Using the Integrated Behavior Model to Explore Faculty Perceptions of a Digital Escape Room Used to Influence Behavioral Intentions Toward Developing Accessible Online Course Content

Honors

Franklin University Dissertation Excellence Award - Nominee (Spring 2023)

Date of Award

Spring 2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Professional Studies in Instructional Design Leadership (DPS)

Committee Chair

Natalya Koehler

Committee Member

Joel Gardner

Committee Member

Bora Pajo

Abstract

This research examined how a Digital Escape Room (DER) about accessibility contributed to the potential change of faculty behavioral intentions toward developing accessible online course content. This paper describes the design of the DER and a pilot study of its initial implementation that consisted of two phases, (1 a usability test with 3 participants to identify challenges and allow for adjustments to the DER before entering the next phase of the pilot study and (2 a qualitative study to collect participants perceptions on their DER experience. The design of the DER incorporated constructs of both the Integrated Behavior Model and the Integrated Design Framework. Also, each clue aligned with a WCAG guideline and principle. The clues are intentionally inaccessible to create scenarios where the participants must try to learn from the inaccessible content. During phase one, the researcher conducted online observations of each conveniently selected participant during the usability test via Zoom, followed by an online debriefing interview. The usability testing data was analyzed to determine what design issues to fix ahead of phase two. In phase two, a purposive snowball technique was used to find participants for the study. Semi-structured elicitation interviews were conducted with 13 participants who could project their varying years of teaching experience, online learning, and content creation into their reflections on the phenomenon. The data collected from the elicitation interviews were transcribed and analyzed to uncover major themes. The data revealed that the participants found the game fun, engaging, and challenging. Some participants stated that their frustration made them feel as though they could empathize with learners with disabilities in an online classroom. Twenty-three percent of the participants were able to escape despite the accessibility challenges. More than half of the participants reported that their desire to develop accessible content increased after the DER experience.

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