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In-Depth Information
Chapter 13
Collaborative Environments: Accessibility
and Usability for Users with Special Needs
M. Mesiti, M. Ribaudo, S. Valtolina, B.R. Barricelli, P. Boccacci, and S. Dini
Abstract Accessibility and usability are relevant characteristics when considering
the design and development of interactive environments especially when the target
users have different forms of disability. Guaranteeing the inclusion of such char-
acteristics poses new challenges in Web 2.0 collaborative environments because
their users can have the role of both producers and consumers of information (the
produsers
of information). The purpose of this chapter is to specify the expected
characteristics of accessible and usable collaborative systems tailored for produsers
who have special needs. Hence, usability models are reviewed and the W3C
guidelines and approaches for guaranteeing accessibility are reported. Then an
accessible e-learning wiki-based environment is presented and, finally, a specific
usability model is proposed that could overcome some of the problems that have
emerged when analyzing the usability of such a collaborative environment.
13.1
Introduction
E-learning, especially in the form of Web-based training, is changing the way that
schools and academia organize their education and training programs. In traditional
educational institutions, Learning Management Systems are not aimed at replacing
the traditional face-to-face teaching practice, but at integrating it into more efficient
and effective blended-learning strategies. Nevertheless, innovation in Web 2.0 and
e-learning technologies leads toward a revolution in education, encouraging the
cooperation among teachers and students for the collaborative production of edu-
cational materials. This collaborative-learning approach is transforming the role
of both the teachers, involving them in an innovative process of learning objects
creation, and the students, who can contribute, under proper supervision, to the
creation of supplementary knowledge on the basis of the available educational
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