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[Big State School]

I would add to JT's list:
This person is bright, but not yet mature enough for college.

[Lisa, student]

As a Capella University student myself I do take issue with a couple of comments about "diploma mills" and calling for-profit education "ilk".  Yes, there are diploma mills and horrible schools, but they are not limited to online schools.  Capella University happens to be very highly regarded by over 85 corporations, including Microsoft, Boeing, Wells Fargo and Farmers Insurance.  
Before you comment on a topic, I think you should be a little more informed; or at least read the article.  It does state that Capella University has already been cleared once, this former student is appealing that ruling.

[David Stong, Penn State]

There's lots of talk in Higher Ed Web design groups about Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Before 508, though, there was Section 504: programs receiving federal funds must be accessible to people with disabilities. If a school receives federal funds, it seems fairly clear that their programs must be accessible without discrimination. Everyone is equally entitled to the same independence, immediacy, and convenience of Web based education.

So if the question is, how far do educational institutions have to go, the answer can only be, "as far as necessary."

If the institution is a for profit business, the distinction between synchronous classroom or asynchronous independent Web-based learning is clear, or they wouldn't be in business. Businesses are required to provide access to what they offer the public: if your door has to be a certain width to accommodate wheelchairs, your digital environment must be accommodating as well.

[Lisa Spangenberg]

There are some truths inherent in the student's claims, though I do agree with OCR's findings.

WebCT does not meet even the most basic requirements for disabled users, and it has one of the worse interfaces for web content I've ever seen. It's truly wretched--and I've used it as a student, a teacher (a "Designer" in WebCT terms), and as a technical support staff member supporting thousands of end-users. WebCT is absolutely awful, from any perspective, and Blackboard is not a lot better (yes, I've used it too.)

There are a number of things that can be done, though not easily in the case of WebCT, to help. Many of these are going to be just as helpful for non-disabled users, and frankly, since they are known to be inherently good UI design principles, should have been part of WebCT to begin with. That is, resizable text, clearly identified images, text substitutes for all interface items, clear navigation paths (I do give credit to WebCT for its early adoption of "bread crumbs" but that's about all they've done right), and minimizing the number of clicks needed to accomplish a task.  Most of the problems are with the UI. Try using a mouth stick to click buttons for a while; it's not fun. And we all need to worry about RSI.

WebCT isn't alone in it's horrendous UI; most of the administrative software and instructional software I see on campus is poorly designed and implemented; it wouldn't make it in either the world of consumer software or Opensource.  Bad software is even worse, when you have to struggle to read text that is too small, too light or too dark, or use buttons that are only identified by art that you can't see and your device can't interpret for you, and you're lost in cyber space because the navigation system is poorly designed. And then there are problems with online Help or documentation that are not intelligible or useable. We deserve better, and so do our students, yet we pay huge sums for mediocre technology.

[Corrie]

I used to work at Capella; I've also worked at Walden University (where many of Capella's founders came from).  They're certainly not diploma mills - the coursework is comprehensive and rigorous.

Ed's point - that some people just shouldn't do some things - is unsettling, but valid.  The FAA doesn't let just anybody get a pilot's license.  If you have a history of heart problems or spontaneous unconciousness, they're not going to let you fly.  

Working at a community college, I see a lot of students who frankly aren't "college material."  I also see a lot of students who could be successful with a little help and encouragement.  Given how hard it is to raise a family on the income available to folks with no college education, shouldn't we do everything we can to help students succeed?

[Mike]

I would have to agree with those stating that WebCT and other content management systems are simpley horrendous – students and instructors do deserve better. The issue really boils down to the critical need for good design – something the WebCT has not done.

In my reading on this matter, it appears as if the student who filed the lawsuit was, indeed, a very good student who was suddenly subjected to a new user interface that was simply unusable. The fact that he already holds a master’s degree from another institution indicates that he apparently did not have the same issues there. I’m appalled at those who seem to be more bent on attacking the student than the real issue at the core of this matter – usability. Equally disturbing are those who seem to be Capella students that were not enrolled in the same program as the one who filed the lawsuit, and may not have even used WebCT, and yet have been posting what they claim the same set of purported OCR findings in many places on the Internet. OCR has historically been known to issue many contradictory and incomplete rulings.

After reading both the article and the actual lawsuit, some of the issues being raised seem to center on the fact that existing laws simply do not adequately address the needs of those with learning disabilities. If I remember correctly, approximately 15 to 20 percent of the population has some type of learning disability and yet these are often the last to receive appropriate accommodations, if they receive them at all.

I have personally had many, many students over the years who have required assistance for seemingly innocuous learning disabilities. In many cases, these students not only excel with minimal interventions but can be some of the brightest and most intelligent students in my classes. Without assistance, however, they can flounder – not because they’re lazy or unwilling to learn but because they struggle with things that most others take for granted. It should not be a crime to have such things as short term memory – when a student is capable (and not all are), providing them with simple things to overcome a poor user interface should not be a big deal - doing so merely levels the playing field for them and enhances the instructional experience for everyone. History is fraught with such individuals who have had learning and other disabilities – Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, Stephen Hawking, to name just a few.  I find the comments of those who suggest that we should ignore the needs (or even exclude) those who are different from the typical student to be abhorrent. Frankly, I believe that this borders on outright bigotry.

There seem to be other issues that were not reported in the Chronicle. I’ve read where the student’s instructor may have purchased her degrees from Lacrosse University, which is a diploma mill. If that is true, then there would seem to be many issues pertaining to the quality of instruction at Capella.

