A contextualised model for accessible e-learning in higher education: Understanding the students' perspective

Abstract

In this paper a contextualised model of accessible e-learning practice in higher education is proposed that takes into account three key factors: all the stakeholders of accessibility within a higher education institution; the context in which these stakeholders have to operate: drivers and mediators and how the relationship between the stakeholders and the context influences the responses they make and the accessible e-learning practices that develop. In order to demonstrate the value of the contextualised model in terms of encouraging us to think about the different accessibility stakeholders and the contexts in which they are operating, an illustrative example of one of the identified stakeholders: disabled students will be provided. Data from a recent UK focused study called LEXDIS will be used to provide this illustration and evaluate the usefulness of attending to both context and mediators when thinking about designing for and promoting accessibility within universities. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.