Reducing Blind Students' Learning Effort with an Audio-Tactile Approach to Understanding Basic Computer Algorithms

This paper presents an audio-tactile approach to teaching programming, focusing on the presentation of flowcharts to help blind students understand the operational principles of basic concepts e.g., variables, constants, expressions, operators, control structures (e.g., conditional instructions, loops), functions, and algorithms (e.g., min-max search, recursion, searching, and sorting). The developed platform is designed for use by both sighted and visually impaired students during programming courses. The proposed method integrates tactile flowcharts (physical tactile drawings) corresponding to images displayed on a touchscreen Android tablet, with the Socratic teaching method to enhance conceptual comprehension. This enables blind students to grasp algorithmic concepts and their implementation across multiple programming languages. To evaluate the platform's effectiveness, a study was conducted with 33 participants with blindness, divided into a control group and a research group. Results were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Significant improvements were observed in the usability scores of the proposed platform, measured using the System Usability Scale, and in perceived task load, as evaluated through a task load test, when compared to traditional learning methods. This paper contributes to computing education by proposing a structured, alternative method for teaching algorithms through audio-tactile flowcharts, providing educators with a consistent framework for organizing accessible educational materials. The approach reduces the effort required for blind students to master programming concepts, enhancing inclusivity in computer science education.