWare (OCW)• Open textbooks• Videos• Images• Tests• Software• Any other tools, materials, or techniques used

to support ready access to knowledge

8adapted from Judy Baker’s ELI 2011 OER Workshop cc-by license

Characteristics of OER

• Digital– Easy to customize– Free distribution

• Open License– Reuse, Revise, Remix,

• No/Low cost– Expands access to education

Labeled for reuse by MrKCoolsPhotostream

DIGITAL +

ACCESSIBLEOPEN LICENSE

OER Conundrum

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Need for Accessibility

• ~1 billion worldwide have form of disabilityWorld Report on Disability, 2011

• Disproportionate affect on health, education, employment, and poverty World Report on Disability, 2011

• 11% U.S. postsecondary students report disability AIM Commission Report, 2011

• Many experience accessibility barriersAIM Commission Report, 2011

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• United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006)– Ratified by 141 countries

• United Kingdom Equality Act (2010)• Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)• Canadian Human Rights Act (1985)

Treaties and Laws

Diverse Learner Challenges

• Cognitive learning disabilities• Sensory or motor impairments• Language deficits• Lack of engagement

Kersti Nebelsiek CC-BY

Source: http://cast.org

OCWC Accessibility Goals

• Improve learning for all– Universal, inclusive design

• Help curriculum developers– Design OER to be accessible

• Empower faculty adopters– Evaluate OER and adapt for accessibility

• Build a Community of Practice– Open Univ, MERLOT, Inclusive Design Centre, NFB,.

Used with permission from Virtual Ability, Inc

Design & Guidelines

• Universal Design for Learning– Providing multiple means of expression,

representation, & engagement

• Web Content Access Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0

• Perceivable• Operable• Understandable• Robust

http://www.cast.org/udl/ 15

Open Textbook Accessibility Reviews

Textbook: Collaborative StatisticsAccessibility reviewed by: Virtual Ability, Inc.

collegeopentextbooks.org merlot.org

OER, Accessibility & Strategic Alliances

http://oeraccess.merlot.org

Considering accessibility of OERs for diverse learners

Chetz ColwellInstitute of Educational Technology

Open University, UK

Introduction

• The Open University (OU) has approx 200,000 students who are mainly studying at a distance

• Approx 20,000 students have declared a disability• OU provides OERs as part of its charter to provide

education to the public • OU has range of Open activities: OpenLearn, iTunes U,

OER Research Hub, Open Research Online, FutureLearn (MOOCs and platform).

• OU has long history of supporting disabled students. Has programme of work to embed inclusion in its curriculum

OER accessibility policy

• OU working towards a policy to address questions such as:– Is accessibility support in OERs ‘required’ or just

‘nice to have’?– To what extent should OERs conform to the Web

Content Accessibility Guidelines?– How can we achieve full inclusion of OERs without

stifling openness and innovation?• Need to consider these in legal and pedagogic

contexts

UK legal context

• UK Equality Act requires Universities to avoid discrimination against disabled people by making 'reasonable adjustments'

• Covers both formal and informal teaching & learning

• How do we define what is ‘reasonable’?– No test cases (as yet!)– Some technical guidance on weighing up costs and

benefits, e.g. whether it is a core service and whether it affects educational outcomes

Pedagogic context

• Regardless of legal context, the moral position to enable disabled people to participate in formal and informal learning

• Still need to resolve issues around access to subject areas, such as STEM, Arts, Languages, – These exist in formal teaching, but there may be less

resource available for making adjustments in OERs• Floe Inclusive Learning Design Handbook provides

useful guidance and techniques but does not help prioritise adjustments or navigate legal contexts

Technical context

• WCAG gives us technical guidance, with priorities, but lacks learning or legal context

• Authoring tools are beginning to support accessibility, such as OERPub

In an ideal world• Authors would fully understand the needs of diverse learners

– And know how to address them– And not feel accessibility stifled their openness or innovation

• Institutions would have policies to guide authors and technical developers

• Authoring tools would support authors in considering accessibility– E.g. would create / prompt for accessibility-related metadata

• Delivery platforms would be fully accessible, e.g. MOOC platforms• Further recommendations are made in Anna Gruszczynska's report:

– Creators would be supported with policies and guidance, and strategies for simple fixes

– OER projects would address accessibility, etc.

Questions

• If accessibility for diverse learners is required and not just nice to have, what steps are we taking towards that ideal world?

• Acknowledgments:– Tony O’Shea Poon, Head of Equality, Diversity and

Information Rights, OU– Megan Beckett, Siyavula Education (Pty) Ltd.

Developing inclusive practice through OEP and OER: the

Dyslexia and Modern Languages project

Matilde Gallardo The Open University, UKm.gallardo@open.ac.uk)

Overview

A Staff Development project at the Department of Languages (OU) in 2013.

Aimed to:-raise awareness of SpLD and dyslexia in ML

learning-share knowledge and good practice among tutors-work collaboratively to design inclusive ML OER-develop confident practitioners and, by extension,

support dyslexic students in their learning goals.

The context

Second Language Acquisition, SLA, research and dyslexia; concepts of learning and transferable skills.

Adult language learners with dyslexia in Higher Education.

Areas of possible difficulties (students and teachers) Identified gaps:

Lack of subject-specific resources for teachers Need for greater awareness of the challenges faced by

dyslexic adult language learners Guidelines for course writers, advisers and teachers

The work

Attention deficit disorder

Dysphasia

Autistic spectrum disorder

Dyspraxia

Dyslexia

Labels and definitions

Aspects of collaboration in the groups

• Roles and responsibilities • Communication: timing, setting out work, choice of tools• Differences between individuals:

- expectations, personal goals- amount of time- knowledge of subject matter- level of engagement

• Sharing work – OER and OEP• Commenting and peer review• Sharing and developing expertise on an area of common

interest

Presentations in Elluminate

Staff Development

LOROhttp://open.ac.uk

Resources on the LORO home page http://loro.open.ac.uk/3353

http://loro.open.ac.uk/3340

http://loro.open.ac.uk/3353/

http://loro.open.ac.uk/3912/

Resource Links• OER and Accessibility MERLOT Community

– http://oeraccess.merlot.org/

• FLOE Project Handbook– http://handbook.floeproject.org/index.php/

• Open University OER– http://www.open.ac.uk/about/open-educational-resources/

• OER Research Hub http://www.oerrhub.org

• A Guide to Good Practice: Supporting Students with Dyslexia in Modern Languages http://loro.open.ac.uk/3912/

• CCCOER-OCW Open Textbook Reviews– http://www.collegeopentextbooks.org/opentextbookcontent/acce

ssibility-reviews-

• OCW Toolkit Accessibility Issues– http://www.ocwconsortium.org/resources/toolkits/accessibility/ 39

Questions for Panelists

Contact Info:

Chetz Colwell, Chetz.Colwell@open.ac.uk

Una Daly, unatdaly@ocwconsortium.org

Matilde Gallardo m.gallardo@open.ac.uk

Andy Lane, Andy.Lane@open.ac.uk

http://openeducationweek.org