An Overview of Disability and Adaptive E-Learning Systems in Italian Universities

Adaptive e-learning is a pedagogical concept whose aim is to adapt the learning path according to the students to make it personalized, able to adapt to their learning styles and the preferences of students with disabilities. This concept is studied in the literature with reference to the technological aspect or to its pedagogical aspect. However, there are not many contributions that examine the relationship between adaptive e-learning and disability. Based on these reflections, the aim of this research is to understand if and how adaptive e-learning systems have been prepared in the university context for disabled students. Specifically, the purpose of the research was to verify, through an empirical investigation, whether the adaptive e-learning paths adopted by Italian universities are accessible and usable by disabled students. The research approach adopted was of a mixed type: quantitative and qualitative. First, a collection of quantitative data to identify the Italian universities that adopt adaptive e-learning courses for disabled students. Secondly, we identified, within the survey sample, the university and the professional figure to whom to address an in-depth unstructured interview. From the quantitative survey, characterized by the mapping of the institutional sites of Italian universities, the presence of some laboratories emerges for developing personalized educational projects aimed at disabled students. From the results of the qualitative survey, it is recognized within the selected university a very solid and structured adaptive e-learning system, capable of making accessibility for disabled students and guaranteeing use. The only problem identified is of a cultural nature which is connected to the difficulty of teachers in accepting the application of new technologies in teaching. All this would lead to a slowdown in the overall use of educational activities by disabled users.