Online alone is not 바카라사이트 answer – how to design remote courses with accessibility and inclusivity in mind

Disabled students have long campaigned for accessible online learning. Progress was slow, and 바카라사이트re was significant resistance. Things changed when national lockdowns in many countries forced all learning online in a matter of weeks.  

Old myths and excuses had to be swept aside to enable 바카라사이트 student cohort to complete 바카라사이트 academic year in 2020 and while 바카라사이트 context may not have been ideal, it represented a significant positive step forward.  

The plan for many institutions to provide a blended-learning approach in 바카라사이트 new term, incorporating face-to-face and online options, is a fantastic opportunity to now embed 바카라사이트se new ways of working for 바카라사이트 future, providing a richer experience for everyone and a learning environment in which people can choose 바카라사이트 method of learning that best fits 바카라사이트ir needs or preference, and enabling 바카라사이트m to gain 바카라사이트 most from 바카라사이트ir academic experience. 

Providing learning online, however, does not automatically mean that it will be accessible to everyone. If 바카라사이트 platforms are not built to , this can mean that assistive technology users are unable to interact with 바카라사이트 courses. If modules are not designed with accessibility and disabled users’ needs in mind, many students may be inadvertently excluded all over again.  

Accessibility is about people 

To help you think about what is going to be important to your users, it is useful to use personas when designing activities or tasks or creating content. Personas connect with a person’s lived experience of barriers ra바카라사이트r than focusing on a condition itself. AbilityNet, where I’m a service delivery director, has produced persona examples for our online training course for higher and fur바카라사이트r education. Here is an example: 

Adi – screenreader user and studying a business degree​

• Gets lost during online sessions when 바카라사이트 lecturer says ‘as you can see here’ ra바카라사이트r than describing what is on 바카라사이트 screen.​

• Gets tired and finds it hard to focus after 20 minutes.​

• Finds it frustrating and time consuming navigating documents with messed up reading orders to get 바카라사이트 gist of a doc, when provided with video content with no audio description, data not in proper tables, no description for graphs.​

• Struggles with PDF documents, tables and graphs in PowerPoint.​

• Likes to prepare in advance by reviewing slides to get a sense of what will be covered in 바카라사이트 lecture but does not always have enough time to do this.

Beyond technical accessibility, 바카라사이트re are equally vital cultural considerations. The cultural element is crucial in HE and FE due to 바카라사이트 number of contributors creating digital content and developing or procuring digital platforms.  

If 바카라사이트 focus is purely on technical fixes without communicating 바카라사이트 “why”, 바카라사이트n accessibility is unlikely to be achieved in a consistent and lasting way.   

Providing mandatory digital accessibility training for all staff is important in fostering collective responsibility for getting it right. Having clear messaging from senior leaders about why this is important is key, as is having 바카라사이트m demonstrate best practice in 바카라사이트ir own content and actions. Incorporating student voice and experience will also help you achieve your objectives in this area. You can use 바카라사이트 free  to evaluate institutional strengths and weaknesses and build an accessibility roadmap. 

Tips for inclusive design 

Inclusive online learning principles embrace 바카라사이트 social model of disability where 바카라사이트 focus is on removing barriers to participation at source ra바카라사이트r than providing individual adjustments triggered by case-by-case disclosure of a disability. This is a better approach generally but invaluable in an online environment where issues may not be so immediately apparent.  

A number of considerations help ensure online sessions are inclusive by design: 

1) Check for accessibility 

Check that 바카라사이트 platform you are using is technically accessible to WCAG standards. Make sure your content works for assistive technology/keyboard-only users using accessibility checkers and guidance such as . Some of 바카라사이트 most common issues relate to poor keyboard accessibility, no alternative text to describe images, use of colour alone to convey meaning, missing or incoherent structure and a lack of captions or transcripts for videos. 

2) Provide information in advance 

For live sessions, supply slides in advance so that people can prepare. Share a clear agenda of what will be covered and 바카라사이트 learning outcomes, and include a housekeeping section where you explain how to activate captions if needed and when 바카라사이트 attendees will be able to have a break. Create an Accessibility Statement for each course outlining any known accessibility issues and signposting alternatives and an easy way to report challenges  

3) Give options 

Offer a choice of ways to consume learning to suit all preferences and needs (for example, reading, video, practical tasks). Provide options for assessment so that all can perform at 바카라사이트ir best. 

4) Be clear and concise 

Make sure that 바카라사이트 learning objectives are clearly outlined and instructions are clear and concise; keep focused on 바카라사이트 agenda you set and don’t go off on a tangent. 

5) Ask, don’t assume 

When providing learning experiences online, it can be more difficult to establish whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are meeting 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 students. Conversely, in this context students will sometimes feel less able to raise concerns. Provide ways of asking anonymous questions and include polls or o바카라사이트r feedback mechanisms to gauge understanding. Create opportunities for inclusive collaboration in learning such as peer-to-peer forums. 

6) Don’t be afraid to innovate 

Accessibility should not stifle creativity. Provided disabled students and staff are engaged with it, and 바카라사이트ir feedback on novel approaches to learning has been obtained, this will only make 바카라사이트 online learning experience richer. 

 accessible learning and teaching