how to create a very accessable online course

Create accessible online course materials

• Foundational course accessibility. Include a written accessibility statement in your syllabus and reference it when...
• Canvas course accessibility.
• Use semantic structure, style, and tags. Use document structure (headings, styles, and tags) to build flexible,...
• Avoid color coding and use sufficient color contrast. Do not convey...

Full Answer

How do I create an accessible online course?

In a prominent place in your course, include a statement that informs those students who might experience barriers that you are committed to creating an accessible online course. Include information about how to request accommodations. Your college or university may have a recommended or required statement.

Why is course accessibility important for online courses?

Online courses open up a wealth of possibilities for many learners, because they add an element of flexibility to the learning experience not always achieved with traditional classroom courses. Ensuring course accessibility takes advantage of this flexibility and maximizes the potential of the learning experience.

Are online courses accessible for people with disabilities?

An online course environment should not pose a barrier to learning, however with widespread adoption of online learning, many online courses are simply not accessible for people with disabilities. The question remains: Why aren’t they?

How to create accessible elearning for students with disabilities?

6 eLearning Design Tips For Creating Accessible eLearning 1. Ensure That All Components Within Your Course Are Accessible To Learners With Visual, Auditory, Physical, Speech, Cognitive, And Neurological Disabilities 2. Pay Attention To Color And Fonts, As Some Are Hard To Read 3. Make Sure That The Navigation Is Clear

How do I create a unique online course?

In this article, you'll find an overview of the 10 major stages of online course creation:Pick the perfect course topic.Ensure your course idea has high market demand.Create Magnetic and Compelling Learning Outcomes.Select and Gather your Course Content.Structure Your Modules and Course Plan.More items...•

How can we make accessible learning?

How to Make Learning Accessible to All StudentsCaption videos. Watching video content has become the preferred learning format for many students. ... Transcribe lectures and seminars. ... Avoid PDFs. ... Check tools for accessibility options.

What are five design tips to improve online courses?

5 Tips for Engaging Online Course DesignDevelop Course and Module Learning Goals and Objectives. ... Use Multiple Media for Learning Materials. ... Choose Appropriate Learning Tasks. ... Humanize the Technology. ... Include Multiple Learning Assessments.

How do I create an online course in 2020?

How to create an online courseChoose the right subject matter.Test your idea.Research the topic extensively.Write a course outline.Create the course content.Bring your course online.Sell your online course.Market your content.More items...•

How can I make my higher education more accessible?

Usually, colleges receive state funding based on the number of students that are enrolled. Instead, higher education can become more accessible if schools tie government funding to performance. In order to do this, states can check the graduation and job placement rates.

How can e learning be accessible to all?

To put it simply, accessibility in e-learning involves using technology and standards to create training content that can be used by all learners, regardless of their ability. "Disability is not just a health problem.

How do you structure an online course?

0:231:41How to Structure an Online Course - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipOnce you determine the starting and ending points organize your curriculum to take the student fromMoreOnce you determine the starting and ending points organize your curriculum to take the student from point a to point b in a logical sequence. Let them know when they hit milestones.

What are the key factors for making an online course effective?

Previous PPIC research has identified five key factors to help ensure student success in online programs:Use a systems approach to course design. ... Provide professional development. ... Set student expectations. ... Create community. ... Take advantage of the online environment.

How do you create an online course outline?

How to Outline Your Online CourseIdentify Modules. ... Break Each Module Down into Core Steps. ... Brainstorm the Details. ... Building Your Outline. ... Add Worksheets and Bonuses. ... Validate Your Outline.

How can I create an online course for free?

How to create an online course for freeThinkific: Software to create an online course for free. ... Canva: Free and low-cost design tool. ... Beaver Builder: affordable WordPress page builder. ... Camtasia: Cheap software for editing online course videos, with a free trial. ... Vimeo: Free video hosting.More items...•

Which online platform is best?

10 Best Online Learning Platforms In 2022 To Jumpstart Your CareerSkillshare.Mindvalley.Coursera.Udemy.Brilliant.org.Edx.org.Udacity.LinkedIn Learning (Ex Lynda)More items...

