CETIS Logo CETIS-TechDis Accessibility SIG TechDis Logo
Go straight to main content
Navigation
Accessibility Domain
JISC CETIS Homepage
Accessibility Blog
FAQ
Resources
SIG Meetings
Links
External Links
TechDis
Discussion Forum
Search

 
Accessible e-Assessment
Simon Ball
27th June 2006
print this article (opens in new window)view printer-friendly version (opens in new window)

Accessible e-Assessment

Back to Notes from the Joint Accessibility and Assessment SIG Meeting.

Click on topic (33 topics) to move to section:

  1. Aims and Objectives.
  2. TechDis: e-Assessment Resources.
  3. Awarding Bodies and Accessibility.
  4. Existing Guidance.
  5. Guidance Required.
  6. Work Currently In Progress.
  7. Future Direction?
  8. Accessibility Checklist Game.
  9. Forewarning: The Point?
  10. Alternative Assessment
  11. Alternative Assessment: Example.
  12. Text-Only Alternatives.
  13. Equivalence?
  14. Clarity Example 1: Who Were The Original Six Member of the EEC?
  15. Clarity Example 2: Who Were The Original Six Members of the EEC?
  16. Language: An Example (and a bad one at that!).
  17. Guidance.
  18. Simulations: Not The Real Thing, But They Give Some Idea of What It's Like.
  19. Benevolent Bill.
  20. Navigation.
  21. Dexterity.
  22. Conclusions.
  23. Pixelation.
  24. Tabbing Order: Would This Make Sense If You Were Listening To It?
  25. Links.
  26. Tables 1.
  27. Tables 2.
  28. Images 1: Perfect Vision?
  29. Images 2: Tunnel Vision.
  30. Colour.
  31. Font Face and Size.
  32. Tolerance.
  33. The Holistic Approach.

This is the HTML version of the Accessible e-Assessment (PowerPoint format - 415Kb) given by Simon Ball, TechDis.

 

  1. Aims and Objectives.

    By the end of this presentation you should:

    • Be aware of the work TechDis are doing with Awarding Bodies towards inclusive e-assessment.
    • Have an awareness of common accessibility and inclusion issues in e-assessment design.
    • Be in possession of a simple checklist to aid evaluation of your own assessments in terms of accessibility.

    Back to Top of Page

  2. TechDis e-Assessment Resources.

    Back to Top of Page

  3. Awarding Bodies and Accessibility.
    • Guidelines already well established for centres delivering assessment, but not very inclusive (e.g. extra time is not always a benefit).
    • Some specific areas covered by existing guidance but largely focused on making alternative arrangements to existing assessments.

    Back to Top of Page

  4. Existing Guidance.
    • QCA: SEN Access to Computerised Testing in Year 9.
    • SQA: Digital SQA Exams.
    • OCR: Access To Assessment.
    • City & Guilds: Access to Assessment and Qualifications.

    All of the above can be found within the "Accessible-Assessment" file area at www.jiscmail.ac.uk.

    Back to Top of Page

  5. Guidance Required.

    Needed at every stage in the development of an e-assessment:

    • Question Design (and marking);
    • Design of Delivery Software;
    • Process (bigger picture);
    • And then adjustments to accommodate what remains unaddressed.

    Back to Top of Page

  6. Work Currently In Progress.

    Working with key partners in sector, to:

    • Define a Holistic Approach to e-assessment in terms of inclusion;
    • Define Reasonable Adjustments in terms of e-assessment;
    • Ensure inclusion is inbuilt to systems and not an add-on after the fact;
    • Future proofing where possible.

    Back to Top of Page

  7. Future Direction?
    • Your input welcomed.
    • Follow-up work when areas of need identified by current work.
    • And then...HE - a few links already in place, but a very fragmented system.
    • Any suggestions of how to reach people across HE at any of the levels involved would be much appreciated (CETIS SIGs already on list!...).

    Back to Top of Page

  8. Accessibility Checklist Game.

    Note: Some people may find this approach unhelpful and this is acknowledged - it is just one of several ways of introducing some of the more common accessibility issues to an audience who may not have thought about them much previously.

    • As with all checklists this is not definitive.
    • Always use your brain and your judgement.
    • This is simply an aide-memoire to help ensure you have thought of some of the more common issues.
    • Justifying your decisions is vital.

