Glossary
Terms used in accessibility research and practice. Each entry has a definition, common aliases, and category tags.
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- Asynchronous Communication(also: Async Communication)
- Communication that does not occur in real time, allowing participants to send and receive messages at different times. In educational and workplace contexts, examples include email, discussion forums, recorded lectures, and messaging platforms. Asynchronous communication…
- Blackboard Ally(also: Ally)
- A commercial accessibility-checking and alternative-format-generation service from Anthology (Blackboard) that integrates with learning management systems such as Blackboard Learn, Canvas, Moodle, and Brightspace. Ally scans uploaded course materials, reports accessibility…
- Blended Learning(also: B-Learning, Hybrid Learning, Mixed-Mode Learning)
- An educational approach that combines online digital media and methods with traditional face-to-face classroom activities. Blended learning integrates the flexibility and self-pacing of e-learning with the social interaction and immediacy of in-person instruction, allowing…
- Bloom's Taxonomy
- A hierarchical framework originally proposed by Benjamin Bloom in 1956 and later revised, classifying educational learning objectives into levels of cognitive complexity: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. In accessibility education,…
- Brickfield Accessibility Toolkit(also: Brickfield Toolkit)
- An accessibility scanning and reporting tool for Moodle developed by Brickfield Education Labs. It is distributed on a freemium model: a community-edition set of scanners is integrated into the Moodle core Accessibility Toolkit, while advanced institutional features (bulk…
- Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning(also: CTML, multimedia learning theory)
- A theory developed by Richard E. Mayer proposing that people learn more effectively from words and pictures together than from words alone, because the brain processes visual and auditory information through separate working-memory channels. CTML underpins design principles such…
- Computer-Assisted Language Learning(also: CALL, Computer-Aided Language Learning)
- Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) refers to the use of computers and digital technology to support language education and pronunciation training. CALL systems often incorporate automatic speech recognition to provide feedback on learner pronunciation, detect…
- Design-Based Research(also: DBR)
- A collaborative, iterative research methodology used in education and human-computer interaction that develops theory and refines interventions through cycles of design, implementation, evaluation, and redesign in authentic real-world settings. DBR involves practitioners and…
- Distance Education(also: Distance Learning, Long Distance Education, Remote Education)
- A mode of education in which learners and instructors are physically separated, with teaching and learning mediated through communication technologies rather than face-to-face contact. Distance education predates the internet, historically using mail, radio, and television, but…
- Dual User Interface(also: Dual Interface, Concurrent Accessible Interface)
- An interface design approach in which two distinct, purpose-built user interfaces are provided simultaneously for different user groups — typically one visual interface for sighted users and one non-visual interface for blind or visually impaired users. Unlike screen reader…
- E-Learning(also: Electronic Learning, eLearning, Online Learning)
- Education and training delivered through digital technologies, primarily via the internet and computer-based platforms. E-learning encompasses a range of approaches from fully online courses to supplementary digital materials, enabling learners to access content at their own…
- Educational Video(also: Instructional Video, Video Lecture)
- Video content created to teach - including talking-head lectures, screencasts, animations, hand-drawn (Khan-style) explanations, recorded classroom sessions, programming/coding demonstrations, interviews, and slide-based presentations. Accessibility of educational video depends…
- Electronic Textbook(also: E-Textbook, Digital Textbook, Interactive Textbook)
- A digital version of an educational textbook that goes beyond simply reproducing printed content on screen by offering interactive features such as searchable text, bookmarking, embedded exercises and assessments, multimedia content, annotations, progress tracking, and adaptive…
- Flow Theory(also: Flow State, Flow)
- A psychological theory proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describing the state of deep immersion and intrinsic enjoyment that occurs when a person is fully engaged in an activity whose challenge level closely matches their skill level. Flow is characterized by clear goals,…
- IMS AccessForAll(also: AccLIP, IMS Accessibility for LIP, AccessForAll)
- A specification from IMS Global Learning Consortium that defines how to describe learner accessibility preferences and match them with appropriate learning resources. IMS AccessForAll extends the IMS Learner Information Package (LIP) with detailed accessibility preference…
- Learning Design(also: IMS Learning Design, IMS LD)
- A specification from IMS Global Learning Consortium (based on the Educational Modeling Language) that provides a framework for describing the structure and sequence of learning activities, roles, and environments in educational scenarios. Learning Design enables the separation…
- Learning Object Metadata(also: LOM, IEEE LOM)
- A data model used to describe learning resources, standardized by IEEE (IEEE 1484.12.1). Learning Object Metadata defines a set of elements organized into categories including general, lifecycle, technical, educational, and rights information. For accessibility, LOM is…
- Makey Makey
