At 13:26 +0000 26/3/02, Ingraham, Bruce wrote:
>Nigel,
>
> We certainly haven't solved the problem here at Teesside, but we
>have been rehearsing the debate. The short answer has to be that there is
>no short answer. For example, making everything available in print might
>actually be seen to be a breach of the new regulations coming into with
>respect to changes in the disability act (see JISC 15 --
>http://www.jisc.ac.uk/pub01/smbp15.html). That is, a print document may
>actually be less accessible to some categories of student than an electronic
>one.
>
> Ultimately, the issue has to be about learning (both staff and
>students) to use the media appropriately. People frequently print off
>material from the web that they should leave and read online. However, this
>is often because it hasn't been properly designed for reading online. It is
>not true that reading online is bad; but it is true that little text has
>been well-designed for reading online. Accordingly, here we have been
>designing systems for making largescale text documents readable (they also
>happen to more accessible in terms of disabilities act). This isn't rocket
There is more to it than just designing it to be read online. One
institution surveyed its students on the subject, and got three
relevant answers as to why the students preferred hard copy over a
screen:
1. It hurt their eyes to read lots of material on a screen.
2. They could not read it on the train on the way to Uni.
3. They could not write notes or highlight important parts.
To this I would add that I personally find being able to stick
fingers in three different places which I am referencing far more
efficient than flipping backward and forward between different URLs
or even different windows.
Regards
David
--
David Morrison, Systems Specialist
Flexible Learning Administrator and Blackboard Project Manager
Communication and Information Services, University Services
The University of Newcastle, Australia
E-mail [log in to unmask]
Ph +61 2 49215397 Fax +61 2 49217087
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