Proposed+Course+Objectives

Good day. After discussion, we have determined that we would most like to develop a course on Senior Sensitivity designed for web designers in order to improve senior's experience when engaging online. Please post 2 - 3 course objectives for such a course by Sunday, October 4 at 8:00 PM. Please feel free to offer feedback on fellow team members course objectives. We will then consolidate these objectives and begin working in our Google Doc. Michelle will be posting a link to it. In addition, if you think you may have a relevant suggestion for a part of the SOW, please feel free to go ahead and put that information in the Google doc. From there, we will divide up the rest of the SOW for completion. If anyone has any additional feedback or questions for me, please post or call. - Melinda

Hello everyone, Melinda- I hope you are feeling better!

I am not available tomorrow at five, so please keep me updated on any decisions the group makes. Concerning our objectives, I have the following feedback: We need to make sure that our objectives are properly written. The behavior portion should be specific and measurable. For example, vague terms such as “appreciate” or “aware” would be replaced with more specific verbs. Dr. Atkinson posted information regarding objectives in Activity 1 under the “ADDIE” link (page 3). I also found this website to be helpful: []  I think we are off to a great start; we’ll just need to revise the objectives that we have currently. -Katie

Hi everyone. I wanted to let everyone know I will be posting the new page for choosing your SOW tomorrow morning. I am really sick with a headache and need to take some more tylenol and go to bed. Also, I want to propose that we have an in person meeting on Wednesday at 5:00 PM to discuss our proposed objectives. We will then post the results of our discussions and for those that can't be there we can allow time for feedback to finalize our objectives. Sincerely, Melinda

From Maria: Hi guys! Sorry my objectives are a little late but I had no internet access over the weekend and didn't get back in town until late yesterday.

After getting ideas/input from my grandparents (84 and 85 years old), I came up with the following:

1. Students will become aware of the difficulties senior citizens have using computers and websites. 2. Students will then take this awareness and learn how to create and design websites optimal for senior citizen users.

From Christina:

Here are my suggestions for course objectives:

 Students will gain awareness of conditions and circumstances particular to senior citizens that create barriers to website use.  Students will develop skills and strategies to present websites that are accessible to senior citizens Students will gain project-based experience identifying and correcting accessibility issues.

Hi Everyone, Here is what I have. Sorry for the late post. I took a nap this afternoon and overslept!


 * 1) **Identify interests of seniors** – students will identify senior interests from an article written by a senior about their daily activities, what they like to do, how they socialize, what is important to them. How they feel about the websites they go to.
 * 2) **Identify limitations** – students will identify the limitations of example websites for a senior audience.
 * 3) **Identify functionality** – students will experience senior limitations through simulation of functionality of a website from a senior standpoint. The simulation can address three key areas of functionality:

//a. Declining eyesight// As we get older, our visual acuity starts to decline and we become increasingly far-sighted at the same time. As a result, many seniors have trouble reading small text. If a senior user moves closer to the screen to compensate for poor eyesight, he or she is then unable to focus and the text appears blurry. However, when they move away from the screen to get the text in focus, the text becomes too small to read. This makes it hard for the senior user to browse a website for an extended period of time.

//b. Decreased memory// In general, our short-term memory worsens as we get older. This means it is more likely for seniors to lose their place on the website they are visiting.

//c. Decreased motor skills// The loss of muscle strength and cognitive function that occurs with age makes quick responses more difficult. Some users may have trouble moving the mouse in the way that they want because of shaky hands. This can result in erroneous clicks and other mistakes in fine movements.

The three areas I identified come from these two articles. The second part also lists some ideas to remedy the issues. //Part 1:// [] //Part 2:// []
 * Building Websites for Senior Citizens**

Lastly, I created another page (Random Facts) to avoid having to scroll down infinitely ;) and posted some links to articles that might be helpful for writing up the background and validating the target audience for our agency and department. It is also tagged facts and quotes if you need to search for it.

Thanks, ~Michelle

Greetings, The following are my ideas:

1. Provided information regarding persons aged 55 and older, students will demonstrate an increased knowledge of the relevant statistics, demographic data and be able to distinguish fact from common stereotypes regarding seniors.

2. Provided with simulations of various conditions which are common to persons aged 55 and older, students will be able to identify specific aspects of an online environment that may cause difficulty for seniors and develop more senior-friendly alternatives.

3. Provided with a series of statements regarding seniors, students will consider his or her current beliefs regarding seniors.

Thanks for Christina's and Katie's suggestions/information so far.

- Melinda

Hello eveyone,

Please see my suggestions below. Note that I did not include the criteria portion in these objectives- I am not sure if that would be determined by the groups writing the proposal.

(1) Given a list of accessibilities issues, students will identify the issues seniors have regarding web design. (2) Given a marketing scenario, students will design a senior-friendly website.

