Making Your Course Accessible | Origin: EL111
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Assistive Technologies for the Online Learner --> Making Your Course Accessible
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
The faculty members communication and style will either help build the community or hurt it.
i have learned that communication is important try to make learning as clear as possible.
I learned that accessibility isn’t an add-on, it’s a legal and ethical part of course quality. Going forward, I’ll build UDL in from the start: caption/transcribe every media item, use clear headings and alt text, and ensure keyboard-only navigation with non–mouse-dependent assessment options. I’ll post materials early, keep dates stable, and provide asynchronous paths. I’ll coordinate with Disability Services, point students to available assistive tech, and actively monitor that approved accommodations (e.g., captions, extended time, accessible docs) actually work throughout the term.
The directions for Syllabus, Course Pages, Audio or video files, LMS were invaluable.
I learned that making a course accessible means designing content with all learners in mind from the start, using captions, alt text, transcripts, and accessible document formats. I intend to apply this by reviewing all my course materials to ensure they meet accessibility standards and using tools like accessibility checkers to proactively remove barriers for students with disabilities.
I truly valued learning about the tools available to enhance course content accessibility, as well as the reminder to take a proactive approach by designing syllabi with a welcoming tone and strong universal design from the outset, rather than trying to adjust retroactively. Offering a variety of formats and designs for online materials is essential to ensure that all students, regardless of impairments or disabilities, feel included and have equal opportunities for success. Ensuring that courses are accessible and beneficial to all learners is essential for student success. A great first step is to explore the wide range of available accessibility tools.
Consistency with grading among students is important, but "tolerance for error" with disabled students needs to be protected.
Online instructors should use multiple ways of assessing students abilities and address a variety of learning styles.
Comment on Douglas Neville's post: I agree. Including a written transcript for any video recording can be so helpful.
This course has made me more aware of my communication. For example, including captioning can help students with disabilities.
Make your course as accessible as you can.
I think the most important thing I learned in preparation in advance to make your course accessible will help all learners.
Wow, I never thought about using 'bold' text or colored letters. I never put much thought into allowing a lapse of time for a student with a disability time to answer or that clicking 'ok' with present a problem for someone.
"Online instructors should use multiple ways of assessing students’ abilities and address a variety of learning styles/preferences at the same time. "
There is a lot of pretending going on.
First, I will note that I use a lot of color in my CAD designs. But because I am aware of the common disabilities with color vision, I am careful to choose colors that are more easily distinguished. I also try to choose colors that will print in b/w with different shades of grey, and often also use line types (different kinds of dashes). Those may help some, but someone who is color blind will likely not be able to discern all the things in my drawings. But, I won’t reduce the use of color that will reduce the ability of most people to understand the drawings.
I disagree with some of the things in this course. For a minor, but clear example, we are tasked with creating content that strengthens the learning process. But, then things like "don't use color" are stated, even though the use of color has long been considered a good tool to enhance learning. So, the result is to reduce learning in the general population, to accommodate some, but pretend that it doesn’t.
It is somewhat like back when some K-12 schools started dumbing-down their education for the purpose of increasing graduation rates in the name of equity. Yes, more kids got diplomas. But those who could have benefited from the higher levels of education were made to suffer.
I really appreciated learning more about tools available to help make course content more accessible and the reminder to be proactive in building syllabi with a welcoming tone and good universal design built in rather than going back and trying to fit it later.
Use multiple methods for different types of disabilities, as well as different learning types. Videos should be transcribed, pictures should have ALT words
Captioning and transcribing can assest the online learner with disabilities. Online instructors can use multable ways to assess a learner's abilities.
