Typical Courseware Versus Assistive Courseware for Low Vision Learners

Abstract

Studies related to learners with low vision highlights that learning activities is the most challenging and difficult part in low vision learner's life. Interview with experts also emphasizes that learning materials that specifically developed for low vision learners particularly that focus on content development is highly limited. Currently, the school teachers have to struggle to create the best technique of teaching method to the low vision learners in ensuring them could understand the delivered content as much as possible. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to propose a Conceptual Design Model of Assistive Courseware for Low Vision (AC4LV) learners which has been discussed and reported in the previous articles. Prior to test the proposed model, two types of prototypes were developed with the objective (i) to validate the proposed model and (ii) to provide means for testing the proposed model. The prototypes were named as Assistive Courseware for Low Vision (AC4LV) and typical courseware (TC). Two of them were developed by following two different methods. IntView v1 was found appropriate for developing a small scaled courseware such as TC. While, AC4LV make uses three phases of development process which are pre-production, production, and postproduction. To guarantee the design of AC4LV is tailored towards the target users and meet the appropriate learning aim, User Centred Design (UCD) approach was applied throughout the development process of AC4LV. Actual users, teachers from special primary school, academicians from higher learning institution, and a team of developer were engaged and collaborated with. The results of this study reports and discuss both of the developed prototypes. Future works of this study is to conduct user experience testing for both of the developed coursewares.