Inclusive Design Research Centre

1993 - 2018

Read the letter regarding COVID-19 by IDRC Director, Jutta Treviranus.

Courseware Product Name
CourseInfo
SUMMARY SHEET	Designer	Inherent	Combined
	Utilities	Features
Access Support	17	46	63

Information	0	0	0

Courseware Components	27	17	44
Total Accessibility			107
Total Access Support (Column F)	17	46	63
Total Functionality (Column G)	52	124	176
Access Support Functionality Ratio	0.327	0.371	0.349
Comments:
Courseinfo is quite functional, offering a wide variety of courseware tools. It accessibility is low however, primarily
the result of inconsistent use of ALT text, use of frames, and use of table to format layout of wrapped text. The
designer's view is somewhat less accessible than the student view. Layout and asthetics of CourseInfo are
pleasing to the eye, but those using adaptive technologies would have difficulty navigating through a course.

Courseware Product Name
Topclass
SUMMARY SHEET	Designer	Inherent	Combined
	Utilities	Features
Access Support	30	78	108

Information	0	0	0

Courseware Components	18	46	64
Total Accessibility			172
Total Access Support (Column F)	30	78	108
Total Functionality (Column G)	48	112	160
Access Support Functionality Ratio	0.625	0.696	0.661
TopClass is quite functional, and relatively accessible. Perhaps the strongest effect on accessibility is the
fact framed display is controllable by the designer. Additionally, all default images are accompanied by ALT text.
Topclass recieves high marks for accessibility due primarily because of its consistent use of ALT text, and
providing the designer a way to turn frames off.

Courseware Product Name
WebCourse in a Box
SUMMARY SHEET	Designer	Inherent	Combined
	Utilities	Features
Access Support	24	78	102

Information	0	0	0

Courseware Components	14	38	52
Total Accessibility			154
Total Access Support (Column F)	24	78	102
Total Functionality (Column G)	32	88	120
Access Support Functionality Ratio	0.750	0.886	0.818
Comments:
Web Course in a Box provides a good balance between functionality and accessibility. It should be note that the
designer view is in a framed environment and would result in considerable difficulty designing a course for an
instructor using adaptive technologies to operate the Web interface. The student views are quite accessible, but
default images do not include ALT text. Fortunately linked icons are accompanied by alternative
text links which reduces the need for image ALT text.

Courseware Product Name
Virtual-U
SUMMARY SHEET	Designer	Inherent	Combined
	Utilities	Features
Access Support	22	89	111

Information	0	0	0

Courseware Components	0	4	4
Total Accessibility			115
Total Access Support (Column F)	22	89	111
Total Functionality (Column G)	48	136	184
Access Support Functionality Ratio	0.458	0.654	0.556
Comments
Virtual-U is a cross between knowledge building software and courseware. It's primary content is bulletin board
messaging, though course content can be uploaded. The consistency between views is low. It does make good
use of icons (with ALT text) to display meaning in the tool bars and throughout the different views. The use of
frames, the incorrect use of tables, and inconsistency between views makes it difficult for adaptive technologies to navigate

Courseware Product Name
Web Knowledge Forum (WebKF)
SUMMARY SHEET	Designer	Inherent	Combined
	Utilities	Features
Access Support	8	94	102

Information	0	0	0

Courseware Components	0	15	15
Total Accessibility			117
Total Access Support (Column F)	8	94	102
Total Functionality (Column G)	24	120	144
Access Support Functionality Ratio	0.333	0.783	0.558
Comments
Webkf is a knowledge building package that differs somewhat from the other packages analyzed. Its central feature
is its communication system. Content consists of messages posted to the Bulletin Board, which can be linked
to each other to provide references from other messages. As a result WebKF does not have the tradition course
Home Page, Tools, or Content as described in other packages. Although WebKF is relatively accessible, the use
of tables to format the layout of the navigation system will present barriers for those using adaptive technologies to
access messages. Though no ALT text is provided for the few images that appear, this is not a concern since
only a couple images appear throughout for decorative purposes only. The large collection of links at the side or top
of a view will slow navigation for those using a screen reader. An extra link which gives user the option of skipping
the navigational links would be preferred.

Courseware Product Name
WebCT
SUMMARY SHEET	Designer	Inherent	Combined
	Utilities	Features
Access Support	16	32	48

Information	0	0	0

Courseware Components	13	6	19
Total Accessibility			67
Total Access Support (Column F)	16	32	48
Total Functionality (Column G)	56	140	196
Access Support Functionality Ratio	0.286	0.229	0.257
WebCT is quite functional, providing a wide variety of tools and utilites, however little attention has been paid to
accessibility. No mention of accessibility issues are made in the help files. For the experienced HTML author
work around methods are possible for things such ALT text for icons and images, correct use of tables in which
wrapped text does not occur in consecutive row cells, and frames can be bypassed by linking to content outside
the WebCT scripts, though the latter results in loss of data collected which in the framed version of a course.

Courseware Product Name
Lotus Learning Space
SUMMARY SHEET	Designer	Inherent	Combined
	Utilities	Features
Access Support	89	106	195

Information	0	0	0

Courseware Components	14	24	38
Total Accessibility			233
Total Access Support (Column F)	89	106	195
Total Functionality (Column G)	116	240	356
Access Support Functionality Ratio	0.767	0.442	0.604
Learning Space is a highly functional course authoring package that offers a wide variety of pedogogical tools
in a relatively accessible environment. It does not provide ALT text for default images created by LS such as
navigation buttons, but does allow the designer to include ALT text for added images. Inconsistency between
various views requires a user to familarize her/himself with a new layout for each of the package tools. Frames are
frequently without an alternative; more so in the designer view. Tables have been used correctly so that wrapped
text in consecutive cells does not occur. Like each of the other packages assessed in this study, LS does not
reference accessibility issues in the help files or context sensitive help.

OCAD University