AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT PROPOSAL - Dissertation Example

The Standards for acquiring accessibility through technical specifications and interface design have been laid down for the conventional Web, but, how far e-learning systems are conforming to these standards is still unclear. More so, there remains conflicts between educational features and usability. There is a need for Institutions to meet recent accessibility andb fulfil government targets to deliver growing access to Higher Education. It can only be achieved by evaluating e-learning system usability and identifying the arising accessibility needs.

Aims of the research The project intends to fulfil certain objectives. The research project will look at the current levels of accessibility in e-learning systems, that is the Virtual Learning Environments. It will go ahead to assess theproblems faced by disabled users in accessing system features these will include textual resources, interactive content, navigation features and tools for communication. The other things that will be carried out may include semi-structured interviews with educational support staff, among them lecturers and Information Services staff that support the disabled users example, disability support staff,e-learning support.

When it comes to the empirical research with learners, six to seven university sites will be taken to assess practices and policies in accessibility support that is within different e-learning systems. This practical investigation and research activities will help gain user views and perspectives on system usability example through questionnaires or interviews. There is a need for Institutions to know which features should be avoided or used with care so that to enable disabled students to access e-learning systems.

They should also be able to know the features that are educationally valuable and if they can be supported with more training for disabled learners. General context descr?pt?on This project is personal research in the field of Information Science,especially within the area of end-user systems accessibility. It a coomon issue that in Higher Education there is constant innovation and changing methods to provision of online services, but , there remains grey areas when it comes to issue of user accessibility.

This issue has turned into a neede requires secondary consideration. This research looks towards underpinning improved provision of accessible systems for disabled adult learners. It has been discovered that one of the major barriers for people with intellectual disabilities in accessing electronic programmes is due to the lack of accessible adult training material and information in simple language. Through focusing directly on people with disabilities, and also on the staff of adult education or e-learning providers, this Project tackles this problem and focuses on improving the accessibility of lifelong learning programmes.

Research questions The research is aimed at answering the following questions: 1. What are the major obstacle faced by students when undertaking learning in an online setting? 2. What are the usability and accessibility issues in e-learning systems? 3. What are the training needs of disabled users in facilitating online learning? 4. How can usability and access issues be practically addressed? Research methodology The research will go for a practical research element to investigate questions outlined in the study mainly targeted at