NEWS
04_2007
E-learning and visually impaired users: initial results from a European field survey carried out within the eYES project.
Very good news for e-learning applications targeting VIPs!
According to the field survey performed by eYES project team among 287 users with visual impairment in 5 European countries (Italy, Germany, UK, Poland and Bulgaria), the large majority of VIPs (93%) are willing to participate in a new e-learning course, even though most of them have never attended one.
Their primary training goals - in respect of e-learning - are to improve their job skills and to increase their knowledge base. The large majority think that it is important to receive a certificate at the end of the course. The preferred e-learning methodology is “online course + tutor”, while the preferred subjects for an e-learning course are advanced computer skills and foreign languages.
On a more general level, regarding IT infrastructure and computer experience of VIPs, the survey’s results show that most people with a visual impairment are expert in using a computer, since they’ve been using it for 5 years or more. Most of them use the Internet at home, while a third of the sample connect from office or school. The large majority of the sample has a fast connection: cable, XDLS, LAN. Three quarters of the sample prefer using specialist assistive software as assistive device. Almost all the users use Windows as Operating System and Internet Explorer as Internet browser.
Over the same period, the eYES project team has performed a survey of E-learning products/programmes already available and accessible to VIPs. Here the results are less brilliant. More than a half (60%) of sampled products are not accessible to VIPs. Among accessible products, the majority are online (as opposed to CD-ROM). Most accessible e-learning products comply both with AICC and SCORM standards. Accessible e-learning products are quite equally targeted at all the education levels, and support a very large range of languages.
On a more general level, even though survey’s response was higher than expected (according to the project partners’ experiences, 21% against 10% that is generally achieved in this kind of survey), the difficulties encountered in collecting feedbacks show that the majority of e-learning producers are indifferent to accessibility and VIPs’ needs.
Click here for further details.
eYES website
Press release
04_2007
E-learning and visually impaired users: initial results from a European field survey carried out within the eYES project.
Very good news for e-learning applications targeting VIPs!
According to the field survey performed by eYES project team among 287 users with visual impairment in 5 European countries (Italy, Germany, UK, Poland and Bulgaria), the large majority of VIPs (93%) are willing to participate in a new e-learning course, even though most of them have never attended one.
Their primary training goals - in respect of e-learning - are to improve their job skills and to increase their knowledge base. The large majority think that it is important to receive a certificate at the end of the course. The preferred e-learning methodology is “online course + tutor”, while the preferred subjects for an e-learning course are advanced computer skills and foreign languages.
On a more general level, regarding IT infrastructure and computer experience of VIPs, the survey’s results show that most people with a visual impairment are expert in using a computer, since they’ve been using it for 5 years or more. Most of them use the Internet at home, while a third of the sample connect from office or school. The large majority of the sample has a fast connection: cable, XDLS, LAN. Three quarters of the sample prefer using specialist assistive software as assistive device. Almost all the users use Windows as Operating System and Internet Explorer as Internet browser.
Over the same period, the eYES project team has performed a survey of E-learning products/programmes already available and accessible to VIPs. Here the results are less brilliant. More than a half (60%) of sampled products are not accessible to VIPs. Among accessible products, the majority are online (as opposed to CD-ROM). Most accessible e-learning products comply both with AICC and SCORM standards. Accessible e-learning products are quite equally targeted at all the education levels, and support a very large range of languages.
On a more general level, even though survey’s response was higher than expected (according to the project partners’ experiences, 21% against 10% that is generally achieved in this kind of survey), the difficulties encountered in collecting feedbacks show that the majority of e-learning producers are indifferent to accessibility and VIPs’ needs.
Click here for further details.
eYES website Press release