Is Thinkific or teachable better?

Bottom line: Thinkific wins for overall course website capabilities, managing bulks sales and content, and quiz/testing capabilities. Teachable wins for student engagement and interactivity, ease of navigation, selling/conversion tools, and customer support.

What to include in an accessible online course?

Include information about how to request accommodations. Your college or university may have a recommended or required statement. If not, here are a couple of options for you to consider.

What does it mean when a course is not designed accessibly up front?

If a course is not designed accessibly up front, some students with disabilities are burdened with the need to work with the disability service office to obtain access.

What is accessible video player?

Accessible Video Players. The use of accessible video players is typically a decision made on a college-wide level. If you are using an LMS that allows you to embed your own videos, a good practice is also to include a link that goes directly to the source video (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)

What is a well designed course?

A well-designed course is more usable for all students. The design also takes into consideration that not all students navigate or access the online environment in the same way. This toolkit focuses on three key principles:

Why is it important to organize modules in a similar way?

If you have a course that has several modules , it is helpful to organize each module in a similar way. This predictability helps many students navigate the course and makes it less likely that students will miss an important activity. Below is a sample organization that illustrates this consistency.

Why is sharing accessible videos important?

Share Accessible Videos: Introduction. Video content can be much more engaging than more static content, adding great benefit to an online course. At the same time, if access is not considered, video content can present barriers for many students.

Is sharing a course in Word a good idea?

Sharing course content in MS Word is common and can be simple and effective. As you design MS Word documents, make sure you are taking accessibility into account.

What are the small things that make an online course more accessible?

Small elements make a big difference. Small things can make your online course more accessible. One of these is hyperlinks . The ADA specifies that hyperlinks should be text within a sentence to make them more readable, so you could either write something like: To read the ADA regulations, visit https://www.ada.gov.

Why is accessibility important in online courses?

Designing for online course accessibility helps those who learn differently understand the material. Leverage simple design elements and tools that make it possible to deliver your courses, and you’ll be able to meet the needs of all students.

What do you need to know about online courses?

You need to use image descriptions and alt-text for all your images and videos, add captions and/or transcripts to videos, and make sure all PDFs have been run through optical character recognition (OCR).

How to make it easier for colorblind people to read?

For example, large, bold fonts with uncluttered backgrounds are easier for someone to read without using a screen reader. Use high-contrast color combinations to make it easier for those who are color-blind to read the information on the screen.

How to make sure students have multiple options for learning?

In addition to transcribing video and audio content, make sure that your students have multiple options for learning. Use a combination of text, video, audio, and images so that important information can be understood in a variety of ways.

When writing content, address the different language skills your students may have?

For example, spelling out acronyms, defining specific terms, and avoiding (or at least explaining) jargon makes content accessible to a variety of learners.

Can people with disabilities take classes online?

Fortunately, high-speed internet access and computers have made it possible for people to learn from anywhere, at any time. People with disabilities can take classes from their homes, but they need accessible online courses that take their needs into account.

What makes a course accessible?

Accessible courses allow students with disabilities to participate in a more equitable fashion. These students can learn and participate alongside their peers without their disabilities or learning differences being emphasized. Universities are required by Federal law to offer accessible courses.

Why accessibility is important in an online course

Research shows that the number of students with disabilities is growing in the United States. According to the most recent data released by the National Center for Education Statistics, students with disabilities make up 14% of national public school enrollment . This accounts for nearly 7 million students.

The key elements of accessible online courses

In many ways, online courses offer greater flexibility and convenience for students than in-person classes. However, simply moving a course to a virtual format does not make it accessible. Accessibility needs to be integrated into all courses, from the start, to be successful.

When did online learning start?

