Mapping Accessibility Assignments into Core Computer Science Topics: An Empirical Study with Interviews and Surveys of Instructors and Students

Title of the Paper

Mapping Accessibility Assignments into Core Computer Science Topics: An Empirical Study with Interviews and Surveys of Instructors and Students

Paper Information

• Subject Area: Integration of Accessibility Concepts in Computer Science Education
• Keywords: Accessibility Education, Computer Science Curriculum, Programming Assignments, Student Learning, Instructor Support, Learning Outcome Assessment

Research Background and Issues

• Problems and Challenges:

  1. Accessibility education in undergraduate computer science curricula is currently limited, often confined to elective courses like Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and has not been effectively integrated into core courses.
  2. Most computer science instructors lack knowledge of accessibility and feel unconfident about teaching it.
  3. Students may struggle to proactively incorporate accessibility into software design in their future careers.

• Significance of the Research: With the increasing ubiquity of technology, accessibility is critical for enhancing inclusivity and the applicability of technology. Training future technologists to be familiar with accessibility concepts is a crucial step toward addressing societal accessibility challenges.

• Motivation and Related Work:

  1. Previous efforts have attempted to integrate accessibility content into HCI and elective courses, but many of these approaches are limited by the optional nature of such courses and low student participation.
  2. Some studies have demonstrated that modular teaching and hands-on experiments can improve students' accessibility knowledge in the short term, but there is a lack of exploration into methods for long-term integration into core computer science content.
  3. Research indicates a growing industry demand for accessibility skills, but both instructors and students feel a lack of tools and resources.

Solution

• Methods and Solutions:

  1. Develop accessibility-focused programming assignments for core computer science courses, covering topics such as Braille converters, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and automated accessibility checks.
  2. Integrate these assignments into courses without compromising the teaching of core computer science concepts.
  3. Provide materials and support for instructors, including task design, classroom resources, and guidance on learning objectives, to facilitate implementation.

• Innovations:

  1. Offer programming assignments based on real-world accessibility problems rather than abstract cases.
  2. Support instructors in integrating accessibility content, even if they have limited experience in the field.
  3. Use modular and flexible designs, allowing tasks to be applied and adapted across different types of courses.

• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:

  1. Conduct interviews with instructors to identify ways to replace or integrate tasks into existing courses.
  2. Develop tasks that achieve both accessibility and core computer science learning objectives.
  3. Pilot these tasks in courses across multiple institutions and iteratively improve them based on feedback from students and instructors.
  4. Analyze data using methods such as experience sampling, pre- and post-course surveys, and qualitative interviews.

Research Findings

• Specific Outcomes:

  1. Students demonstrated significantly improved familiarity with accessibility-related concepts and confidence in technical implementation after completing the accessibility assignments, particularly in understanding specific populations (e.g., visually impaired individuals) and accessibility guidelines (e.g., WCAG).
  2. Instructors found the assignments easy to integrate into their teaching without hindering students' understanding of core computer science content.
  3. Students' technical task performance scores were consistent with those of original course assignments, indicating that the method did not interfere with core learning objectives.

• Advantages Compared to Existing Approaches:

  1. Addresses the issue of accessibility education being typically confined to elective HCI courses.
  2. Provides ready-to-use teaching resources, lowering the barrier for instructors with limited accessibility knowledge to integrate the content.

• Experimental and Evaluation Results:

  1. Comprehensive participation and distributed evaluation involving 15 instructors and 249 students validated the effectiveness of the approach.
  2. Both instructors and students supported the method but suggested further improvements in the clarity of task instructions and the provision of background information.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  1. Current tasks focus on accessibility for visual impairments (e.g., Braille and screen readers); future work should expand to other types of disabilities (e.g., hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities).
  2. Long-term impacts have not been evaluated, as the study was conducted over a single semester.
  3. The relationship between accessibility learning and shifts in students' career interests requires further exploration. Future research should include multi-course integration and alignment with industry needs.

This study addresses the longstanding gap in accessibility education within computer science and lays a solid educational foundation for the comprehensive development of accessible technologies.