Weeden 2023

 ARGUMEMT FOR EDUC: One step toward removing challenges and barriers to a more accessible and inclusive society is to increase awareness and knowledge around accessibility. (Weeden, 2023).

Unnecessary barriers exclude individuals from fully participating in daily life, whether in the digital realm or physical spaces and products. By increasing awareness and knowledge of accessibility, we can take steps toward removing these barriers toward creating a more accessible and inclusive society for all. (Weeden, 2023).

WHY NEEDS TEACHING: Students need to learn about accessibility not only to affect the design and development of their creations but to also influence the world in which they live. (Weeden, 2023).

WHY NEEDS TEACHING: By learning about accessibility, students can ensure that their creations are accessible, as well as be able to advocate for inclusive practices. It can also help students understand and appreciate challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. This can foster empathy and a sense of social responsibility, encourage students to take action toward a more inclusive and equitable society. (Weeden, 2023).

WHY NEEDS TEACHING: This model curriculum aims to educate students to mindfully consider, advocate, and increase accessibility as they prepare to enter the workforce to create digital and physical spaces and products. (Weeden, 2023).

HOW INTEGRATED: There are multiple frameworks from which accessibility can be included in higher education. Ko and Ladner (2016) propose creating a new course focused on accessibility, adding an accessibility lecture to an existing course, or adding accessibility to an existing lecture. Baker et al. (2020), add including accessibility as a theme within an existing course. While others have proposed infusing accessibility throughout the curriculum (Gellenbeck, 2005; Waller et al., 2009). (Weeden, 2023).

OBJECTIVES: The learning outcomes of these frameworks can vary, however, Baker et al. (2020) derived four categories to frame learning objectives: awareness of accessibility, empathy, potential endeavours, and technical knowledge. These learning outcomes can be implemented by covering concepts such as accessibility guidelines, accessibility laws, AT, empathy, general disability knowledge, implementation, testing, and universal design. (Weeden, 2023).

Pedagogical principles to teach accessibility can include inquiry-based learning, experiential learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning, and scaffolding. (Weeden, 2023).

Ko, A. J., and Ladner, R. E. (2016). AccessComputing promotes teaching accessibility. ACM Inroads, 7, 65–68. doi: 10.1145/2968453

Baker, C. M., El-Glaly, Y. N., and Shinohara, K. (2020). A systematic analysis of accessibility in computing education research. Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 107–113. doi: 10.1145/3328778.3366843

Gellenbeck, E. (2005). Integrating accessibility into the computer science curriculum. J. Comput. Sci. Coll. 21, 267–273.

Waller, A., Hanson, V. L., and Sloan, D. (2009). Including accessibility within and beyond undergraduate computing courses. Proceedings of the 11^thInternational ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 155–162. doi: 10.1145./1639642.1639670

LEARNING MODES: Built upon the work of Dewey (1910), inquiry-based learningallows students to self-direct their exploration and investigation of concepts while encouraging them to ask questions and seek answers independently. Applying inquiry-based learning to an accessibility curriculum allows students to engage with the material in a meaningful way, allowing them to direct their learning toward what interests them. As an example, Zhao et al. (2020) allowed student teams to pick what they would focus on for their term-long project. (Weeden, 2023).

Dewey, J. (1910). HowWe Think. Boston, MA: DC Heath.

Zhao, Q., Mande, V., and Conn, P. Al-khazraji, S., Shinohara, K., Ludi, S., and Huenerfauth, M. (2020). Comparison of methods for teaching accessibility in university computing courses. Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 1–12. doi: 10.1145/3373625. 3417013

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Experiential learning (Kolb, 1984) proposes that an effective way to learn is through hands-on activities allowing students to actively engage with new concepts and ideas. Providing students the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities related to accessibility enables them to connect with the material more concretely and to reflect on the relevance of what they are learning, while also understanding the importance of empathy and inclusion. Experiential learning activities have been included in multiple courses that included accessibility (Mankoff, 2006; Carter and Fourney, 2007; Freire et al., 2007; El-Glaly, 2020). (Weeden, 2023).

