Accessible collaborative learning environments for mobile devices

Resum

New technologies and devices are being used in learning environments by teachers and students. Some of these tools are computer supported collaborative learning tools that help them collaborate with each other and share knowledge. Chat applications are one of these tools. These tools allow sharing materials and knowledge or solve doubts in real time without the necessity of being in the same room at the same time. Especially, these tools are being used in mobile devices which make collaboration more ubiquitous because people can use them everywhere. However, existing chat applications are not fully accessible and present accessibility barriers that users need to face every day. People with disabilities encounter these barriers every day despite of they have the same rights as people without disabilities according to multiple regulations in many countries around the World. These barriers might not be faced by people with disabilities only, people with disabilities who use mobile devices in different environments – e.g. on the move or in bright environments – can suffer similar problems as people with disabilities. This thesis aims to identify the accessibility barriers that m-learning chat applications have. Besides, considering these problems, this research aims, as far as possible, to improve the accessibility of chat applications. As a result, people with and without disabilities could collaborate with each other without facing accessibility barriers that will mermaid their learning. The main objectives of this thesis are: firstly, identify accessibility barriers that people with and without disabilities face when they use chat applications; secondly, specify the requirements that accessible m-learning chat applications should include for being accessible; and finally, provide an accessible interaction improvement for these applications. All these objectives have been achieved following a user centred design approach. As a result, more than 200 people with and without disabilities have participated in this thesis.