Vânia Ribas Ulbricht

Surdos e acessibilidade: análise de um ambiente virtual de ensino e aprendizagem

Distance Education has great potential for broadening access to education. However, it has been ineffective when treating specific needs of deaf people. In part, that happens because accessibility to Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is addressed in a superficial manner. This paper aims to evaluate a VLEs accessibility for a deaf user through a case study. The evaluation was conducted using an automatic instrument and by subjective human evaluation. The evaluation approach results revealed that there is a difference between both methods as related to effectiveness, efficiency and usefulness. Due to their complementary characteristics, it is advisable to use the techniques concurrently.

Recomendações da WCAG 2.0 (2008) e a acessibilidade de surdos em conteúdos da Web

This article presents a discussion on the communication of the deaf in the context of accessibility standards for the Web. First there is a review of the literature on deaf communication, the linguistic method adopted in schools and a reflection on the history of deaf education. This is followed by a discussion of bilingualism, deaf identities and guidelines on accessibility proposed by WCAG 2.0 (2008). Based on bibliographical research, carried out using primary sources, success criteria in relation to deafness was selected in order to verify if sign language, regarded as the first language (L1) of the deaf in the philosophy of bilingualism, is considered in the design principles of WCAG 2.0 (2008). Finally, the article emphasizes the need to consider bilingual communication in order to ensure that Web content fully conform to everyday language of deaf culture.

Accessibility Guidelines for the Development of Learning Objects

Abstract This article presents a set of guidelines for creating learning objects accessible, with the intention of guiding and helping teachers developers of learning objects in developing materials accessible through the provision of alternative media or equivalent. These guidelines are created based on analysis and convergence of the “Principles of Universal Design” with the “Recommendations for Creating Accessible Web Content” W3C, and “Best Practices for Production and Application of Accessible Content” presented at Guides Instructional Management Systems (IMS). The guidelines were tested by experts who develop and provide content for digital learning environments, which were capable of producing accessible learning objects, according to the set of guidelines proposed.

The Emotion Component on Usability Testing Human Computer Interface of an Inclusive Learning Management System

Learning Management Systems –LMS supported by the Information and Communication Technologies to distribute knowledge at any time and to any place, to most different kind of people with different backgrounds. Human Computer Interface – HCI, use known metaphors that makes the mediation between human and machine. Because humans define the metaphors, final users can find some barriers to the comprehension of them. To evaluate LMS’s HCI, there are few paradigms available, but the only one who uses final users is the Usability Test – UT. These tests focus on evaluate the efficiency and efficacy of an interface, but seldom evaluate the user’s emotions. In order to do that, new researches point out the importance of having the emotions evaluated. This paper aims to describe methods and techniques used to evaluate HCI using Usability Tests UT with emotions and validate one of them in the WebGD LMS at http://egc.ufsc.br/webgd/login/index.php.

Accessibility in the Virtual Learning Environment Moodle Identification of Problems’ Class

This article presents the results of an investigation regarding the accessibility of blind students within the virtual learning environment (VLE) Moodle. The study was motivated by the increasing trend of hybrid learning expected for the following years, as well as the growth of enrollment numbers in distance education courses in Brazil. Such numbers generate the concern regarding the access of people with disabilities, by the intention of providing them full enjoyment from the learning experience. Therefore, the Design Science Research (DSR) method was utilized for identifying classes of problems and artifacts through the experience of VLE utilization by this public. The results were compiled from three different sources and resulted in the research’s outlook on this subject for the last ten years. Therefore, it opens the possibility for advances and generation of knowledge, on order to improve the accessibility in virtual environments such as Moodle.

Blind Students´ Learning Experiences–Challenges and Opportunities in Design for Inclusion

This paper presents the results of a systematic review of the literature to identify how human-computer interaction (HCI) contributes for learning experience of blind students. The motivation for this study arises from the growth of the participation of students with disabilities in distance learning courses, the projection of increased development of learning objects and multimedia for use in these courses, therefore, requiring care for accessibility. The information gathered reveal thoughts about student’s experience and have resulted in recommendations and proposals with a view to enhancing inclusion.

Gamification in Education Through Design Thinking

When thinking of inclusive education, it is necessary to consider that schools and teachers must utilize appropriate didactical materials that suit the students’ needs. For some subjects, such as Geometry, the vision is the most utilized sense. However, as much as it is an important sense that helps to understand the concepts better, it can become an obstacle when the student has a visual disability. The same thing occurs with hearing disability when utilizing learning objects that contain multimedia resources. The main purpose of this work is to discuss the creation of a gamified object of accessible learning that presents the principles of design thinking. In order to achieve this goal, a literature review has been made, mainly focused on accessibility, gamification and design thinking, considering the accessibility guidelines for LOs presented by Macedo. As a result, besides the initially proposed objectives, it was also possible to relate the concepts approached by the Theory of Flow.