Developing inclusive e-learning and e-entertainment to effectively accommodate learning difficulties

Abstract

The real-life training of people with learning difficulties is a highly challenging and demanding process that can be effectively improved with the deployment of special-purpose software instruments. This paper discusses the development and evaluation of two inclusive training applications and two games for people with learning difficulties. Namely, the four developed systems are: (a) a cashier training applications; (b) a sewing training applications; (c) an accessible pong game; and (d) an accessible action game. The main objective of the work was to investigate the hypothesis that computer games, as pleasant, motivating and highly engaging interactive experiences, can have a significant role on improving the training of people with learning difficulties, such as attention deficit disorder or Asperger syndrome. The obtained results are very positive and encouraging, and have led to the identification of new research directions, blending training and playing, via novel training techniques and purpose-specific game genres.

Assistive technology interventions for adolescents and adults with learning disabilities: An evidence-based systematic review and meta-analysis

“…We excluded five studies on the basis of them being prototype design studies aimed at developing a device or an interface – Lannen et al (2002), Savidis et al (2007), Mendi & Bayrak (2013), Williams & Hennig (2015a), Williams & Hennig (2015b).…”

Mobile Learning and Games in Special Education

“…These characteristics of games were the reasons Sik Lányi, Brown, Standen, Lewis, and Butkute (2010) designed computer games to teach employment skills to young people with intellectual disabilities. Similarly, Savidis, Grammenos, and Stephanidis (2007) designed two computer games for people with intellectual disabilities in Crete to help their users acquire employment skills. They hoped that by supplementing these with two accessible and highly configurable remakes of the classic space invaders and the pong arcade games, they would not only motivate the learners but improve their basic kinaesthetic skills, orientation capabilities, short term strategic thinking, decision making and self esteem.…”

“…However, the imperative to involve them in the design of assistive products is just as strong. Aware of the advantages of user involvement, researchers have endeavoured to involve users with intellectual disabilities in the design of input devices (Brown, Battersby, Standen, & Anderton, 2005;Standen & Brown, 2006) and software (Brown, Battersby, & Shopland, 2005;Savidis et al, 2007;. This has been successfully achieved while still adhering to established guidelines on user-centred design such as INUSE (Daly-Jones, Bevan, & Thomas, 1999), USERfit (Poulson & Waddell, 2001) and RESPECT (Maguire, Kirakowski, & Vereker, 1998) https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspacejspui/handle/2134/2651…”

Notes for a Collaboration: On the Design of a Wiki-type Educational Video Lecture Annotation System

“…It turns out that the use of additional information, such as captions and annotations, not only provides further explanations that may be of help to the learner, but also improves the level of accessibility of multimedia contents [2,6,11,12]. For example, blind people could gain a great advantage from having additional textual annotations that provide explanations to contents presented in the slides of the video lecture.…”