Distance Learning Success Factors in the Resources-Processes-Results Cycle and the Web Accessibility Guidelines
Complete presentation and paper at http://www.unf.edu/~tcavanau/ | Start | RPR Cycle | Resources | Practices | Results | Accessibility | Future |Paper |

 Cathy Cavanaugh, Ph.D. - Assistant Professor ccavanau@unf.edu
Department of Curriculum and Instruction  University of North Florida
http://www.unf.edu/~ccavanau

Terence Cavanaugh, Ph.D. - Visiting Assistant Professor tcavanau@unf.edu
Department of Curriculum and Instruction  University of North Florida
http://www.unf.edu/~tcavanau

Abstract

Higher education in the U.S. is experiencing two important trends that influence distance education: growth in delivery of online courses, and growth in students with disabilities. Course designers can address the needs of disabled students using established quality guidelines and standards. The development and implementation of effective distance education happens in an iterative cycle. The three stages in the cycle are (1) procurement and preparation of the resources necessary to meet the distance education goals, (2) delivery of instruction using the best practices from education, business and research, and (3) analysis of the results of distance education to gauge achievement of the goals. Each stage of the Resources--Practices--Results (RPR) cycle continually revisits lessons learned in the other stages and builds upon the successes realized in the other stages. The success of a web-based distance education program in part relies on the program’s accessibility to all constituents. This paper explores the interconnect among the established success factors incorporated into the RPR cycle and two sets of web accessibility standards published by at national and international levels. The standards are the international World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and the United States’ Section 508 Standards for web accessibility. Because of the differing foci of the groups producing the standards, there is variation in the degree to which the standards relate to the RPR success factors.