    Back to Top of Page

  9. Forewarning: The Point?
    • Without any adjustments or forewarning, learning experiences or assessments can leave students completely in the mire, disabled students even more so.
    • Is this fair?
    • If the 'A's had been forewarned of this activity a week ago, what could they have done to prepare? What assistive aids could they have used?
    • We need to ensure that every step of the way we are letting students know what is ahead of them in as much time as possible, so potential issuers and barriers can be identified, dealt with, and removed or avoided.

    Back to Top of Page

  10. Alternative Assessment.
    • When an assessment cannot be made accessible to a particular student, an alternative needs to be created. This does not have to be 'e' (unless the assessment is being delivered out of the direct control of the author).
    • It is good practice to have a range of assessment types within a course.

    Back to Top of Page

  11. Alternative Assessment: Example.
    • A hairdressing student has to provide a text description of the tasks involved in bleaching and dyeing hair.
    • A dyslexic student may have difficulty formulating the sentences.
    • It may well meet the intended outcomes in this instance to provide a list of suitable and unsuitable statements in a 'select and order' exercise.

    Back to Top of Page

  12. Text-Only Alternatives.
    • Remember: Equivalence!
    • A text-only version may not be equivalent to the Full Monty.
    • RNIB's 'See It Right' Award went to Tesco's access site. Oh dear....
    • For actual web sites, have a look at Betsie (but ask her first).

    Back to Top of Page

  13. Equivalence.

    Often a planned alternative question or version can involve the student in greater effort than the original version. E.g. It can be harder to select 'comprehension' issues from an audio passage than a typed passage due to ease/difficulty of 'scan reading'.

    Back to Top of Page

  14. Clarity Example 1: Who Were The Original Six Members of the EEC?
    1. Belgium, The Federal Republic Of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands.
    2. Italy, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, The Federal Republic Of Germany, France.
    3. France, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Denmark, The Federal Republic Of Germany.
    4. United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, France, The Federal Republic Of Germany, Italy.

    Back to Top of Page

  15. Clarity Example 1: Who Were The Original Six Members of the EEC?
    1. France
    2. Italy
    3. Spain
    4. Denmark
    5. Luxembourg
    6. United Kingdom
    7. Netherlands
    8. Belgium
    9. The Federal Republic Of Germany

    NB: Not strictly equivalent - but simply to illustrate what may be a more straightforward question for all.

    Back to Top of Page

  16. Language: An Example (and a bad one at that!).

    What is the name of the process of protecting, preserving and managing natural resources?

    1. agriculture.
    2. forestry.
    3. conversation.
    4. conservation.

    Back to Top of Page

  17. Guidance.

    Back to Top of Page

  18. Simulations: Not the Real Thing, But They Give Some Idea of What It's Like.

    Simulations: not the real thing, but they give some idea of what it's like - to be used sensitively as some people are very opposed to the concept of simulations and of course nobody can know what it is like to have an impairment if they don't live with it day in day out, but these do at least get some empathy across, especially to people who refuse to acknowledge that conditions such as dyslexia exist or that they have any significant impact upon learning.

    Back to Top of Page

  19. Benevolent Bill.
    • Go to www.techdis.ac.uk/staffpacks.
    • Click on Staff Packs.
    • Click on Open Benevolent Bill.
    • Scroll down to Presentations.
    • Click on Inbuilt Accessibility Features of Microsoft Windows (and again).
    • Choose Open rather than Save.

    Back to Top of Page

  20. Navigation.

    Image of a crossword-style puzzle.

    The image above shows a crossword-style puzzle with numerous accessibility flaws.

    Back to Top of Page

  21. Dexterity.

    You have one finger or you are using a head wand to input your keyboard responses:

    • To see how much time is remaining in this test press Alt+T;
    • To see the instructions for completing the test press Alt+I;
    • Problem?

    Back to Top of Page

  22. Conclusions.
    • Ambiguous instructions can be difficult to follow.
    • Instructions and details should be tested to ensure they work as expected.
    • Students with a disability may not be able to react in the expected manner. Students with a cognitive disability may react in an unexpected way - everyone's instinct and interpretation will differ.

