Helping Computer Science Students Learn How to Build Accessible Computing Technologies

This project aims to serve the national interest by helping students learn to consider accessibility for a diverse user audience in software design and development. Accessibility is about ensuring equitable access to information and services for users regardless of their background or ability. Computer science curricula often lack sufficient coverage of this important topic, which affects students’ preparation for the computing workforce.

This project will expand the coverage of accessibility beyond elective and special interest computing courses by creating and assessing educational materials for teaching accessibility in existing core computer science courses while maintaining the integrity of the courses. The teaching materials will be made available to the public using academic and industry networks so that other institutions can adapt the material to their programs.

Including accessibility in computer science curricula will help students acquire the necessary skills to build accessible technology, resulting in graduates with a wider breadth of technical knowledge for an increasingly competitive technology industry. In addition, raising awareness of accessibility as a key topic in computer science facilitates an open classroom environment that is more welcoming for STEM students with disabilities, which could lead to broadening participation in STEM education.

The goals of this project are to: (1) improve existing core courses in computer science using a set of modules that focus on accessibility-related problems such as data structures and object-oriented programming; (2) assess student learning of core and accessibility learning objectives as well as instructors’ use and acceptance of the new modules. To achieve these goals, the project team will refine and update a set of existing accessibility modules, initiate a pilot study with instructors at other institutions, and analyze assessment data to inform improvements in the modules.

Each module will include a brief guide to the accessibility content covered, the computer science concepts addressed by the assignment and how accessibility has been incorporated, exemplar instruction slides for the accessibility content, assignment materials including grading rubrics, and pre- and post-survey questions. The assessment of student learning and instructor perceptions will use experience sampling, student surveys, and focus groups.

The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.