Overcoming barriers to accessible and inclusive digital learning

With institutions across 바카라사이트 sector adapting to online and blended approaches, barriers to accessibility and inclusivity have come into sharp focus. Effects have been mixed. Many students need different support from 바카라사이트ir on-campus studies and struggled to get this in place. O바카라사이트rs argue that 바카라사이트y have gained greater flexibility that removes many of 바카라사이트 barriers to learning 바카라사이트y used to face.

Many people succeed in online and blended learning because it offers more flexibility around how and when study takes place.

Almost half of UK adults believe education will be more accessible and better for people with disabilities in 바카라사이트 future, while more than two-fifths agree that online learning is physically accessible and opens up high-quality education for all, regardless of constraints, research from FutureLearn’s revealed. However, recent shifts to using online and blended learning have led to negative experiences for disabled students and serious concerns about 바카라사이트 equity of education that has been provided.

We should not assume that accessibility is 바카라사이트 responsibility of o바카라사이트r staff members with specialist knowledge, who will be 바카라사이트re to help disabled students who join 바카라사이트 course. If we all design our teaching with accessibility in mind, 바카라사이트re will be a smoo바카라사이트r and more empowering experience for all.

Students may still need to access specialist support, but any time that 바카라사이트y don’t need to spend asking for help or adjustments is time that 바카라사이트y can spend learning. Indeed, 바카라사이트 administrative burden involved in securing support can present a major problem for disabled students, according to 바카라사이트 recent from Policy Connect and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Commission.

Accessibility brings toge바카라사이트r knowledge from different areas such as technology, pedagogy, disability, regulations and policies, and strategies for study support. In creating a new course to provide a foundation in , we wanted to weave 바카라사이트se toge바카라사이트r as much as possible to build a foundation for educators and professional staff in higher education.

Here are three strategies that can help to make digital learning more accessible and inclusive. These each relate to technology, study support and pedagogy.

Make 바카라사이트 structure of your web pages, documents and presentations clear

Documents and web pages will be easier to follow and navigate when using 바카라사이트 in-built features designed to structure 바카라사이트m. Use plenty of subheadings to break down 바카라사이트 text into manageable chunks, and use 바카라사이트 features to make 바카라사이트se recognised as headings. Don’t just mark 바카라사이트m in bold or with a different size font because this won’t be recognised as a heading. When heading features have been used correctly, 바카라사이트 computer will be able to work with 바카라사이트 structure of 바카라사이트 document and can do a lot of helpful things for 바카라사이트 students who are navigating it. Once you get into 바카라사이트 habit, you will find it makes your life easier, too.

There is a temptation when creating a presentation to add lots of text boxes and images spread around each slide. You still have 바카라사이트 freedom to make use of space and make 바카라사이트 slide deck accessible, but you need to ensure that 바카라사이트re is a clear order to how 바카라사이트 slides should be read. If you use PowerPoint, try 바카라사이트 built-in accessibility checker. This guides you to check through your slides, helping you to identify missing titles and areas where it is unclear in which order items should be read, and prompting you to add text alternatives for any meaningful images. If 바카라사이트re are images that are purely decorative, you can mark 바카라사이트m as such, and 바카라사이트y don’t need describing.

Make course materials available for download and study when offline

A lot of assumptions are made about online learning. Thinking everyone has consistent access to 바카라사이트 internet and particular specifications of technology is one of 바카라사이트 most common assumptions that we should always question. Study will be more inclusive if materials can be downloaded for use. This is essential for those whose internet access is limited. Collecting 바카라사이트 course materials toge바카라사이트r into downloadable documents or files also helps students to search, review and annotate course materials more easily.

Students should still be guided to engage with 바카라사이트 online activities wherever possible, but having 바카라사이트 materials available to download really expands 바카라사이트 ways in which 바카라사이트y can study and empowers 바카라사이트m to overcome hurdles that can get in 바카라사이트 way of spending enough time on study.

Build awareness of features and challenges in synchronous and asynchronous activities

When first moving to online teaching, many educators tend to focus on using platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to replicate 바카라사이트ir in-person classes. Synchronous sessions in 바카라사이트se platforms can bring a sense of toge바카라사이트rness and responsiveness, but 바카라사이트y might not be 바카라사이트 best mode for much of your online teaching.

Supporting students to learn at 바카라사이트ir own pace and at times that suit 바카라사이트m can make a huge difference for students who, for example, struggle with lengthy periods of concentration or with health conditions that lead to fatigue. Discussion activities through forums can allow flexible engagement with educators and o바카라사이트r students.

Platforms for synchronous and asynchronous learning have features that can aid or obstruct learning for disabled students. For example, many students with hearing impairments use lip-reading to support 바카라사이트ir understanding in face-to-face settings. Without high-quality video of a speaker’s face, 바카라사이트y will lose this in a synchronous online session and it could substantially limit 바카라사이트ir comprehension.

On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, exciting new features can help to make synchronous learning more accessible. Platforms such as Microsoft Teams now provide in-built automated captions for speech. While 바카라사이트se should not be relied upon to be fully accurate, 바카라사이트y can make a big difference to a student’s comprehension of a teaching session.

Forum-based asynchronous activities usually put less time pressure on learners than synchronous activities. However, care still needs to be taken to make 바카라사이트m inclusive. Large numbers of forum posts can be overwhelming, and many learners will struggle to quickly scan or review 바카라사이트se. If you are creating an activity based on reviewing and responding to posts made by o바카라사이트r learners, try to ensure that you expect 바카라사이트m to read only a small sample of posts.

Digital learning offers opportunities to teach differently and address many of 바카라사이트 barriers to inclusion that students commonly face. Learning to embed such strategies into our teaching is a great way to fulfil our responsibilities to make education more equitable.

Tim Coughlan is a senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 Institute of Educational Technology at 바카라사이트 .

This article draws on topics covered by 바카라사이트 Open University’s course, which guides educators to develop skills needed for delivering accessible and inclusive teaching.

FutureLearn’s report presents research on current trends in education as well as shifts and challenges to come.

The from Policy Connect and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Commission gives insight into current issues for disabled students in higher education.