ACIT4910 User Diversity and ICT Barriers Course description

This course covers differences in user requirements due to user heterogeneity, situational variations and the wide range of hardware, software and versions of these. Identification of disabling barriers and how these can be eliminated or reduced through universal design of ICT is a central theme in this course. Furthermore relevant guidelines, regulations and legislation will be covered.

No formal requirements over and above the admission requirements.

A student who has completed this course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

On successful completion of this course the student has:

• thorough knowledge of diversity among users, equipment and user situations
• thorough knowledge of demography and age structure of society, trends and tendencies and their implications for universal design of ICT
• thorough knowledge of sensory, motor and cognitive disabilities
• thorough knowledge of the concept of disability and the Gap model
• advanced knowledge of disabling barriers in ICT solutions
• advanced knowledge about universal design and accessibility
• thorough knowledge about accommodation, assistive technology and welfare technology
• has advanced knowledge of relevant laws, policies and standards

Skills

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• analyse and deal critically with different user requirements, and apply these to structure and formulate arguments regarding accessibility, accommodation, and universal design of ICT
• analyse contradictions within/between universal design, accessibility and accommodation in different situations

General competence

On successful completion of this course the student can:

• can identify disabling barriers of ICT solutions based on the Gap model
• can carry out independent study and master dedicated terminology related to user diversity, impairment, disability and universal design
• communicate scientific problems, analysis and conclusions in ICT and user diversity, impairment, disability and universal design to both specialists in health care and the general public

This course is run in collaboration with Louisiana Technology University. During the 2024-2025 academic year, the course will be offered online (digitally). The majority of the instruction will take place asynchronously (in Canvas), with periodic 1-hour long synchronous meetings, in Zoom or Teams.

In line with best teaching practices from the field of professional communication, the following teaching methods will be used (listed here in order of priority and frequency of use):

• Active learning and flipped classroom methods
• Peer review and peer-learning

• Short lectures and presentations by instructor(s), followed by discussions and informal assessments

The role of the teacher is to be a facilitator and an expert-coordinator of course work, who guides the students through the content of the course.

1. Three written assignments

1. Weekly reading response and peer-review assignments. A minimum of 75% (9 out of 12) out of the reading response and peer-review assignments must be approved.

Detailed description of all assignments will be provided to the students in Canvas.

Individual written report of between 1800 and 2200 words.

The exam can be appealed.

New/postponed exam: In case of failed exam or legal absence, the student may apply for a new or postponed exam. New or postponed exams are offered within a reasonable time span following the regular exam. The student is responsible for applying for a new/postponed exam within the time limits set by OsloMet. The Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet.

All aids are permitted, provided the rules for plagiarism and source referencing are complied with.

Grade scale A - F

One internal examiner. External examiners are used periodically.

Professor Pavel Zemliansky

The content of the course will include the following topics: difference between grammar and writing style; effective linguistic choices for successful engineering communication; achieving readability and actionability in engineering documents; basic techniques for technical editing. The course will also cover the methods, strategies, and techniques for analyzing stylistic features of typical engineering texts.