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Formalization of a methodological framework towards the implementation of an accessible virtual educational project

Abstract:

The development of education faces a constant evolution and the adoption of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) for education is reflected in the inclusion of virtual courses in the educational process. However, accessibility in virtual platforms and courses has not been taken into account in the educational process, especially in developing countries that do not have legislation that encourages the consideration of accessibility, a very important benefit for students with disabilities. This paper proposes a methodology to take accessibility into account in the different processes of the life cycle of a virtual educational project. The creation of this methodology has taken place under an iterative process, based on an international standard, and complemented with practical experiences. In order to validate the proposed methodology, an accessible virtual training course for teachers was prepared. The methodology was validated with an iterative design consisting of three phases. Following this experience, comments and suggestions were gathered from several stakeholders in the virtual education process. As part of a cooperation initiative between European and Latin American universities, the proposed methodology was distributed through mass training for teachers. A total of 12 editions of the prepared course have been taught, 8 editions in a blended-learning approach and 4 courses with an online learning focus. A total of 1,182 teachers have participated in the training experience (509 men and 673 women). This study provides a methodology based on a framework for describing the quality of educational processes. This will allow any institution to use this methodology as a reference in order to work on the changes needed to incorporate accessibility into their own production processes for virtual courses.