Students will learn about accessibility in the context of computer usage and study the distinction between accessibility and usability. Students will investigate the range of barriers to computer usage and explore adaptive technology and its use in systems, and review development of accessibility guidelines and compliant system design.
Students will be able to:
Graduate status or permission of the MSCS Program Director
Various assigned readings
The term project involves creating a small web site that meets accessibility guidelines.
Assignments this semester will require students to be able to create web page using HTML, CSS, JavaScript and possibly other technologies. This will require access to computers (PC or MacIntosh) and access to a text editor and possibly other software.
There will be a number of reflective papers of 2-3 pages that will be assigned. Their purpose is to give you the opportunity to reflect and analyze the issues that we are discussing this semester.
Each student is expected to make a presentation to the class based on one or more papers to which they will be assigned.
Students are expected to turn in through Moodle. NO ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED BY E-MAIL NOR IN HARDCOPY.
Term projects will be graded with a base grade of 90%, with points added to reflected areas in which the assignment exceeded specified requirements and/or points deducted to show areas where the assignment is deficient.
Presentations will be graded on a letter grade basis, will translate as follows:
| Letter Grade | Numerical Equivalent |
|---|---|
| A | 93 |
| B | 83 |
| C | 73 |
| D | 63 |
| F | 43 |
Late penalties may be assessed of 5-10 points per week after the due date. The final average will be weighted (based on the following ratio):
| Presentations | 30% |
| Reflective Papers | 35% |
| Term Project | 35% |
The final average will translate to a letter grade according
Each programming assignment will be graded with a base grade of 90%, with points added to reflected areas in which the assignment exceeded specified requirements and/or points deducted to show areas where the assignment is deficient.
Late penalties may be assessed of 5 points per class after the due date. The final average will translate to a letter grade according to the following table:
| Final Average | Course Grade |
|---|---|
| A | 90 . 100 |
| A- | 87.5 . 89.9 |
| B+ | 83.3 . 87.4 |
| B | 80.0 . 83.2 |
| B- | 77.5 . 79.9 |
| C+ | 73.3 . 77.4 |
| C | 70.0 . 73.2 |
| C- | 67.5 . 69.9 |
| D+ | 63.3 . 67.4 |
| D | 60.0 . 63.2 |
| F | 0.0 . 59.9 |
The following is the Adelphi University General Attendance Policy: Only students who are registered for courses, and whose name appears on the Official Class Roster may attend courses at the University. Adelphi students make a commitment to be active participants in their educational program; class attendance is an integral part of this commitment. Attendance requirements for each course will be announced by the faculty member at the beginning of each term. Students are expected to be present promptly at the beginning of each class period, unless prevented by illness or by other compelling cause. In the event of such absence, students may request that faculty members be notified by the Office of Academic Services and Retention. Students are responsible for completing course work missed through absences. Students should wait a reasonable length of time for an instructor in the event that the instructor is delayed.
Additionally, you are also responsible for whatever work is covered in class whether or not you are there. Absence from the final exam will be excused only for a good and well-documented reason. The decision to allow a make-up exam will be made in accordance with the policies of Adelphi University.
The first half of the semester (until March 10), the class will take place online via Zoom (the link to Zoom class meetings is at the top of page 1 of the syllabus). If I come under quarantine, the class will move back online via Zoom. I will provide as much notice as I can if this occurs. The link also appears on the class's Moodle page.
If you are under quarantined or have a valid and documented reason to be medically unable to attend in person, please let me know as soon as possible. Attendance online is a privilege, not a right. I will provide recordings of class with their links on Moodle. In addition to regular office hours, I will make myself available online by appointment to student who have missed class for valid and documented reasons.
If I allow you to attend an in-person class via Zoom, you are expected to have your cameras enabled for the duration of class, except when I am lecturing. Failure to do so may result in revocation of this privilege.
NB: I will not be available on Friday, April 7 or on Wednesday, April 12.a
If the University is closed for more than two days due to an emergency, go the home page for this course site each day for instructions and assignments. Student instructions materials can be found on Moodle and at https://home.adelphi.edu/~siegfried/cs575
| Date | Topic | Assignment due |
|---|---|---|
| January 24 | What is a Disability? | |
| January 31 | Disability and Design | Reflective Paper #1 |
| February 7 | Disability and Accessibility | Reflective Paper #2 |
| February 14 | Assistive Technologies | Reflective Paper #3 |
| February 21 | Disability Etiquette | Reflective Paper #4 |
| February 28 | Disability and the Law | Reflective Paper #5 |
| March 7 | Disability and Universal Design | Reflective Paper #6 |
| March 21 | Disability and World Wide Web | Reflective Paper #7 |
| March 28 | Student presentations | Reflective Paper #8 |
| April 4 | Student presentations | |
| April 11 | Student presentations | |
| April 18 | Student presentations | |
| May 2 | Student Presentations | |
| May 9 | Project Presentations | Term Projects |
| May 16 | Project Presentations |
If you have a disability that may significantly impact your ability to carry out assigned coursework, please contact the Student Access Office (SAO) at 516-877-3806 or send an email to sao@adelphi.edu. The staff will review your concerns and determine, with you, appropriate and necessary accommodations. Please allow for a reasonable time frame for requesting ASL Interpreters or Transcription Services. Because of the additional challenges of instruction during the pandemic, it is especially helpful for the instructor to be aware of students' need for accommodations.
