My idea for a capstone project: AI and Accessibility in Learning Design
I want to explore how AI can be used to enhance accessibility in learning experiences. I think I’ll explore how AI-powered tools can create more inclusive content (automatic captioning, text-to-speech, adaptive interfaces for learners with different needs)
I asked ChatGPT to help me come up with a game plan to incorporate the things we’ve learned into this project. Here’s my first stab at fleshing it out with the AI’s help:
Draw on the course readings about multimedia learning principles, especially from Week 8. Apply Mayer's 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning to show how AI can help implement these principles in ways that improve accessibility.
Incorporate insights from the readings on pedagogical differences between media (from Bates' "Teaching in a Digital Age") to explain how AI can help choose or adapt the most accessible media for different learning contexts.
Explore tools that align with UDL principles and can create:
Accurate closed captions for video content
Audio descriptions for visual elements
Text alternatives for images
Simplified versions of complex text for learners with cognitive disabilities or language barriers
a system that uses AI to create personalized learning paths based on individual learner needs and preferences, including accessibility requirements
Relate this to the discussions on MOOCs and open learning from Week 9, showing how AI can make these platforms more accessible and inclusive.
4. AI-Enhanced Assistive Technologies:
- Explore how AI can improve existing assistive technologies, such as screen readers or speech-to-text tools.
- Connect this to the course discussions on media development and pedagogical considerations.
Maybe: Case Studies: Create hypothetical (or real, if possible) case studies that demonstrate how AI-enhanced accessibility tools could be implemented in various learning environments (e.g., online courses, classroom settings, mobile learning).
In writing:
Relate these case studies to the project-based learning experiences you've had throughout the course.
Reflect on how this project has enhanced your understanding of learning design, relating it to the core principles discussed throughout the course.
Discuss the implications of AI-enhanced accessibility for the future of learning design as a profession.
Reflection
Working with a group on the learning design project for this asynchronous week was an interesting experience.
We first figured out that we had all interpreted the need to do the readings differently. Some had read both readings. Some had read only one. One person had not read them at all, under the assumption that we could do the module tasks in any order during the week.
That meant that our first task was getting everyone on the same page. We read through the instructions. We clarified things. People who had done the reading pointed to sections that we expected would be used to complete the task.
We had a very fruitful discussion about what we thought might be useful for each activity. We kept in mind that simply translating the content wasn’t going to fly, and we had to understand more deeply whether existing content could work virtually, or might be better supported elsewhere. We decided to present the content in a virtual-first way using something called EdPuzzle, which is a platform where teachers can upload videos from any hosting site and have the video pause, ask a question, and wait for a response. We gave students a choice of scenario to design for: make a pancake, drive a car, braid hair. This, we hope, would introduce a bit of autonomy to the experience. We also wanted students to engage with each other and not be entirely isolated during the week’s learning, so we asked them to respond to two classmate’s reflection posts in addition to writing ones of their own.
Notably, we thought that the reading would not transfer well to the online modality as it was lengthy, and would not be completed fully without some sort of accountability built-in. We also couldn’t simply transfer the task, as it was originally presented as an in-person experience with live feedback and input from other groups. So, we translated it into a process of choosing their own topic, designing a learning experience based on the framework, posting about it, and then reflecting on two other classmates’ work.
All in all, this experience taught me a lot about translating a learning experience to a virtual modality. It’s a uniquely empathetic experience, because you have to really envision the process of a learner and their ability to engage or not with the content in the given presentation. I’m confident this skill of translating is going to show up in my future work, given the amount of virtual learning going on.
