Dzierzgowska Ewa, Maćkowski Michał, Kawulok Mateusz, Brzoza Piotr, Maćkowska Stella, Spinczyk Dominik
Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medical Informatics and Artificial Intelligence, Silesian University of Technology, Zabrze, Poland.
Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science, Department of Distributed Systems and Informatic Devices, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 1;15(1):21972. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-07710-2.
Despite advances in assistive technologies, existing tools for teaching mathematics to students with low vision often fail to effectively convey structural information in graphs and function plots. Current methods, such as screen readers or magnifiers, are frequently limited in their ability to present complex visual data, leading to increased cognitive load and reduced learning efficiency. This article introduces the audio-graphic method designed to address these limitations by integrating audio feedback with graphical content. The method was implemented in an educational platform and evaluated with a group of visually impaired participants divided into three subgroups based on the WHO classification of visual impairment: mild, moderate, and severe. The findings indicate that the proposed method achieves comparable or improved learning outcomes with reduced effort and frustration, particularly for students with mild and severe low vision. Statistically significant reductions in task completion times were observed, especially for complex exercises involving power and trigonometric functions. Usability assessments further confirm the platform's accessibility and ease of use. These results suggest promising directions for developing multimodal educational tools that better support STEM learning for individuals with low vision.
尽管辅助技术有所进步，但现有的为低视力学生教授数学的工具往往无法有效地传达图表和函数图中的结构信息。当前的方法，如屏幕阅读器或放大镜，在呈现复杂视觉数据的能力方面常常受到限制，导致认知负荷增加和学习效率降低。本文介绍了一种音频 - 图形方法，旨在通过将音频反馈与图形内容相结合来解决这些限制。该方法在一个教育平台上得以实施，并对一组根据世界卫生组织视力损害分类分为轻度、中度和重度三个亚组的视力障碍参与者进行了评估。研究结果表明，所提出的方法在减少努力和挫败感的情况下取得了相当或更好的学习成果，特别是对于轻度和重度低视力学生。观察到任务完成时间在统计学上有显著减少，尤其是对于涉及幂函数和三角函数的复杂练习。可用性评估进一步证实了该平台的可访问性和易用性。这些结果为开发更好地支持低视力个体进行STEM学习的多模态教育工具指明了有前景的方向。
