Blind Students' Challenges in Social Media Communication: An Early Investigation of Facebook Usability for Informal Learning
01 Jan 2015-Vol. 5, Iss: 1, pp 58-73
TL;DR: Results show that locating Friend's profile and Timeline, reading, writing, and posting messages were significantly challenging, and participants needed additional time and effort to perform these basic SNS functions that are integral parts of informal learning activities.
Abstract: Social Networking Sites (SNS) are increasingly used in academia to facilitate informal learning, knowledge co-creation, and collaborative problem-solving. Deriving these pedagogic benefits requires SNS usability for all. This paper reports results of an early investigation into SNS usability for blind students. Think-aloud observations generated verbal evidence of six participants' Facebook interaction experiences. Verbal protocol analysis revealed where and how challenges arose in online social interactions. Design standards analysis identified responsible interface elements and potential remedial measures. Results show that locating Friend's profile and Timeline, reading, writing, and posting messages were significantly challenging. Participants needed additional time and effort, and occasionally sighted help, to perform these basic SNS functions that are integral parts of informal learning activities. Feasible design improvements are proposed that merit further investigation. Implications for educators, learning technologists, cognitive scientists, and usability experts are discussed.
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01 Jan 2011
TL;DR: This independent study is designed to provide primary care practitioners with an introduction to the pathologies that lead to sight loss, their functional implications, appropriate method of referrals, training programs, and special considerations for interactions with visually impaired individuals.
Abstract: Acting Under Secretary of Health requested that a working group be established to develop the Veterans Health Initiative (VHI). He envisioned this as a comprehensive program to recognize the connection between certain health effects and military service, to allow military history to be better documented, to prepare health care providers to better serve their veteran patients, and to establish a data base for further study. This was first discussed by the Acting Under Secretary in relation to the health of former prisoners of war. Development was really begun by the former Chief Academic Affairs Officer, Dr. David Stevens, with the Military Service History project. This involves a pocket card for medical residents detailing the important components of a military service history targeting the health risks associated with various periods of service and more generic issues of concern and a website containing references relevant to the issues. Educational modules in the Veterans Health Initiative VHA will assist health care providers in recognizing the connection between certain health effects and military service, prepare health care providers to better serve veteran patients, and will provide a data base for further study. This independent study is designed to provide primary care practitioners with an introduction to the pathologies that lead to sight loss, their functional implications, appropriate method of referrals, training programs, and special considerations for interactions with visually impaired individuals. After completing this independent study, participants would be able to: • Define legal blindness; • Describe the causes of sight loss; • Delineate the functional implications of vision loss • Delineate the psycho/social impact of vision loss on the veteran; • Outline the role of the Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) in the treatment of legally blind veterans and the referral process; • Describe the special personal and environmental considerations needed for visually impaired patients; • Describe the special medical considerations needed for visually impaired patients; • Describe the primary care practitioner's role in assisting veterans in establishing well-grounded claims for disability related to the loss of vision; and • Describe compensation and pension benefits provided for veterans with eye disabilities. After completing this independent study, you should 1. be able to: state the definition of legal blindness; 2. be able to: associate eye diseases with their visual implications; 3. be able to: demonstrate insight into the functional and Psycho/Social implications of sight-loss; 4. know when referrals to VIST are indicated; 5. understand …
395 citations
TL;DR: This special section presents different approaches and several applications of social networking in online learning, where students’ conformity and learning anxiety influence their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations while participating in Facebook course groups as a complementary tool.
Abstract: Social networks and related technologies have continued to gain importance in modern people’s worlds [3]. Through social networking services (SNSs), individuals are able to contact family, friends, even strangers, through the ease and comfort of computers or mobile Internet devices [6]. Increasingly more importance is attached to the application of SNSs in the educational field [9]. Researchers indicate that SNSs such as Facebook are one of the latest examples of communication technologies that have been widely adopted by learners and, accordingly, have the potential to become a valuable resource to support collaborations and educational communications among teachers and learners [8, 11]. However, there is relatively little theoretical and empirical attention paid by social researchers and educators to the form and nature of learning in such contexts [5, 7]. Modern educators should devote more effort to investigate and explore the potential applications of SNSs and integrate them into online or blended courses to improve students’ learning and teachers’ teaching. In this regard, the guest editor facilitated this special section to collect research studies that explore various applications of SNSs to help students learn better. The authors of the seven papers in this special section present different approaches and several applications of social networking in online learning. Each of these seven papers went through three rounds of review. In the first paper ‘‘Effects of conformity and learning anxiety on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation: The case of Facebook course groups’’ by Jerry Chih-Yuan Sun, YunRu Syu, and Yu-Yan Lin, the authors investigate whether students’ conformity and learning anxiety influence their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations while participating in Facebook course groups as a complementary tool. Three scales, namely conformity scale of students using Facebook course groups, learning anxiety scale, and intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivation scale, are used as measurements in this study. The authors apply structural equation modeling to analyze the collected data, and indicate that conformity behavior affected by environmental interactions could positively predict intrinsic and extrinsic learning motivation, as learning anxiety could negatively predict intrinsic motivation. However, the authors also report the limitation of the insufficient sample size and suggest that future studies should recruit learners from different grade levels as samples to extend understanding. The second paper ‘‘Key determinants for intention to use social media for learning in higher education institutions,’’ by Vimala Balakrishnan, explores the factors that affect students’ intention to use social media for learning in tertiary institutions. In this study, 300 students participated in an online survey. The author developed a social media model, titled ‘‘Social Media Acceptance Model (SMAM),’’ by adapting factors from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and the E-Learning Acceptance Model (ELAM), to investigate students’ intention to use, and examine their actual use of social media for learning. The author reports six factors that influence students’ intention to use social media for learning: Self, Communication Functionality, Effort/Influence, Performance, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Facility, and Collectivism. It is reported that the last two factors were found to be insignificant, & Chia-Wen Tsai jawen12b@gmail.com
9 citations
Cites background from "Blind Students' Challenges in Socia..."