Mankoff, J. (2006). Practical service learning issues in HCI. CHI’06 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors Comp. Sys. 3, 201–206. doi: 10.1145./1125451.1125494

Carter, J. A., and Fourney, D. W. (2007). Techniques to assist in developing accessibility engineers. Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 123–130. doi: 10.1145/1296843.1296865

Freire, A. P., Mattos Fortes, d. e., and Barroso Paiva, R. P. D. M., and Santos Turine, M. A. (2007). Using screen readers to reinforce web accessibility education. ACM SIGCSE Bullet. 39, 82–86. doi: 10.1145/1269900.1268810

El-Glaly, Y. N. (2020). Teaching accessibility to software engineering students. Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 121–127. doi: 10.1145/3328778.3366914

Problem-based learning involves giving students complex, real-world problems to solve, encouraging them to apply their knowledge and skills to find solutions, and building on the idea that students learn best when they are presented with authentic, challenging problems that require them to think critically and creatively to find solutions (Barrows and Tamblyn, 1980). By giving students challenges related to accessibility, students can extend their learning to practical, real-world situations, allowing them to develop practical skills that can be used in their future careers and see the importance of accessibility in their chosen fields. Problem based learning activities have been used to cover accessibility in several courses (Liffick, 2004; Mankoff, 2006; Carter and Fourney, 2007; Rosmaita, 2007; Waller et al., 2009; Martin-Escalona et al., 2013; Zhao et al., 2020). (Weeden, 2023).

Liffick, B. W. (2004). An assistive technology project for an HCI course. ACM SIGCSE Bullet. 36, 273. doi: 10.1145/1026487.1008111

Mankoff, J. (2006). Practical service learning issues in HCI. CHI’06 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors Comp. Sys. 3, 201–206. doi: 10.1145./1125451.1125494

Carter, J. A., and Fourney, D. W. (2007). Techniques to assist in developing accessibility engineers. Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 123–130. doi: 10.1145/1296843.1296865

Rosmaita, B. J. (2007). Making service learning accessible to computer scientists. ACM SIGCSE Bullet. 39, 541–545. doi: 10.1145/1227504.1227493

Waller, A., Hanson, V. L., and Sloan, D. (2009). Including accessibility within and beyond undergraduate computing courses. Proceedings of the 11^thInternational ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 155–162. doi: 10.1145./1639642.1639670

Martin-Escalona, I., Barcelo-Arroyo, F., and Zola, E. (2013). The introduction of a topic on accessibility in several engineering degrees. 2013 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON), 656–663. doi: 10.1109/EduCon.2013.6530177

Zhao, Q., Mande, V., and Conn, P. Al-khazraji, S., Shinohara, K., Ludi, S., and Huenerfauth, M. (2020). Comparison of methods for teaching accessibility in university computing courses. Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 1–12. doi: 10.1145/3373625. 3417013

Project-based learning focuses on giving students long-term, open-ended projects to work on, encouraging them to apply their knowledge to real-world problems or challenges resulting in the creation of artifact(s) that address the problem or challenge (Blumenfeld et al., 1991). Project-based learning, when applied to accessibility, can engage students by allowing them to see the practical applications of the material. Project-based learning activities have been included in several courses that included accessibility (Ludi, 2007; Alonso et al., 2010; Katsanos et al., 2012; Wang, 2012; Keates, 2015; Shinohara et al., 2016). (Weeden, 2023).

