Videos with no transcripts or subtitles
An online course I wanted to attend consisted of mainly videos of the instructor speaking to camera with no transcripts or subtitles. As I have audio processing difficulties the course was not accessible to me.
I did not undertake the course.
It could have been easily avoided with transcripts and/or subtitles, or changing the course format. Jusdt watching a person talk to camera hour after hour is extremely boring.
We make sure that all of our videos are subtitled and try to ensure that information is presented in multiple ways.
The only online course I've really done is the one with the Open University which I'm still in the middle of so I don't think I've actually experienced any exclusions that I can think of in online education.
However, I do agree with you Lynn that I also prefer having a transcript alongside any videos, and a lack of one would deter me from participating (but this is just a personal preference for how I learn as opposed to a requirement).
I am wondering how long ago this was, Lynne? There is now a legal requirement for all online materials to be accessible, and I know many institutions have a lot t catch up with...
Greetings everyone. I took part in many free online courses offered at The Open University, FutureLearn and Coursera. What made me feel excluded was the frequency of interactions between learners and educators. I would complete the course because it was required as professional development. But then, I did not enjoy the learning process.
Well, this may seem childish/childlike, but, sometimes when I look at the overwhelming number of responses in the discussion forum, I feel like I lag behind everyone and then, I quit the course, not participating anymore. This also happens when I see that no one is responding to my post in any of the forums. That indeed makes me feel excluded.
I understand that in large scale learning, both situations may be unavoidable, educators may not be able to interact with all learners, especially in open, self-paced courses where learners can join at any time. (There may be an end date for the course, but one could join at any time and catch up) How can the educators keep monitoring the forums? I am trying hard to overcome my need for an educator's presence. As for the number of responses to read, I could develop a more positive attitude and consider how they contribute to my learning; though this could be time-consuming.
Thank you for reading my response,
Smruti.
Hi Smruti I think this is an important consideration for inclusive design / practice. I was reflecting on my own waning engagement due to feeling overwhelmed keeping up with forums. I came to the conclusion that it was not just the volume of responses and the need to keep up but also 'arriving late to the party' made me feel as though I'd missed key opportunities in those initial forum interactions. So whilst the learning is asynchronous there are synchronistic aspects of it i.e. an optimal temporal window for discussion. I thought about what might be helpful in addressing this. Perhaps having forums that are more optional or 'free range' for those who thrive in busy forum environments and others that are open and closed within a relatively short period of time and which set parameters for contributions? There's probably no perfect solution, only ideas :0)
Claire, I have also felt overwhelmed by the volume of posts and the feeling that I am closing the stable door after the horse has bolted - if I post late and everyone else has already moved on then no one will read my post.
Your point about a synchronous aspect of forums is salient. There definitely seems to be an optimum window. I think it would help to have posts that are open for a limited part of the week - with the window advertised.
A few years ago, I studied an online course, where most of the other learners were on a time-zone to the west of where I was. We were evaluated on our responses to the posts of other learners which closed at midnight in their time zone. My classmates would post late on the last evening in the week, after I had already gone to bed. It was impossible for me to respond to their posts before the deadline, unless I stayed up every week until 4 a.m. waiting for their contributions. I eventually wrote to the instructor and drew his attention to this lack of access due to time-zone.
'I think it would help to have posts that are open for a limited part of the week - with the window advertised.'
An interesting idea Linda, but unfortunately there are some learners who can't post until the weekend, due to other commitments. There is no one size fits all answer to this issue I'm afraid.
Relate!
Smruti,
I agree with you on this one. it can easily make you feel like you do not want to contribute as you feel you are late to the party! This happens to me often, and I know there is an element of us needing to engage in forum discussions.
I have had to except that I learn at my own pace, it is not a race and i will contribute when I get to the content that requires discussions. I hope others will reply or comment on my contributions, as I love to see or hear others perspective.
The forum space can easily make one feel excluded, unintentionally!.