Universal Design for Learning and changing font features in LaTeX.
I think the question about changing font size in a LaTeX document is a
technical one and to bring in Universal Design for Learning confuses the
issue.
Firstly a LaTeX document can have its font size changed, but needs the
original document to have a new font size specified, then it will have to be
recompiled under LaTeX into a new document. Unfortunately the formatting may
have gone to pot with that and the whole document needs going through to
reformat it, very messy indeed.
Using Word there is software available that will automatically resize a
font, then automatically reformat the material preserving the features such
as tables etc that can go awry.
The question about Universal Design for Learning and font size is not
answered by saying that thought should have gone into the font choice
originally. There will be no one font and size that benefits everyone, what
one should do is make it easier to change the font and size whilst retaining
formatting, such as is the intention of using cascading style sheets in Web
Pages. UDL would imply that we only use technology that allows such changes
to be made easily.
What is probably of more importance is the thought gone into the expression
of the content of the handouts in question. UDL can play a part here in
requiring Plain English to be used for the expression of ideas. It is still
the case that some academics think that by using convoluted and esoteric
language they will impress people (see last weeks THES for an article about
this), writing for others to understand is secondary. If we decide that
traditional approaches are inadequate and instead concentrate on getting the
language and written expression as simple as can be, we will benefit more
students than the students with disabilities that we originally sought to
assist.
Gerard V Conroy
Consultant on Academic Practice and Disability Issues
e-mail [log in to unmask]
telephone: work 0161 200 3336
mobile 07919 930 295
Home address:
Hillcroft
Little Longstone
Bakewell
Derbyshire
DE45 1NN