Blumenfeld, P. C., Soloway, E.,Marx, R.W., Krajcik, J. S., Guzdial,M., Palincsar, A., et al. (1991). Motivating project-based learning: sustaining the doing, supporting the learning. Edu. Psychol. 26, 369. doi: 10.1080/004619919653139

Ludi, S. (2007). Introducing accessibility requirements through external stakeholder utilization in an undergraduate requirements engineering course. 29th International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE’07), 736–743. doi: 10.1109/ICSE. 2007.46

Alonso, F., Fuertes, J. L., González, Á. L., and Martínez, L. (2010). “Using collaborative learning to teach WCAG 2.0.” in Computers Helping People with Special Needs. eds K. Miesenberger, J. Klaus, W. Zagler, and A. Karshmer (Springer) (pp. 400–403). doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-14097-6_63

Katsanos, C., Tselios, N., Tsakoumis, A., and Avouris, N. (2012). Learning about web accessibility: a project based tool-mediated approach. Edu. Inform. Technol. 17, 79–94. doi: 10.1007/s10639-010-9145-5

Keates, S. (2015). A pedagogical example of teaching Universal Access. Univ. Access Inform. Soc. 14, 97–110. doi: 10.1007/s10209-014-0398-4

Wang, Y. D. (2012). A holistic and pragmatic approach to teaching web accessibility in an undergraduate web design course. Proceedings of the 13th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education, 55–60. doi: 10.1145./2380552. 2380568

Shinohara, K., Bennett, C. L., andWobbrock, J. O. (2016).How designing for people with and without disabilities shapes student design thinking. Proceedings of the 18^thInternational ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, 229–237. doi: 10.1145/2982142.2982158

Diff between problem-based and project based: Problem-based learning focuses on the acquisition of new knowledge and the process used to solve the problem. Alternately, project-based learning focuses on the application of existing knowledge on the creation of the respective artifact(s). (Weeden, 2023).

Scaffolding is an educational principle whereby a student progresses from simple to complex tasks through temporary support and guidance provided by an instructor, with gradual removal as the student becomes more competent, allowing them to take on more complex tasks independently (Wood et al., 1976). AND VYGOTSKY. (Weeden, 2023).

Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., and Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry 17, 89–100. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x

Using scaffolding as a teaching strategy can help students develop new skills and knowledge, build confidence and self-esteem, as well as increase engagement and motivation. (Weeden, 2023).

These principles of scaffolding can be applied to a variety of pedagogical practices to cover accessibility. Baker et al. (2020) includes the following practices: assignments, guest lectures from disabled individuals, in-class activities, interactions with disabled individuals, lectures, projects, simulated disability, research, and videos. Putnam et al. (2016) identified additional practices including evaluating the accessibility of a product or website, field trips, reading existing related research, papers where students summarize and reflect on readings, and the use of online resources such as WebAIM.org. Shinohara et al. (2018) found the most common practices used included lectures and class meetings, in-class activities, assignments, and projects. (Weeden, 2023).

Baker, C. M., El-Glaly, Y. N., and Shinohara, K. (2020). A systematic analysis of accessibility in computing education research. Proceedings of the 51st ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 107–113. doi: 10.1145/3328778.3366843

Shinohara, K., Kawas, S., Ko, A. J., and Ladner, R. E. (2018). Who teaches accessibility? A survey of U.S. computing faculty. Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, 197–202. doi: 10.1145./3159450.3159484

Understanding legal requirements and guidelines are essential for ensuring that products and environments are accessible and compliant. (Weeden, 2023).

Finally, web accessibility, with a focus on the WCAG (World Wide Web Consortium, 2018), allows students to understand best practices for designing websites and web-based applications to be accessible to everyone. (Weeden, 2023).

Understanding universal design - Understanding these principles can help students create products and environments that are more inclusive and accessible for everyone. (Weeden, 2023).

Accessibility in the design process is another vital topic. Students gain an understanding of the importance of incorporating accessibility from initial project planning through to the final stages of a project. This includes involving representative users throughout to ensure that the resulting products and environments meet their needs and preferences. (Weeden, 2023).

Coverage of sensory, motor, and cognitive accessibility helps students to understand the specific needs and challenges faced by people with disabilities to enable students to design products and environments that are accessible and usable. This can involve designing products and environments that are easy to see, hear, touch, and use. (Weeden, 2023).

Through demonstrations and exploration, students have the opportunity to experience how AT can be used to perceive and interact with web-based content. (Weeden, 2023).