-Katie

This is awesome Christina! ~Michelle

From Christina I think might prove helpful
 * ~ In General (Priority 1) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|1.1] Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via "alt", "longdesc", or in element content). //This includes//: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|2.1] Ensure that all information conveyed with color is also available without color, for example from context or markup. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|4.1] Clearly identify changes in the natural language of a document's text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions). ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|6.1] Organize documents so they may be read without style sheets. For example, when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it must still be possible to read the document. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|6.2] Ensure that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|7.1] Until user agents allow users to control flickering, avoid causing the screen to flicker. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|14.1] Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for a site's content. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use images and image maps (Priority 1) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|1.2] Provide redundant text links for each active region of a server-side image map. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|9.1] Provide client-side image maps instead of server-side image maps except where the regions cannot be defined with an available geometric shape. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use tables (Priority 1) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|5.1] For data tables, identify row and column headers. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|5.2] For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use frames (Priority 1) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|12.1] Title each frame to facilitate frame identification and navigation. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use applets and scripts (Priority 1) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|6.3] Ensure that pages are usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, provide equivalent information on an alternative accessible page. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use multimedia (Priority 1) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|1.3] Until user agents can automatically read aloud the text equivalent of a visual track, provide an auditory description of the important information of the visual track of a multimedia presentation. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|1.4] For any time-based multimedia presentation (e.g., a movie or animation), synchronize equivalent alternatives (e.g., captions or auditory descriptions of the visual track) with the presentation. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if all else fails (Priority 1) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|11.4] If, after best efforts, you cannot create an accessible page, provide a link to an alternative page that uses W3C technologies, is accessible, has equivalent information (or functionality), and is updated as often as the inaccessible (original) page. ||  ||   ||   ||

Priority 2 checkpoints

 * ~ In General (Priority 2) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|2.2] Ensure that foreground and background color combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having color deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen. [Priority 2 for images, Priority 3 for text]. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|3.1] When an appropriate markup language exists, use markup rather than images to convey information. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|3.2] Create documents that validate to published formal grammars. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|3.3] Use style sheets to control layout and presentation. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|3.4] Use relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|3.5] Use header elements to convey document structure and use them according to specification. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|3.6] Mark up lists and list items properly. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|3.7] Mark up quotations. Do not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|6.5] Ensure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an alternative presentation or page. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|7.2] Until user agents allow users to control blinking, avoid causing content to blink (i.e., change presentation at a regular rate, such as turning on and off). ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|7.4] Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, do not create periodically auto-refreshing pages. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|7.5] Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, do not use markup to redirect pages automatically. Instead, configure the server to perform redirects. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|10.1] Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current window without informing the user. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|11.1] Use W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the latest versions when supported. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|11.2] Avoid deprecated features of W3C technologies. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|12.3] Divide large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.1] Clearly identify the target of each link. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.2] Provide metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.3] Provide information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map or table of contents). ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.4] Use navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use tables (Priority 2) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|5.3] Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent (which may be a linearized version). ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|5.4] If a table is used for layout, do not use any structural markup for the purpose of visual formatting. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use frames (Priority 2) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|12.2] Describe the purpose of frames and how frames relate to each other if it is not obvious by frame titles alone. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use forms (Priority 2) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|10.2] Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form controls, for all form controls with implicitly associated labels, ensure that the label is properly positioned. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|12.4] Associate labels explicitly with their controls. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use applets and scripts (Priority 2) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|6.4] For scripts and applets, ensure that event handlers are input device-independent. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|7.3] Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|8.1] Make programmatic elements such as scripts and applets directly accessible or compatible with assistive technologies [Priority 1 if functionality is important and not presented elsewhere, otherwise Priority 2.] ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|9.2] Ensure that any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent manner. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|9.3] For scripts, specify logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers. ||  ||   ||   ||

Priority 3 checkpoints

 * ~ In General (Priority 3) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|4.2] Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|4.3] Identify the primary natural language of a document. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|9.4] Create a logical tab order through links, form controls, and objects. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|9.5] Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|10.5] Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render adjacent links distinctly, include non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces) between adjacent links. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|11.3] Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.) ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.5] Provide navigation bars to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.6] Group related links, identify the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass the group. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.7] If search functions are provided, enable different types of searches for different skill levels and preferences. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.8] Place distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.9] Provide information about document collections (i.e., documents comprising multiple pages.). ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|13.10] Provide a means to skip over multi-line ASCII art. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|14.2] Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where they will facilitate comprehension of the page. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|14.3] Create a style of presentation that is consistent across pages. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use images and image maps (Priority 3) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|1.5] Until user agents render text equivalents for client-side image map links, provide redundant text links for each active region of a client-side image map. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use tables (Priority 3) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|5.5] Provide summaries for tables. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|5.6] Provide abbreviations for header labels. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * [|10.3] Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render side-by-side text correctly, provide a linear text alternative (on the current page or some other) for //all// tables that lay out text in parallel, word-wrapped columns. ||  ||   ||   ||
 * ~ And if you use forms (Priority 3) ||~ Yes ||~ No ||~ N/A ||
 * [|10.4] Until user agents handle empty controls correctly, include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas. ||  ||   ||   ||