In 1980 before digitization, all the
processes ware carried out manually in academic institutions. admission,
examination, transcript request etc was manual. Notices, circulars, Course
material was in printed format. Very little use of educational aid in teaching
and learning process.
This manual activities was posing several
challenges in inclusion of all the stakeholders in academic system.
Digitization of academic system has resolved almost issues for creation of
inclusive academics.
This paper presents a review on impact of
digitization for development of inclusive academics. How digitization has
helped to include every one regardless of their physical ability, age, gender,
athnicity, geography and demography etc.
The
paper also highlight various computer aided assistive technologies for
inclusion of persons with disabilities in academics and its role in digital
academic services.
Before digitization, schools, colleges and
universities ware communicating all the academic services manually using printed
documents. Institutional brochures , course admission forms, notices, circulars, letters, academic course material etc was in printed format. Persons
with print disabilities like persons with blindness and low vision ware finding
all the information inaccessible to them since they ware unable to read and
comprehend such information without assistance of sighted person. Communication
to the students, faculties and other stakeholders ware manual through post and
courier. It was time consuming. All the non digital communication was very much
difficult to understand for specially persons with disabilities. Persons with
visual impairment was required braille course material which was challenging to
provide them in timely manner. . persons with disabilities have to struggle a lot for higher schooling
during course selection, admission, classroom learning, exam preparation,
writing exams, project and internship, research work, placement and
recreational activities.
Faculties and students ware using
mechanical educational aids in instructional designing and delivery that was
not helping to include persons with all kinds of abilities. Wooden board and
markers, papers etc was insufficient to convey information to the students with
disabilities. Faculties with disabilities ware also having difficulties in
operating and preparing for talks and presentations.
Digitization has changed the entire
scenario and it has played crucial role in the inclusion of persons with all
kinds of abilities with varied background.
Impact of digitization on inclusive
academics:
As more and more university
information and educational materials migrate to the web, it has increasingly
becomes accessible to people with
disabilities. Functions such as course registration, tuition payment, financial
aid applications, notices, circulars, news and events and so on are central to
any student’s experience at a university. When those functions are available on
the web, they allow for access any time, from anywhere not only to the
individuals with disabilities but also all others. If the content is
constructed and with web accessibility standards and guidelines, then students
with disabilities are afforded a new level of freedom previously inexperienced.
For example, students with blindness can use computer software that reads the
web content out loud to them. thus eliminating their previous reliance on other
people to read the content to them. Persons with low vision can enlarge the
digital content and read it. Persons with motor disabilities can access the
digital content with the use of speech recognition software. Persons with
auditory and speech impairment use sign language interpreter. Persons with
cognitive and neurological disabilities can use augmentative and alternative
communication software tools. On the
other hand, if the content is not digitized, then students with disabilities
will be denied the benefits that should be available to them to the same extent
that it should be available to all other students.
In order for this to happen
consistently over time, universities and colleges must adopt both a policy and
a system that supports digitization of institutional programs, services and
activities. Teachers, students, researchers use internet for their routine
academic assignment. Blogs posts, forums, social media, Videos are very commonly used by them because it is
easily accessible to every one including persons with disabilities.
Digitization
and Universal Designing for Learning:
Digitization
is the key driver for Universal Designing for Learning as many tools and
applications uses digital system such as web, digital projectors and displays,
audio devices, learning management tools etc.
Multi-modal
instructional design and learning is facilitated by Digital systems. Digital
content can be available in many forms such as text, audio and video, large
print, braille, pictorial and graphical etc. Also it is very easy to convert digital content in any format in
short time.
Digitization provide several options for
learning such as distance learning through online programs, classroom learning
through various means, Practical learning in Laboratories etc.
Digitization
of Libraries:
Digital
or online libraries has crucial role for inclusion of persons with varied
abilities. All type of study material such as books, journals, magazines, short
articles etc is readily available in digital library which can be either read
by persons with disabilities with the use of computer aided assistive
technologies like screen readers, screen magnifiers, sign language interpreters
etc.
Digitization of institutional programs,
services and activities has made academics more inclusive and accessible for
every one including persons with disabilities.
It is recommended to the academic
institution to make its all the processes digital if they wish to make their
academics inclusive and accessible.
