Short answer
Designers of educational materials must proactively incorporate the principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust design to ensure equitable access for all learners, particularly those with disabilities.
- Field
- User-Centred Design
- Source
- Smart Learning Environments (2020)
- Method
- Systematic Literature Review
- Sample
- 31 papers
- Evidence
- Moderate effect
Current open educational resources (OER) and practices (OEP) are not adequately designed for disabled learners, indicating a significant gap in accessibility that requires a deliberate application of established accessibility principles. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2020 study published in Smart Learning Environments. Using Systematic literature review with 31 papers, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers of educational materials must proactively incorporate the principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust design to ensure equitable access for all learners, particularly those with disabilities.
Accessibility in Open Educational Resources is Nascent, Requiring Focus on Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust Design Principles
Current open educational resources (OER) and practices (OEP) are not adequately designed for disabled learners, indicating a significant gap in accessibility that requires a deliberate application of established accessibility principles.
Smart Learning Environments · 2020
Key Findings
- 01Accessibility within OER is still in its early stages of development.
- 02There is a need to consistently apply the four core accessibility principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
- 03Limited research has explored the integration of assistive technologies with OER.
- 04Recommendations exist to enhance OER accessibility for functionally diverse students.
Application
Design takeaway
Designers of educational materials must proactively incorporate the principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust design to ensure equitable access for all learners, particularly those with disabilities.
How to apply
When designing any digital educational content, conduct an accessibility audit against the POUR principles and research how assistive technologies can be integrated.
Project actions
- 01When designing a product, think about how someone with a visual impairment, hearing impairment, or motor difficulty would use it.
- 02Research existing accessibility guidelines (like WCAG) and apply them to your design choices.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Provides a comprehensive overview of a critical but under-researched area.
- +Offers clear recommendations for future research and practice.
Limitations
It can be challenging to test with a wide range of disabilities or to fully replicate the experience of using assistive technologies without direct experience or expert guidance.
Reliability & validity
The reliability of the review depends on the systematic search and selection process. Validity is enhanced by synthesizing findings across multiple studies, but may be limited by the quality and scope of the included literature.
Think critically
To what extent do current design tools and platforms inherently support or hinder the creation of accessible educational resources, and what responsibility do designers have to overcome these limitations?
Design Principles
"Design for accessibility by adhering to the POUR principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) to ensure inclusivity for diverse user needs."
Designers and developers creating educational content must recognize that a substantial and growing population of learners has diverse needs. Failing to integrate accessibility from the outset leads to exclusion and can result in learners disengaging from educational opportunities. Proactive design ensures inclusivity and maximizes the reach and impact of educational materials.
What This Means for Your Design
Making online learning materials easy to see, use, understand, and compatible with different tools is important for everyone, especially students with disabilities, but current online learning materials aren't doing this well enough.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this review when discussing the importance of accessibility in your design process and how you addressed the needs of diverse users.
- 2.Use the POUR principles as a framework for evaluating your design's accessibility.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
This research highlights that accessibility within digital educational resources is still developing, with a critical need to integrate the POUR principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) to better support disabled learners. My design project aims to address this by [briefly state how your project addresses accessibility].
Source
Smart Learning Environments
Accessibility within open educational resources and practices for disabled learners: a systematic literature review
journal · 2020
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about accessibility in open educational resources is nascent, requiring focus on perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust design principles?
- Designers of educational materials must proactively incorporate the principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust design to ensure equitable access for all learners, particularly those with disabilities. Evidence: Smart Learning Environments (2020).
- Why does "Accessibility in Open Educational Resources is Nascent, Requiring Focus on Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust Design Principles" matter for design?
- Designers and developers creating educational content must recognize that a substantial and growing population of learners has diverse needs. Failing to integrate accessibility from the outset leads to exclusion and can result in learners disengaging from educational opportunities. Proactive design ensures inclusivity and maximizes the reach and impact of educational materials.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Designers of educational materials must proactively incorporate the principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust design to ensure equitable access for all learners, particularly those with disabilities.
- What were the main findings?
- Accessibility within OER is still in its early stages of development.. There is a need to consistently apply the four core accessibility principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.. Limited research has explored the integration of assistive technologies with OER.. Recommendations exist to enhance OER accessibility for functionally diverse students.
- What research method was used?
- Systematic Literature Review with 31 papers.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Moderate effect, based on a 2020 journal from Smart Learning Environments.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing any digital educational content, conduct an accessibility audit against the POUR principles and research how assistive technologies can be integrated.
- What are the limitations?
- The review highlights that the research landscape itself is limited, suggesting that the findings are based on a nascent body of work and may not capture all nuances of the problem.