- A small electronic invention kit that uses alligator clips to connect everyday conductive objects — fruit, foil, playdough, drawn pencil lines — to a computer, which sees them as keyboard presses or mouse clicks. Created by Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum at the MIT Media Lab,…
- Moodle
- An open-source learning management system (LMS) used worldwide by universities, schools, and workplaces for course delivery, assessment, and content hosting. Moodle supports accessibility through themes that meet WCAG, an Accessibility Toolkit plugin for content checking, and an…
- Newsela
- An educational content platform that publishes news articles in multiple professionally-edited versions simplified to different U.S. school reading levels, enabling teachers to assign the same story at grade-appropriate difficulty. Because Newsela pairs original articles with…
- Personalized Learning(also: Adaptive Learning, Individualized Instruction, Differentiated Instruction)
- Personalized learning is an educational approach that tailors content, pace, and delivery method to each learner's individual needs, preferences, and abilities. In accessibility contexts, personalization goes beyond selecting appropriate difficulty levels — it requires creating…
- Picture Prompting(also: Visual prompting, Pictorial instruction)
- An instructional strategy that uses photographs or illustrations to depict how to complete each step of a task, providing visual guidance for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Picture prompts can be delivered through physical cards, printed instructions, or…
- Self-Scaffolding
- Self-scaffolding is a process in which learners independently create their own support structures to achieve objectives they would not have reached without that support. Unlike traditional scaffolding, which is provided by teachers or designed into tools, self-scaffolding…
- Sign Language Learning(also: Sign Language Education, Sign Language Acquisition)
- The process by which people learn a sign language as a first or second language, through instruction, immersion, or self-directed study. For hearing second-language learners, reading back fingerspelling and comprehending fast, connected signing are reported as the hardest skills…
- Sociocultural Learning Theory(also: Sociocultural Theory, Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory)
- A theory of learning developed by Lev Vygotsky that argues cognitive development and knowledge acquisition are fundamentally social, mediated by language, culture, and interaction with more knowledgeable others. Key concepts include the zone of proximal development (the gap…
- Study With Me(also: Study With Me Videos, SWM)
- A genre of online video content, primarily on YouTube and Twitch, where creators film themselves studying or working, often incorporating Pomodoro-style timed sessions. Viewers watch these videos while studying to simulate the experience of body doubling—creating a sense of…
- StudyStream
- An online platform that provides virtual body doubling through a grid-based video interface simulating a study hall or library environment. Unlike one-on-one platforms like Focusmate, StudyStream displays multiple users simultaneously, creating moderate accountability through…
- Synchronous Communication(also: Real-Time Communication, Live Communication)
- Communication that occurs in real time, requiring all participants to be present simultaneously. In digital contexts, this includes video conferencing, live chat, instant messaging, and real-time collaboration tools. While synchronous communication fosters immediacy and social…
- Talking-Head Video(also: Talking Head)
- A common educational video format in which a presenter speaks directly to the camera, typically filling the frame, with no or few accompanying visuals. For d/Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing learners, talking-head videos are often low in useful visual content - the speaker's face must…
- Video Modelling(also: Video Modeling, Video Self-Modelling)
- Video modelling is a teaching strategy that uses video recordings to demonstrate desired behaviours, skills, or social interactions, which the viewer can then observe and imitate. In autism education, video modelling is particularly effective because it leverages the visual…
- Video Prompting(also: Video-based prompting, Step-by-step video instruction)
- An instructional technique that uses short video clips to show a person with a developmental or intellectual disability how to complete individual steps of a task, presented one step at a time. Unlike video modeling (which shows the entire task performed continuously), video…
- Video-Based Learning(also: VBL, video-based instruction, VBI)
- The use of pre-recorded or streaming video as a primary medium for teaching skills, procedures, or concepts, ranging from YouTube how-to tutorials and MOOCs to specialised instructional content like safety training and vocational education. Video-based learning offers self-paced…
- Virtual Learning Environment(also: VLE, Learning Management System, LMS)
- A web-based platform designed to support teaching and learning by providing tools for content delivery, communication, assessment, and course management. Virtual learning environments typically include features such as discussion forums, assignment submission, gradebooks, and…
- Virtual Patient(also: Virtual Client, Simulated Patient, Virtual Standardized Patient)
- A virtual patient is a computer-generated simulation of a person with specific health conditions or disabilities, used in clinical education to allow healthcare students to practise assessment, diagnosis, and interaction skills in a safe, repeatable environment. Virtual patients…
- Zeigarnik Effect
- A psychological phenomenon identified by Bluma Zeigarnik in 1927 describing the tendency for people to remember interrupted or incomplete tasks better than completed ones. The effect explains why partially finished challenges, multi-level games, and serialized learning modules…
35 results.