ISO/IEC 24751 E-Learning Standard Addresses User Needs, Preferences
April 19, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
ISO/IEC 24751:2008 - Information technology - Individualized adaptability and accessibility in e-learning, education and training is published in three parts. It offers a framework and reference model, plus "access for all" criteria on personal needs and preferences and a digital resource description.
Electronics & Telecom Standards Collections IEC Standards News Electronics & Telecom Standards ISO/IEC 24751 aims to meet the needs of learners in the context of "disability," which it views as a consequence of a mismatch between the learner's needs (or preferences) and the education or learning experience delivered, according to ISO.
For example, an individual who is blind is not disabled when the lesson is delivered in audio. However, an individual who does not have the necessary background knowledge to understand the lesson or who is listening to the lesson in a noisy environment is disabled, said ISO experts.
Thus, the needs and preferences of a user may arise from the user's context or environment, the technical requirements of the user's device, the tools available, that is assistive technologies such as Braille devices, voice recognition systems and alternative keyboards, the user's background or a disability in the traditional sense.
Given this reframing of the meaning of disability, a learning environment is deemed as "accessible" when learner needs can be addressed or matched.
ISO/IEC 24751 - Part 1 - Framework and reference model provides a framework to describe and specify learner needs and preferences and the corresponding description of the digital learning resources, so that individual learner preferences and needs can be matched with the appropriate user interface tools and digital learning resources.
ISO/IEC 24751 - Part 2 - Access for all personal needs and preferences for digital delivery provides an information model to describe how a user desires to access online learning content and related applications. It includes how needs and preferences can be ranked with respect to priority and the use of generic and application-specific needs and preference specifications.
ISO/IEC 24751 - Part 3 - Access for all digital resource description provides a language for describing aspects of a computer system (including networked systems) to facilitate their being matched to learners' accessibility needs and preferences. This part also describes application information scenarios and gives informative implementation examples.
Use of ISO/IEC 24751 will assist in matching individual learner needs in a computer-mediated learning environment with the necessary user interface and resources needed to meet those needs, according to ISO.
ISO/IEC 24751 was developed by joint technical committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee SC 36, Information technology for learning, education and training.
Source: International Organization for Standardization (ISO).