How do you know if your online course is truly accessible? Are there rules or guidelines in place to inform your course design? Maybe the larger question is why accessibility is crucial, particularly in an online setting? In the face of all these questions, it is important to recognize that accessibility stems from the commitment to improve a learning space for all students.
Oftentimes, we think of accessibility as it relates to structuring a course to meet the needs of specific learners. For example, an instructor may receive a notification that a student enrolled in their course has a hearing impairment. Thus, the instructor ensures that all the recorded lecture material is accompanied by edited closed captions and text transcripts. While this is an excellent example of how faculty can make their course content more accessible, they have also improved their courses for all learners.
A student in the crowded library can now mute the video and read accurate closed captions without disturbing other library patrons. Similarly, a parent monitoring a sleeping child can now multitask and read the text transcripts without disturbing the infant. These scenarios serve as reminder that we, as educators, have the capacity to create an online atmosphere that invites and enables learners to interact with course content in a variety of ways.
So, how do you begin making these improvements? Consider incorporating a range of materials such as videos, text, images, and audio clips. You can also aid students in navigating the course by providing multiple file formats for various pieces of content.
Another helpful tool is Blackboard Ally. Faculty can view an overall course accessibility percentage, as well as tips and instructions for how to improve the accessibility of course content. Common suggestions may include adding Alt text to images, removing non-mathematical/scientific tables, or switching bold text font to headers and titles within a Microsoft Word document. As we make these changes, we can watch our course accessibility scores improve. Additionally, if NIU faculty are interested in improving the accessibility of both their syllabus and their Blackboard course, they can become an Ally Hero to receive a digital badge!
With all these tools and strategies available, faculty can feel empowered to improve their courses as well as initiate important conversations about accessibility. There may be times where there are no clear-cut answers to accessibility concerns. You may find yourself leaning towards incorporating open educational resources to offset the rising cost of traditional textbooks; yet, these resources may come in the form of un-editable PDF files. Rather than feeling deterred from using the open resources, educators may wish to consider the needs of their students from a holistic standpoint. Accessibility may start with simply asking students, “How can I help you succeed?”
