[Blindmath] Visually Impaired Students Needed for Research Study

[P. McDermott-Wells]

What is the study about? 
If you are a visually impaired student who knows Nemeth Braille, you are
invited to participate in a research study. A computer software program is
being developed that will provide tools to assist visually impaired students
in doing mathematics. This program will provide a Nemeth Braille editor and
a real-time chat feature.  It will translate Nemeth Braille to MathML, which
can be inserted into a Microsoft Word document. The chat feature will allow
you to communicate real-time with a math instructor, by translating Nemeth
Braille to MathML and back as you communicate. The goal of this study is to
determine if this program will reduce the time required for a visually
impaired student to create math documents representing typical math
assignments encountered in high school or entry-level college mathematics
courses.

When and where will this study occur?
We will schedule a test session with you at your convenience. You can
participate from home, and do not need to travel to the researcher's
location.

Why are you asking me?
You have been invited because you have been identified as a visually
impaired university or high-school student who knows Nemeth Braille.

What will I be doing if I agree to be in the study?
You will be given two sets of math problems typical of coursework found in a
high school math course or an entry-level college math course, and asked to
work through those problems.  For the first set, you will use your current
methods to work the problems and produce results in a form that could be
submitted to a sighted instructor.

You will need to tell us what tools and methods you normally do your math
homework, and you will need to measure the time it takes you to complete the
first set of problems. 

For the second set, you will be asked to use a computer program that allows
you to enter and edit Nemeth Braille math expressions and produce a document
with your work in a form that could be submitted to a sighted instructor.
You will have the opportunity to utilize a real-time chat communication
feature that will give you access to a math instructor who will be able to
help you solve the math problems as needed.

You will need to spend some time practicing with the program to become
comfortable in its use prior to the study session.  We estimate that you
will need a minimum of 1 hour of use to become comfortable with its use. You
will spend 60-90 minutes during the actual research study session using this
program.  

We are NOT testing your math abilities!  We are testing to determine if this
program will make it easier for you to produce your math work and/or to get
instructor help when you need it. 

Is there any audio or video recording?
This research project will include audio and/or video recording of your
actions using the computer program. Your computer screen is what will be
video-recorded, and your voice will be audio-recorded during the test
session.  These audio and video recordings will be available to be heard
only by the research team. 

Will I get paid for being in the study?  Will it cost me anything?
There are no costs to you and there will be no payments made for
participating in this study. You will, however, have an opportunity to
obtain a copy of the final version of the software program for your use when
it is released, at no charge to you.

You will have to install on your computer the computer program we provide,
and also install the free personal version of the TeamViewer software
program (http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx) that will allow the
researcher to watch your actions while using the program. You will also need
to have a working microphone on your computer, or be able to use a cellphone
during the study session.
I have some questions.

If you would like to know more about this study, please contact the
researcher (contact information is at the end of this document).

Researcher: Patricia McDermott-Wells, PhD student at Nova Southeastern
University
Telephone: 561-798-3940
Email: pmcdermo at nova.edu