Need support when the SCC is not available? For 24/7 emergency counseling, referral, or assistance, please contact:
The Learning and Writing Centers comprise a single department and student support service, with missions rooted in helping students achieve academic success. Services, delivered via fellow peers working as student tutors, are centered around providing academic support and engagement outside of class and are free to all Adelphi students.
Learning Center tutors mainly focus on specific academic areas - like Biology, Nursing, Accounting, or Computer Science - while Writing Center tutors focus on writing, across all academic disciplines and across the entire writing process-from thesis construction, research, and organization to grammar, language, and citation.
Students enrolled in this course are expected to abide by the Adelphi University Honor Code. The purpose of the Honor Code is to protect the academic integrity of the University by encouraging consistent ethical behavior in assigned coursework by students. Following is excerpted from the Student Honor Code:
The code of academic honesty prohibits behavior, which can broadly be described as lying, cheating, or stealing. Violations of the code of academic honesty will include, but are not limited to, the following:
In addition to filing an Academic Integrity Violation Report, you will receive a failing grade on the assignment, the exam, one or more parts of the term project and possibly in the course.
Students enrolled in remote, online or hybrid courses are expected to actively participate in those courses, which includes consenting to be part of recorded class sessions. Classes may be recorded at the discretion of the faculty to provide students with access to recordings outside of class (asynchronously). Students may also be recorded while taking remote exams.
Students are encouraged to remain on camera while learning in a remote or online format to facilitate interactions with instructors and classmates. All students are encouraged to speak with their instructors at the beginning of the semester about any challenges or potential limitations to their on-camera participation in a remote, live-streamed or online class.
Additionally, in order to protect the privacy of other students enrolled in the course, students will refrain from allowing family members or others participate, listen in, or otherwise impinge upon the shared virtual space of the remote or online learning classroom. Students are prohibited from recording or sharing in any way video content from in-person or online classes with others, pursuant to The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99), a Federal law https://www.adelphi.edu/registrar/ferpa/ that protects student privacy. Sharing of content is defined as discussing or disclosing any and all information about a student in the presence of others, electronically, in person, or otherwise. See also, the Adelphi University Code of Conduct.
During the last two weeks of the class, you will receive notification, via mail and eCampus, that the course evaluation is available for your input electronically. Availability will end at the start of the final examination period. Your feedback is valuable and I encourage you to respond. Please be assured that your responses are anonymous and the results will not be available to the instructor until after the end of the semester and therefore after course grades have been submitted.
All materials in the class will be disseminated via the class's Moodle page. This includes lecture handouts, assignment information and any other content relevant to this course. I will mirror most (but not all) of this content on the web site for the class, whose URL appears at the top of page 1.
Adelphi University welcomes diversity in its community, and policy respects various religious observances. Students who anticipate being absent, due to their religious observance, are required by Adelphi University to notify their professors at the start of the semester. This will allow the faculty to take these observances into consideration in light of their course exam and assignment schedules. Students absent from class, clinical experiences, practice, labs, etc. on those days, after prior notice to the professor, will not be penalized for any exam or assignment deadline missed because of those absences. Students must contact the instructor to work out suitable arrangements for make-ups or other satisfaction of academic requirements.
The University is a diverse community of individuals. This diversity makes us stronger. I will treat all my students respectfully and equitably and everyone will be treated fairly regardless of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity or immigration status. I expect you to reciprocate in how you treat me and or your classmates.
Fall 2022 health and safety policies were announced to the Adelphi community on July 19, 2022 and are available on our COVID-19 website.
For Fall 2022, Adelphi University has a mask-optional policy in most public spaces. Masks will be optional in most, but not all, spaces on campus. The New York State Department of Health requires masks in all healthcare facilities, regardless of vaccination status. Therefore, appropriate face coverings will be required at our Health Services Center, the Hy Weinberg Center for Communication Disorders, all Center for Psychological Services locations and the Student Counseling Center.
In addition, faculty may require masks in instructional spaces. Please continue carrying an acceptable face covering with you in case you are asked to wear one. We appreciate your support of every individual's choice and comfort level about masking. Free masks are available in various locations at Adelphi.
The policy for this class is mask optional. This may change if circumstances require it.
Should you become ill with COVID-19 or be required to undertake a quarantine or isolation period, please take the following steps: