Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
the European i2010 initiative on the Information
Society (e-Inclusion, 2008).
With the advent of Technology Enhanced
Learning (TEL) scenarios users can take part in
a course at any time and from any place. TEL is
a long term issue supported by most European re-
ports and initiatives ever since the Lisbon strategy
(Kok, 2004). TEL insists on presenting students
as the central players of the learning process and,
consequently, the real drivers of teaching-and-
learning tasks. That orientation, focused on “the
learning and the learner”, is supported by the
eLearning initiative in 2000, and their subsequent
actions, such as the 'eLearning Action Plan 2001-
2004' (European Union, 2001) and the eLearning
Programme (European Union, 2004). One of the
key activities supported in the “Lifelong Learn-
ing Programme” (European Union, 2007) is the
“development of innovative ICT-based content,
services, pedagogies and practice for lifelong
learning”. TEL aims at “improving the efficiency
and cost-effectiveness of learning, for individuals
and organizations, independent of time, place and
pace” (ECTEL, 2006). Innovative infrastructures,
methods and approaches are needed to reach this
goal, and will facilitate transfer and sharing of
knowledge between individuals and in organiza-
tions.
However, quite often the technologies used
have brought new barriers for people with specific
needs, who, for instance, may not perceive the
multimedia contents or control the functionalities
of the learning environment with a different de-
vice than a keyboard. Moreover, it is undeniable
that each individual has particular needs and re-
quirements in general, and especially in learning
scenarios, since their background and learning
goals differ and evolve over time. And when the
technology is put into play, there are also differ-
ent access preferences with respect to the device
used. These preferences may be related not only
to user disabilities, but also to the user's particular
context. For instance, the user may be interested
in taking advantage of a traffic jam to work on a
lesson from the course at the university. And in
that situation, she is not able to use a keyboard,
but have to control the device by voice.
Universities worldwide are to support user-
centered scenarios mediated by TEL and have
to respond appropriately to the specific needs of
students, including providing support to disable
students in higher and further education as well
as in the service provision. However, several
studies report many pending issues to meet the
needs of those presenting functional diversity
issues (Kelly, 2007; Seale, 2006). These needs
refer to accessible buildings, courses and employ-
ment as well as technology mediated services.
In particular, distance learning universities are
supporting an increasing number of adult learners
and students with disabilities. Half the popula-
tion (over 6000 this year-course 2009-10) of HE
students with disabilities in Spain are enrolled
at UNED (the Spanish National University for
Distance Education), and the Open University
in the United Kingdom has over 10.000 students
with disabilities. These universities have policy
statements and departments with specialized per-
sonnel committed to promoting and embedding
disability equality and preventing discrimination
in all areas (Open University, 2006; UNED 2006).
Furthermore, they have experimented from the
very beginning with the new technologies even
before they have been available in the market as
they hold research groups within them, which try
to apply their research achievements to improve
the quality of their teaching and better support
their students in their learning.
Having these needs in mind, the framework
introduced in this chapter goes beyond support-
ing the accessibility needs of any particular LMS
or more up-to-date Web 2.0 services focused on
learning and social user's needs. The approach
addresses the fundamentals requirements from
users' and technological viewpoints when building
a general framework to support the development
of accessible and personalized learning services
in HE mediated by ICT. The former -users' view-
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