I taught the first online learning course at the University of Washington in 1995. My co‑instructor was Dr. Norm Coombs, at the time a professor at the Rochester Institute of Technology. We designed the course to be accessible to anyone, including students who were blind, were deaf, had physical disabilities, or had multiple learning preferences, and consistent with the practice of universal design (UD). Norm himself is blind. He uses a screen reader and speech synthesizer to read text presented on the screen. We employed the latest technology of the time—email, discussion list, Gopher, file transfer protocol, and telnet (no World Wide Web yet!). All online materials were in a text-based format, and videos, presented in VHS format with captions and audio description, were mailed to the students. When asked if any of our students had disabilities, we were proud to say that we did not know. Why? Because no one needed to disclose a disability since all of the course materials and teaching methods were designed to be inclusive of all potential students, including those with disabilities.

How to overburden students with learning to operate a large number of technology products?

Don’t overburden students with learning to operate a large number of technology products unless they are related to the topic of the course; use asynchronous tools; make sure IT used requires the use of the keyboard alone and otherwise employs accessible design practices.

What is DO IT?

DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) serves to increase the success of individuals with disabilities. This publication was partially funded through DO-IT’s AccessCyberlearning project that is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of the Cyberlearning and Future Learning Technologies program (Grant #1550477). Any questions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF. More information about DO-IT can de found at uw.edu/doit.

What does making a course accessible actually mean?

More specifically, it means your course follows the four principles of web accessibility outlined in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):

What do you need to do if you are developing a course with CCS?

If you are developing a course with CCS, your instructional designer will format the course shell for you; however, if you are creating a shell independently, you will need to design your course to operate with assistive technology.

When should I get started?

Consider accessibility as you develop and choose new materials, and plan to revise any old documents before your content deadline. This means most of the work will happen early in the development process, but it may continue throughout the iterative development cycle.

What does "accessible" mean in a PDF?

To be accessible, a PDF must be properly “tagged,” meaning its heading and body structure are identifiable to screen readers. Tags are invisible markup, and they can be added to any existing document, including scans, via Acrobat’s “Make Accessible” function. For more information, see Converting Documents to PDF and Acrobat and accessibility.

What is content and interface?

Content and interface are understandable to all students. Content is robust and compatible with a variety of assistive technologies. In most cases, “making a course accessible” will include formatting documents, captioning video, and ensuring any content provided by publishers is compliant.

Do you need a transcript for a video course?

If you’re adding video, audio, or other multimedia content to your course, you should include a transcript and captions. In most cases, instructors are responsible for supplying their own captions, and the University provides several resources to help you get started.

How to make online courses more accessible?

Do user testing and solicit feedback. This is the most important step you can take toward making your online courses more accessible. By doing simple user testing with your content and soliciting feedback you can identify less visible barriers to access and address them. You can start small.

What is accessibility in online courses?

Identifying and eliminating barriers is what accessibility is all about. Accessibility of content is not only a best practice in developing online courses, it has become a legal requirement in many situations. You may have heard of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Sections 508 or 504 in the US, or the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) in Canada, or other legislation that applies to education or web accessibility. All these mandate a certain level of accessibility in online content for various organizations. These requirements may apply to your work, so it is important to be aware of them.

How to avoid unnecessary barriers in online courses?

1. Ensure text is truly text.

Why did Rodney take the parliamentary government course?

Rodney, a 15-year-old high school student, decided to take an enrichment course online to learn more about parliamentary government, because he hopes to major in international affairs in college. He signed up for an online course through his local community college and was excited to dive into the material. Rodney was unhappy to discover that all the lecture material for the course was in the form of podcasts—he is partially deaf and had difficulty understanding the audio. He contacted the teaching assistant, but was notified that there were no transcripts available. After receiving a poor score on the first quiz despite a strong understanding of the reading material, he chose to drop the course.

Why do courses use CSS float?

Sometimes, when laying out content visually, a course designer neglects to ensure that the content is presented in order in the code. CSS float techniques can allow for highly engaging visual presentation, but the content should remain in a logical order underneath.

Can you upload a course to an online course?

If your course materials are in word-processor documents, or in PDFs or PowerPoint presentations, it can be tempting to simply upload these to your online course and call your course completed.

What is accessible elearning?

