Accessibility and Usability

DMA C113

CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course examines Web usability and accessibility and provides students with the skills to analyze and critique Web content on those issues. Students will learn the critical service that the internet provides in the lives of disabled individuals, they will learn how these individuals access and navigate Web content, and they will learn how to design Web sites that accommodate them.

LEARNING OUTCOMES & ASSESSMENTS

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to

Evaluate the usability of web content and apply usability principles, taking into account such issues as user technology, visual hierarchy, legibility and readability, writing style, site structure, navigation, search engine optimization, Intranets, eCommerce, and internationalization. This will be assessed with a project, scored by a rubric.
Identify disabilities that impede access to web content and categorize appropriate accommodations for each. This will be assessed and scored with a quiz.
Defend the position that sites should be accessible from a legal and ethical perspective. This will be assessed in a short paper, scored with a rubric.
Apply XHTML coding techniques to make a site compliant with the strictest accommodation standard. This will be assessed with a project, scored with a rubric.
Develop a usability and accessibility testing plan. This will be assessed with a written report, scored with a rubric.