Increasing Skills in Accessibility through Integration in the Undergraduate Computer Science and Information Technology Curricula

该项目旨在为国家利益服务，为教师和学生开发无障碍软件的技术和设计方面的经验开发资源。世界卫生组织估计，世界上15%的人口患有某种形式的残疾。虽然计算机、移动设备和互联网等计算技术已成为充分参与社会的关键，但其中许多技术对残疾人来说是不可用的。计算专业人员必须做出设计选择，并采取具体步骤，以确保他们开发的计算技术对所有个人都是可用的。大多数计算从业者不能胜任这项任务，而且大多数教职员工也没有教授这些技能的专业知识。在许多计算程序中，接触可访问性包括在一门课程中单独讲课、作业或项目。这个项目不是集中在一门课程上，而是打算评估在整个计算程序中教授可访问性的不同方法的有效性。这个为期三年的项目计划调查北德克萨斯大学本科计算机课程中不同的教学材料和活动在多大程度上导致学生的短期和长期技能和态度转变。将这些方法纳入必修本科课程的例子包括授课材料、相关作业和将相关技术内容及其与残疾人需求的关系结合在一起的项目。其结果将是更多的毕业生在易用软件设计方面接受了更好的培训。与残疾人的互动是这些干预措施之一的组成部分，它将使学生有机会在实际项目活动中发展促进包容的技能。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过其参与的学生学习跟踪，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing resources for instructors and students to gain experience in both the technical and design aspects of developing accessible software. The World Health Organization estimates that 15% of the world’s population has some form of disability. While computing technologies such as computers, mobile devices, and the Internet have become essential for full participation in society, many of these technologies are not accessible for individuals with disabilities. Computing professionals must make design choices and take specific steps to ensure that the computing technologies they develop are accessible to all individuals. Most computing practitioners are not up to this task, and most faculty do not have the expertise to teach these skills. In many computing programs, exposure to accessibility consists of a stand-alone lecture, assignment, or project within a single course. Rather than focus on a single course, this project intends to evaluate the effectiveness of different approaches to teaching accessibility throughout an entire computing program. This three-year project plans to investigate the degree to which different instructional materials and activities across the undergraduate computing programs at the University of North Texas result in both short- and long-term skill and attitude shifts for students. Examples of the approaches to be integrated into the required, undergraduate courses include lecture material, related assignments, and projects that bring together relevant technical content and their relation to the needs of persons with disabilities. The result will be a greater number of graduates who are better trained in accessible software design. Interaction with persons with disabilities, which is a component of one of these interventions, will provide students with the opportunity to develop skills that promote inclusion during hands-on project activities. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.