[SS, Mid sized public U]

I think it is a bit naive to think that there are faculty who do not fit your description.

I have colleauges who admit to doing 1, 2 and 4, and no they are not joking. Worse yet, this approach wears off  onto some graduate teaching assistants, who see faculty as a model for professional behavior. These are certainly standing up in front of a class, but whether they are "teaching" the material or not is questionable.

Barbara wrote:

> Huh? This is complete nonsense and an utterly illogical
> statement.
>
> If we are to believe ellen, then there are actually people out
> there who
>
> 1. take the time and effort to prepare a lecture
> 2. make an effort to show up for class
> 3. actually stand up in front of a class and teach that
> material
> 4. have absolutely no interest in knowing whether anybody got
> anything out of the lecture.
>

[Capella Rocks]

Mike said,

"Equally disturbing are those who seem to be Capella students that were not enrolled in the same program as the one who filed the lawsuit, and may not have even used WebCT, and yet have been posting what they claim the same set of purported OCR findings in many places on the Internet. "

Are you claiming that the OCR findings which are posted at http://forums.degreeboard.com/showthread.php?t=5708 are not from the OCR? If that is your claim, you are mistaken.  But don't take my word for it. The findings are available under the Freedom of Information Act from the OCR. Send an e-mail to David.Blom@ed.gov and make a Freedom of Information Request for the documents. Capella gave Mr. La Marca multiple chances to modify his behavior which was in clear violation of the Learner Code of Conduct. Mr. LaMarca chose not to modify his behavior and was rightfully dismissed from the University.

Another point, (which Mr. LaMarca doesn't mention), is that Mr. LaMarca completed two courses with the new software the quarter before he was dismissed from Capella. Capella made accomodation for him and he earned A's in both.  In fact, in one of those courses, he posted the most responses in the class. Apparently, he WAS able to use the software.

[Capella Rocks]

Mike said,

"Equally disturbing are those who seem to be Capella students that were not enrolled in the same program as the one who filed the lawsuit, and may not have even used WebCT, and yet have been posting what they claim the same set of purported OCR findings in many places on the Internet. "

Are you claiming that the OCR findings which are posted at http://forums.degreeboard.com/showthread.php?t=5708 are not from the OCR? If that is your claim, you are mistaken.  But don't take my word for it. The findings are available under the Freedom of Information Act from the OCR. Send an e-mail to David.Blom@ed.gov and make a Freedom of Information Request for the documents. Capella gave Mr. La Marca multiple chances to modify his behavior which was in clear violation of the Learner Code of Conduct. Mr. LaMarca chose not to modify his behavior and was rightfully dismissed from the University.

Another point, (which Mr. LaMarca doesn't mention), is that Mr. LaMarca completed two courses with the new software the quarter before he was dismissed from Capella. Capella made accomodation for him and he earned A's in both.  In fact, in one of those courses, he posted the most responses in the class. Apparently, he WAS able to use the software.

[%sig%]

[Christine]

And it is important to add that yes, Capella does have a very comprehensive disability policy and a disability services specialist, just like every other college.  They are accredited by the same accrediting body as every other college in the midwest and follow the same rules and guidelines.

[Food4Thought]

Another perspective: Some of my students have taken  online courses specifically because they have physical disabilities that may deter them from a "regular" classroom environment. They find the virtual classroom (we use Blackboard at our mid-size university) to be more accomodating, as well as flexible for their schedules.

[F Deaton Coord Disabled Studen]

This discussion should be solutions focused.  SO what if a disabled person registers and their equipment of needs do not match up with Capella. What should Capella do? Take their money and say sorry too bad? Would it be impossible to have alternative process and delivery systems for students?

I am suprised at the disability bashing as an option for the discussion on this topic. WebCt, Blackboard, and other devices are not as user friendly for students using adaptive devices as a lot of the posters try to present or even assume. Plus, depending on AOL or Microsoft based or Apple baseed foundation drive systems or sending platforms there is an increase difficulty meshing with reading speaking devices on computers Another factor is the age of the computer. many disabled on fixed income still use 98 and 95 Windows and wa all know Microsoft does not update those older systems, and that causes problems.

The clear need in disability access is to have alternative methods of delivery in case of incompatability. Allow for difficulties (such as problems cut and pasting  on Blackboard) or the inability to increase the print size on WebCT.

I do not think it is unreasonable for a college delivering exclusively online programs to be expected to put the energy and the time to make the primary delivery area accessible. Is it so unreasonable to have a staff of problem solvers set at the online college to work out problems with the system?  

You know, I bet the non-disabled would benefit even more from the emphasis on access and problem solving.

[4Justice]

Capella University's insurance company has refused to pay for Capella's costs in the lawsuit. All known details are currently available at:

http://www.capellauniversity.org/Capella_v_Executive_Risk_Speciality_Insurance_Company.html

It would appear that Capella's insurance company has rightfully refused to pay for their vicious attacks (and frivolous countersuits) against students who take legal action against them.

[dark_globe]

It is my belief that a fundamental shift in thinking about what it is that we want students to learn (as opposed to what content we want to teach) will help all students, those with learning disabilities, sensory impairments, subject specific anxieties, etc to get more from their academic experiences.

What a load of nonsense. "Subject specific anxieties"? Do you think anyone is going to coddle these people like that in the workplace? You're really doing them a tremendous injustice. But then, I'm sure receive healthy grants to produce this tripe so you don't care.