The course includes activities to help students develop and apply the knowledge gained, while thinking critically and creatively about the about the role of design and technology in promoting accessibility. (Weeden, 2023).

Weeden’s course (there were four courses but one is design for accessibility):

Caption a video—A series of activities scaffolds learning cumulating in a project where students independently caption a video. Class demonstrations show the options available to generate a transcript of the audio content of a video. Students first caption a short video, then after receiving feedback, caption a longer video for their project. These activities reinforce the importance of captioning and offer repeated practice creating appropriate captions. (Weeden, 2023).

Composing alternative text for images—A series of activities scaffolds the learning of composing appropriate alternative text for images. First, students are given a series of images to determine if the alternative text is sufficient. If the alternative text is not sufficient, they must cite why and compose appropriate alternative text. The class discusses and reviews the solution. The instructor also provides feedback to each student. Students then complete a project where they each find six images that do not have appropriate alternative text. For each image, the student explains why the alternative text implementation is not sufficient and composes appropriate alternative text. These activities emphasize the importance of appropriate alternative text through repeated practice. (Weeden, 2023).

Conducting an accessibility evaluation—A series of activities scaffolds the learning of conducting an accessibility evaluation of a webpage cumulating in students independently performing an accessibility evaluation of a given webpage based on Level AAA of the current version of the WCAG (World Wide Web Consortium, 2018). Completing the assessment involves using screen readers and other technologies and tools to evaluate the accessibility of the page. (Weeden, 2023).

Students document their findings and make recommendations to fix accessibility issues. As preparation for this cumulating experience, an accessibility evaluation is started together in class. Students complete that evaluation across two assignments, with each assignment reviewed and discussed in class. Through these activities, students gain a deeper understanding of how to design for accessibility, as well as how to identify and address issues of accessibility in digital content. (Weeden, 2023).

Accessibility needs through ages:Accessibility through the lifespan course - Students examine the accessibility needs and challenges faced by children and young adults in educational contexts and identify effective design strategies for promoting accessibility. They also learn about laws and regulations that govern accessibility in educational contexts, including the provision of AT and the accessibility of instructional technology and materials. (Weeden, 2023).

Students next explore the intersection of accessibility and employment. To help contextualize this topic and provide students with a deeper understanding of the needs and experiences of disabled individuals in the job market, the course often includes guest lectures from individuals with firsthand experience in disability and employment, as well as class discussions of the documentary Bottom Dollars (Melograna, 2016) and an episode of The Heumann Perspective focused on employment (Judith Heumann LLC, 2022). (Weeden, 2023).

These resources shed light on the challenges and barriers faced by disabled individuals in the workplace and provide students with valuable insights into the experiences of disabled individuals seeking and maintaining employment. With these insights, students can begin to develop strategies and solutions for promoting accessibility and inclusion in the workplace. (Weeden, 2023).

Finally, students investigate the changes in ability that can occur as part of the aging process and explore how to design usable and engaging technology for the growing population of older adults. (Weeden, 2023).

Effectiveness of courses: Fifty-four students completed course evaluations for Design for Accessibility, which has been offered each fall semester from 2017 to 2022. An analysis of all course evaluations show that students found the course objectives valuable (76%), learned something of value (75%), and advanced their understanding (79%). Additionally, 66% of students would recommend the course to others. (Weeden, 2023).

Effectiveness of courses: Although results of surveys and course evaluations indicate that the accessibility curriculum is of value, low enrolment in the concentration courses is of concern. Options to offer the accessibility curriculum to a broader population of students are being considered. Given that there are _75 students in the HCC program and six concentrations to choose from, there are times when Accessibility concentration courses were cancelled for low enrolment. (Weeden, 2023).

Effectiveness of courses: The knowledge, skills, and experience obtained from the accessibility curriculum can be valuable for students as they enter the workforce. They will be able to apply their understanding of accessibility to their work, ensuring that they are creating spaces, content, and products that are inclusive and accessible to all users. They can also advocate for accessibility within their organizations, as well as the inclusion of accessibility features and best practices in design and development processes. (Weeden, 2023).