Creating Accessible Course ContentPresented by: Kyle Mackie and Sandra Earl

Creating Accessible Course Content

Guiding statements

• Instructional practices should focus on helping students learn; they should not be limited by the learning environment the material is delivered in.

• Accessible Learning Management Systems allow users to access and interpret learning material using technologies suited to their particular needs.

• Accessible Learning Management Systems support the creation of diverse, accessible learning materials and learning paths.

Creating Accessible Course Content

Accessibility at Desire2Learn• Desire2Learn is dedicated to developing standards-compliant,

accessible learning products that improve learning opportunities for all students.

• We build accessibility into all areas of our design lifecycle, including: design, development and testing.

• We seek feedback and guidance from client experts through the Desire2Learn Accessibility Interest Group.

• We publish our compliance with leading standards, including the WCAG 2.0 guidelines and Section 508 VPAT, on our corporate website and have our clients verify our claims.

http://www.desire2learn.com/products/accessibility

Creating Accessible Course Content

Tips and tricks for accessible course content

• Open Communication

• Online courses can be challenging for students with physical or learning disabilities as they can feel disconnected from their instructor, and learning materials can be hidden across many tools.

• Use your Course Home page to introduce yourself and to encourage students to contact you if they need assistance.

• Provide an explanation of your course, including where to find course materials and assignment deadlines.

Creating Accessible Course Content

Tips and tricks for accessible course content

• Redundancy

• One of the easiest ways to improve learning outcomes is to build clarity and redundancy into your lesson plans.

• Create a detailed course syllabus that links directly to relevant readings, assignments, and examinations.

• Reiterate the syllabus in the Schedule and Checklist tools.

• Provide the same information in multiple formats. For example, provide readings, podcasts, videos, etc. on the same topic.

Creating Accessible Course Content

Tips and tricks for accessible course content

• Flexibility and time

• Students with disabilities may take longer to complete tasks and may demonstrate their knowledge better using different indicators.

• Accommodate students’ interests and strengths by allowing them to submit assignments in different mediums.

• Provide readings and assignments in advance.

• Use the Discussions tool instead of the Chat tool for collaboration projects.

• Allow additional time (Special Access) for students who need it.

Creating Accessible Course Content

Tips and tricks for accessible course content

• Accessible HTML content

• Students who use assistive technologies such as screen readers and screen magnifiers rely on HTML markup to adjust and interpret a web pages contents.

• Some basic changes to how you create HTML files can have a big impact.

• Provide alternative text (descriptions) for images• Properly tag headings• Use contextual links• Ensure you have good color contrast

Creating Accessible Course Content

Learn more about creating accessible content

• Functional Accessibility Evaluator

• WAVE toolbar

• WebAIM

• W3C – How people with disabilities use the web

• JISC Tech DIS Accessibility Essentials Series

http://fae.cita.uiuc.edu/

http://wave.webaim.org/toolbar

http://webaim.org/toolbar

http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/people-use-web

http://www.techdis.ac.uk/accessibilityessentials