The Necessity of Accessibility Online

Case, Michael; Ryan, Melanie; Sidey, Ellen

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Project Outcome Report (48.74Kb)

Date

2015

Abstract

This project would center on providing a day long Accessibility conference on our campus open to participants inside and outside of our institution. The morning session will consist of a presentation by an accessibility expert focusing on challenges unique to online learning. The break out sessions will occur in the afternoon and will focus on how faculty can make a variety of material types accessible. In addition, all sessions will be recorded and, if the presenters are willing, combined with their materials to be compiled and converted into a Accessibility Guide that will be available on our website. Ongoing training and support for faculty on accessibility software and procedures is the lasting byproduct of this conference with the goal of all online courses being accessible thereby aiding faculty development, retention, and student success.

Description

We are working on making our course content accessible to the widest possible student population, which will increase enrollment by reaching those students that need additional support. We are also training and educating faculty about accessibility, which will also ensure that our courses have no barriers to students with special needs and make us a compassionate campus.