Retention in a Series of Online Symposia with Tangible 3D Models for the Visually Impaired: Survival and Cohort Analyses for Accessible Edutainment Outreach
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Type | Proceedings of International Conferences |
| Authors | Kazunori Minatani, Tetsuya Watanabe, Masakazu Iwamura, Eriko Shima |
| Title | Retention in a Series of Online Symposia with Tangible 3D Models for the Visually Impaired: Survival and Cohort Analyses for Accessible Edutainment Outreach |
| Journal | Proc. the 12th International Conference on Software Development and Technologies for Enhancing Accessibility and Fighting Info-exclusion (DSAI 2026) |
| Location | Alexandroupolis, Greece |
| Reviewed | Reviewed |
| Presentation type | Oral |
| Date | June 2026 |
| Research fields | Visually impaired assistance |
| Key | Minatani2026_DSAI (id=2123) |
Abstract
This paper examines retention in an episodic, semiannual online symposium series on 3D learning for the SDGs that combines Zoom-based delivery with tangible learning aids for accessible outreach. Using attendance records from 10 online symposia (S2?S11; ? = 784), retention is analyzed with Kaplan?Meier survival estimation, duration distributions, cohort retention, and a comparison between blind and low-vision (BLV) and non-disabled registrants. Overall retention shows a steep early drop: 526 participants (67.1%) attended exactly one symposium, while 198 (25.3%) attended the final observed symposium and are right-censored. At the same time, re-engagement is substantial: 135 of 258 repeat attendees (52.3%) returned after skipping at least one symposium. The groupdisaggregated analysis shows that BLV registrants were markedly more persistent than non-disabled registrants, with higher survival across attended events, higher next-session retention (40.6% vs. 16.5%), and a larger repeat-attendance share (54.8% vs. 24.7%). Although MOOC completion rates are only a reference and not a direct analogue, the BLV retention profile is notably stronger than the high-attrition baselines commonly reported for online learning. These findings suggest that webinar-based participation, when paired with tactile access pathways such as mailed 3D models, can sustain participation particularly well for BLV learners while still leaving important tactile, logistical, and first-session design challenges unresolved.
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