Tampere Universities: Accessibility in Digital Society Study Module

Accessibility in a Digital Society offers a comprehensive, multidisciplinary view on various aspects of accessibility in society, presenting both practical and theoretical perspectives into topics such as web accessibility, image, video and audio description, plain language, accessibility and user experience research as well as accessibility and art, games and AI.

The courses will open in March 2021 for Tampere University.

Introduction  

The study module consists of a total of 30 ECTS credits and it is taught entirely online via accessible learning tools. Participants can either opt for the entire 20 credit package or select individual course units according to their needs and interests.  

The module has been offered since spring 2021. It entails three courses: the first one is an introductory course giving an overview of the topicthe second offers more specialized and applied perspectives to particular topics, and the third is an independent project, assigned to fit each students’ interests and areas of expertise.  

Prior study requirements/recommendations: None.  

Target group  

The target group the module is aimed for is diverse: it is designed to attract anyone interested in accessibility issues, either on a personal or a professional level. The module is offered for Tampere University students and later participants outside the university community, such as public sector employees who need to update their knowledge on accessibility-related matters.  

The diverse backgrounds of the participants have been taken into account in the design of the module, both at the level of lecture contents and the overall module structurethe introductory lectures include enough background information to accommodate for various levels of background knowledge, and the second course is structured in a modular fashion where the students can hand-pick contents that are relevant for their own  learning goals.  

Module structure

Course 1. Fundamentals of Accessibility 

Course 2. Methods and technologies for accessibility and their evaluation 

Course 3. Independent project work