Evaluating Cisco e-learning Courses Modified for the Vision Impaired

Abstract

The needs of vision impaired students are quite different to sighted students. The increasing use of e-learning means higher education must move to multi-modal user interfaces in order to make e-learning materials accessible to all students. E-Learning materials (particularly in the sciences and technology) are predominantly visual, presented via computer keyboard and screen. Software and devices designed to aid the vision impaired are unable to decipher most images and visual- centric objects contained in e-learning materials. This paper discusses a project undertaken over the past two years to modify the content and presentation of Cisco certification e-learning courses to enable accessibility by vision impaired and blind students. These modifications necessitated rewriting the learning materials so they could be effectively presented via multi-modal user interfaces to vision impaired students, involving speech, audio, haptics and force-feed devices and methods. Evaluation of sections of the project by the vision impaired students using a model based upon Stufflebeam's CIPP model and Kirkpatrick's Four-Level training program evaluation model has been carried out and the results are presented.