Digital technologies are crucial for HE of blind students

Cloud-based learning management systems play a crucial role in advancing the digital skills of visually impaired graduate students, confirming the importance of digital technologies to foster inclusive education and to enhance the participation of students with disabilities in higher education.

This is according to a recently published exploratory study titled ‘Effectiveness of a Cloud Learning Management System in Developing the Digital Transformation Skills of Blind Graduate Students’.

The study’s findings were released at the end of 2024 ahead of a new plan, launched on 7 January, for developing and improving education in the Arab world, which also has called for equipping disabled students with digital skills.

The importance of the plan has been confirmed by a 2024 study that found that children with poor vision learn approximately half as much as those with good or corrected vision.

According to the new exploratory study evaluating the effectiveness of the cloud-based learning system, blind graduate students face difficulties in using modern digital technologies effectively in educational tasks such as accessing digital resources and typing up information, leading to their dependence on others.

It also stated that a deficiency in blind students’ basic digital skills such as the downloading of apps, adjusting general device settings, handling content, sharing files, and managing conversations and meetings, highlighted the importance of enhancing these skills.

Against this background, it probed the impact of using a cloud-based learning management system, MoodleCloud, on the improvement of digital transformation skills of 20 blind graduate students from the Beni-Suef University in Egypt who were equally divided into experimental and control groups. The improvements in the experimental group’s digital transformation skills were measured by comparing pre- and post-test scores.

What did the study find?

The findings indicated significant improvements in the experimental group, with higher scores in both the achievement tests and performance assessments compared to the control group.

The results suggest that the cloud-based learning management system played a vital role in enhancing digital skills such as app installation, general settings adjustment, team and user management, content handling, as well as organising meetings and scheduling.

The study found no significant differences between remote and in-person applications of the intervention.

“The consistency of results across both remote and in-person applications of the intervention suggests that MoodleCloud is accessible and effective, regardless of [the student’s] physical location,” said the study.

The study showed the effectiveness of the cloud learning management system in several key aspects. For instance, in addition to providing a flexible and accessible environment, allowing blind graduate students to interact with educational content at any time and anywhere, thus enhancing their autonomy, the system also supported the use of multimedia, such as audio text, which is compatible with assistive technologies, which improved students’ interaction with the content.

The system provided the possibility of customising the learning experience through periodic assessments and feedback, which helped students track their progress and improve their skills. In addition, the system provided interaction and engagement tools, enhancing the participatory learning experience and increasing the effectiveness of student interaction.

It also enhanced the digital transformation skills of blind postgraduate students by providing tools to use cloud applications and manage information efficiently, helping them adapt to the digital labour market.

“This highlights the importance of cloud learning management systems for blind graduate students, providing flexible and interactive learning environments beyond space, time and disability constraints,” the study noted.

The study also pointed out that the system allows them to access educational resources and interact effectively with their colleagues and teachers.

Going forward

The study emphasised the importance of incorporating modern digital technologies into the education of blind students, aligning with Egypt’s Vision 2030 plan and ongoing educational reforms to achieve sustainable development and promote equality in education.

Egypt Vision 2030 highlights the need to enable students with special needs to employ modern digital technologies in an educational context in light of the digital transformation through the development of appropriate plans and strategies in educational institutions.

According to an April 2024 report, Darkness haunts the blind in Egypt twice over, published by the Middle East Monitor (MEM), there “are no accurate statistics about the number of blind people in Egypt, especially those with visual disability ranging between total and partial blindness and symptoms of visual impairment.” But MEM estimates that there are about 1.8 million blind people in Egypt, which has a population of about 117 million.

According to estimates of the World Health Organization, there are about a million blind Egyptians, and about three million who are visually impaired.

Practically, the findings of the study have several implications for educators and policymakers, according to the study.

It confirms the importance of integrating modern digital technologies into the education of blind students, the creation of flexible and interactive learning environments and that learning management systems need to improve the digital competencies of visually impaired students to enhance their academic and professional success.