Enhancing Digital Access in Higher Education : Accessibility Tools and Training for All Students and Faculty in the Saudi Arabian Context

Obeid, Maisa Sami Nemer and Passey, Don (2024) Enhancing Digital Access in Higher Education : Accessibility Tools and Training for All Students and Faculty in the Saudi Arabian Context. PhD thesis, Educational Technologies.

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Abstract

Education is a fundamental human right that helps people overcome poverty, level out inequality, and promote sustainable development. However, due to social, economic, and cultural factors, 244 million children and teenagers around the world do not attend school (UNESCO, 2008). As online learning continues to grow and technology increasingly integrates into education, online learning also provides excellent opportunities to create an interactive and readily accessible educational environment. Yet, ensuring inclusivity for a wide range of learners, including those with disabilities, demands careful design of these learning environments (Walters, 2022). Therefore, a proactive approach towards learning environment design can help mitigate the potential challenges associated with content inaccessibility. The main purpose of this study is to measure the impact of embedding accessibility tools, specifically Ally, and the associated training on how to use it, to courses on a digital learning management system (LMS) such as Blackboard. This research was conducted in two universities in Saudi Arabia. A mixed methods approach was adopted for this study, during which a survey of faculty members and students was conducted both before and after the training. Interviews and focus groups were also carried out with faculty members and students. The integration of accessibility tools and tailored training for both faculty and students resulted in positive outcomes identified by the research study. The intervention had a positive effect on faculty members, by enhancing their technical proficiency in addressing three prominent accessibility challenges. This enhancement in technical skills empowered them to rectify accessibility issues, thereby leading to an overall improvement in the accessibility of digital course content. Furthermore, the training fostered a heightened awareness among faculty members about the importance of creating inclusive and accessible content. Similarly, the impact on students was noteworthy. There was an increase in downloading alternative formats, especially for course material among students.