Accessible eLearning ensures that all learners have a barrier-free opportunity to participate in web-based learning activities. While accommodating the needs of people with disabilities in online learning environments, it also serves as a best practice for creating and developing learning opportunities that are accessible to everyone.

What is the most significant barrier to online access?

It includes conditions ranging from simple nearsightedness or farsightedness, to age-related difficulties, to a variety of color-blind conditions, to complete loss of sight. Individuals with a vision impairment often face the most significant barriers in accessing online content, given its visual nature.

How to accommodate learners with visual impairment?

An easy way to accommodate learners with a visual impairment is to add zoom features. Having the option to simply increase the text size to make the text or screen more readable may be enough to meet the learner’s needs. Potential barriers can result when content is not resizable or you can’t change the screen size. 2.

What do you need to include in a video?

Audio or video files need to be accompanied by a text equivalent – include closed captioning, or a downloadable transcript of the video.

Why are there barriers in a document?

Barriers are created when correct heading elements have not been used to structure content and when link text is not meaningful on its own (e.g., “click here” provides no useful information). Additionally, drop-down menus should be avoided, as screen readers will only interpret them as one object.

Is online learning accessible to people with disabilities?

An online course environment should not pose a barrier to learning, however with widespread adoption of online learning, many online courses are simply not accessible for people with disabilities.

Is interactivity good for eLearning?

According to Christopher Pappas, “while eLearning interactivity is a great way to engage your learners, you should try to avoid complex interactions when developing accessible eLearning material. Learners with poor motor skills will not appreciate, for instance, intense drag and drop interactions, so you need to find alternative ways to design your interactive elements, making them a simple as possible”.

1. Choose The Topic Of Your Course

To start developing an online course, you will first need to brainstorm about what topic you can opt for. Be sure to possess sufficient knowledge in the field. Also, your choice of topic should not be too broad and must be something specific and unique at the same time.

2. Decide on the type, of course

When you successfully have a unique course idea, you will have to decide which type, of course, will suit your topic the best. This is vital to attracting the right kind of audience for your topic. Depending on your course’s content, you can easily determine the type.

3. Research About The Topic

Now you can finally start developing your online course, but you will have to perform proper research on your topic for this. For research, you will have to follow some important leads discussed here. Make sure that your content is factual and contains no extra irrelevant information.

4. Create A Course Outline

Each course is divided into certain sub-segments, and these sub-segments will be the topic of your course outline. Apart from subtopics, you also must ensure that they are presented correctly. A customer will first look at your course outline and course material, and if it fails to appeal to them, you’d, unfortunately, lose a buyer.

5. Establish Goals And Objectives Of Your Course

As we already mentioned creating a list of goals is important to let the students know what they will be learning from your course. Let’s discuss how You can do it precisely. An overall goal is not a bad idea, but your focus should be on stating the learning objectives of even the subtopics.

6. Build The Content Of Your Course

Finally, you have to build content on your topic to explore many mediums. Let's discuss a few of them here:

7. Choose A Platform For Your Course

When you have successfully created your course content, it is time to sell it. Choosing a perfect course platform is necessary to promote your idea and profit from it. You can choose from several options, remember each one has its pros and cons.

7 Best Practices For Designing Accessible eLearning Courses

Include disability choices for learners to select from when they first access an online course. This ensures that they get the appropriate learning design and suitable content they require for learning.

Parting Thoughts

eLearning is definitely an effective tool to engage learners, especially remote learners. Creating accessible eLearning is another key area to focus on to form a wholesome, inclusive environment for all types of learners. The focus is to start your design with accessibility in mind, rather than attempting a time-consuming digital retrofit later on.

Legal Requirements For Online Course Accessibility

Basic Guidelines For Developing Accessible Courses

The Importance of Layouts and Structure

Creating Options For Content

Small Elements Make A Big Difference

• Small things can make your online course more accessible. One of these is hyperlinks. The ADA specifies that hyperlinks should be text within a sentence to make them more readable, so you could either write something like: 1. To read the ADA regulations, visit https://www.ada.gov. (This option should only be used for short links.) 2. ADA Regulation...

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