    Back to Top of Page

  23. Pixelation.

    The image below is a section from which million-selling album cover from 2004?

    Image of a distorted image of a word.

    The image shows a grossly distorted image of a word. It is simply a word taken from the cover of a CD on Amazon and enlarged immensely. The word has pixelated and become unreadable.

    Back to Top of Page

  24. Tabbing Order: Would This Make Sense If You Were Listening To It?
    • Move To Previous Question.
    • Question 6.
    • Move To Next Question.
    • What is the capital of Norway?
    • A.
    • B.
    • C.
    • D.
    • Oslo.
    • Stockholm.
    • Copenhagen.
    • Bergen.
    • Check Box.
    • Check Box.
    • Check Box.
    • Check Box.
    • Click Here For Help Area.

    Back to Top of Page

  25. Links.

    If you could pull out links into a separate alphabetical list for quick reference, and the link was the underlined part of the following, which would help you find the list of topics quickest?

    • Click here for Topic List (Linked part: Click here for topic list).
    • Click here for Topic List (Linked part: Click here).
    • Click here for Topic List (Linked part: Topic List).
    • Click here for List of Topics (Linked part: List of Topics).

    Back to Top of Page

  26. Tables 1.
    Student Ash Bill Charlie Deeta Ellie
    Age 32 21 19 28 47
    Score 81% 44% 75% 65% 62%

    The table in this example is written horizontally. What is the mean score of the students aged over 25?

    Screen reader would read "Student Ash Bill Charlie Deeta Ellie Age 32 21 19 28 47 Score 81% 44% 75% 65% 62%"

    Back to Top of Page

  27. Tables 2.
    Student Age Score
    Ash 32 81%
    Bill 21 44%
    Charlie 19 75%
    Deeta 28 65%
    Ellie 47 62%

    The table in this example is written vertically. What is the mean score of the students aged over 25?

    Screen reader would read "Student Age Score Ash 32 81% Bill 21 44% Charlie 19 75% Deeta 28 65% Ellie 47 62%"

    Back to Top of Page

  28. Images 1: Perfect Vision?

    Drawing of a complex flow diagram.

    This image shows a complex flow diagram, where a view of the whole is the only way to understand the processes involved.

    Back to Top of Page

  29. Images 2: Tunnel Vision.

    Image of the same flow diagram but all except a small circle is blanked out.

    This image shows the same flow diagram, but all except a small circle is blanked out, to simulate tunnel vision. Obviously the circle could be moved around to see all of the diagram, but that view of the whole would not be achievable and therefore may render the object unusable in a learning or assessment context.

    Back to Top of Page

  30. Colour.

    Which of the following words highlighted in red is 'cordeiro' in Portuguese?

    "Mary had a little lamb, You've heard this tale before, But did you know she passed her plate, And had a little more?"

    And what if you're red/green colourblind? Six of the words in the sentence are red, the other 17 words green. So a colourblind student or a student using a screen reader would be selecting one word from 23 rather than one from 6.

    Back to Top of Page

  31. Font Face and Size.
    • Is this readable?
    • Is this readable?
    • Is this readable?
    • Is this readable?
    • Is this readable?
    • Is this readable?
    • Is this readable?

    This above examples show different fonts and sizes to illustrate the point that everyone prefers a different font, and possibly each individual has different preferences for different circumstances.

    Back to Top of Page

  32. Tolerance: Who Wrote 'Twelfth Night'?

    Which of these should be marked correct? And which actually would be under your current computer-marking system?

    • Shakespear
    • Shakespeare
    • Shakspeare
    • Shakepeare
    • Shaskpere
    • Shaksper
    • Sahekpsaeer
    • Francis Bacon

    This example shows 7 differently-spelled versions of 'Shakespeare' plus one answer reading 'Francis Bacon'.

    Back to Top of Page

  33. The Holistic Approach.
    • http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/papers/alt-c-2005/.
    • Need to provide accessible learning experiences, not necessarily accessible e-learning experiences.
    • Accessibility is primarily about people and not about technology, so staff should take into account an individual's specific needs, institutional and subject factors when providing accessible resources.
    • Need for a quality assurance framework for the development of accessible e-learning resources.
End of Text.


Back to Top of Page.