...With the emergence and development of SNSs, they are increasingly used in academia to facilitate and improve students’ learning, collaborative problem-solving, and knowledge co-creation [1]....
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01 Jan 2017
TL;DR: The requirements of accessibility laws, the formation of the accessibility initiative, and the resulting WCAG 2.0 standard are taken and a number of recommendations are made based on the compliance issues found and on the terms of several U.S. Department of Justice consent decrees.
Abstract: The rights of disabled students are protected law in nearly every country. However, the lack of awareness of the laws and the need to make web pages accessible has created barriers to fully implementing the intent of these laws. These laws typically go beyond web pages to include all instructional devices including e-readers, social networking sites, and smart phone apps. This paper takes a look at the requirements of accessibility laws, the formation of the accessibility initiative, and the resulting WCAG 2.0 standard. Accessibility testing tools for websites and web content are discussed and then used to measure the level of compliance for a number of universities. It was found that almost all university sites checked had multiple accessibility errors. Finally, a number of recommendations are made based on the compliance issues found and on the terms of several U.S. Department of Justice consent decrees.
5 citations
01 Jan 2020
TL;DR: In this chapter, the process of MOOCification a distance education online course on “Design for All for an Inclusive and Accessible Society” is explained and contextualized.
Abstract: There are some similarities in developing distance education online courses and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), using the basis of eLearning instructional design. However, the task of converting an online course into a MOOC is not as simple as direct migration of eLearning materials and assessment resources into a MOOC platform. In online learning learners should be continually influenced by information, social interaction and learning experiences, providing them with the knowledge to come up with new ideas to develop within an engaging course. In this chapter, the process of MOOCification a distance education online course on “Design for All for an Inclusive and Accessible Society” is explained and contextualized. The re-factorization process has been based upon the quality model used for MOOCs at UNED Abierta and the instructional design based on Gagne’s events of instruction. The eLearning activities were completely refactored, along with the content itself, the interaction events and the online assessment following the Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences product grid.
5 citations
01 Jan 2013
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss library science, professionals in that field, and their relationship to education, both teaching and learning, and future trends in library science implementation are also noted.
Abstract: Information constitutes a central element of education as K-20 teachers design and implement curriculum for students to gain knowledge and skills. Librarians are information professionals and can play a significant role in K-12 education. This chapter discusses library science, professionals in that field, and their relationship to education, both teaching and learning. Library science’s impact on education can be significant, and practices need to be assessed to determine results. Knowledge management is used as a lens for identifying several conditions needed to incorporate library science and benefit from it: curriculum, intellectual capital, leadership, community, collaboration, plans, and politics. Future trends in library science implementation are also noted.
5 citations
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01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reveal how smart design is the new competitive frontier, and why some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them, and how to choose the ones that satisfy customers.
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TL;DR: Revealing how smart design is the new competitive frontier, this innovative book is a powerful primer on how--and why--some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.
Abstract: Revealing how smart design is the new competitive frontier, this innovative book is a powerful primer on how--and why--some products satisfy customers while others only frustrate them.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed major advances in verbal reports over the past decade, including new evidence on how giving verbal reports affects subjects' cognitive processes, and on the validity and completeness of such reports.
Abstract: Since the publication of Ericsson and Simon's work in the early 1980s, verbal data has been used increasingly to study cognitive processes in many areas of psychology, and concurrent and retrospective verbal reports are now generally accepted as important sources of data on subjects' cognitive processes in specific tasks In this revised edition of the book that put protocol analysis on firm theoretical ground, the authors review major advances in verbal reports over the past decade, including new evidence on how giving verbal reports affects subjects' cognitive processes, and on the validity and completeness of such reports In a new preface Ericsson and Simon summarize the central issues covered in the book and provide an updated version of their information-processing model, which explains verbalization and verbal reports They describe new studies on the effects of verbalization, interpreting the results of these studies and showing how their theory can be extended to account for them Next, they address the issue of completeness of verbally reported information, reviewing the new evidence in three particularly active task domains They conclude by citing recent contributions to the techniques for encoding protocols, raising general issues, and proposing directions for future research
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TL;DR: I was quietly lurking in the background of a CHI-Web discussion, when I lost all reason: I just couldn't take it anymore, and out came this article: I don't know if it changed anyone's minds, but it brought the discussion to a halt (not what good list managers want to happen).
Abstract: I was quietly lurking in the background of a CHI-Web discussion, when I lost all reason: I just couldn't take it anymore. " I put an affordance there, " a participant would say, " I wonder if the object affords clicking … " Affordances this, affordances that. And no data, just opinion. Yikes! What had I unleashed upon the world? " No! " I screamed, and out came this article. I don't know if it changed anyone's minds, but it brought the CHI-Web discussion to a halt (not what good list managers want to happen). But then, Steven Pemberton asked me to submit it here. Hope it doesn't stop the discussion again. Mind you, this is not the exact piece I dashed off to CHI-Web: it has been polished and refined: the requirements of print are more demanding than those of e-mail discussions.
1,673 citations