Improving access to course content and activities is an important step toward improving the learning experience of students in our virtual classrooms. In our current remote learning environment, which did not have the benefit of preparation beforehand, it becomes even more important to pause and think about whether activities are accessible and inclusive.
Weekly Ed-Tech Spotlight:
Do you use a lot of breakout rooms in Zoom? Remember that you can pre-assign breakout room groups. Using the CSV import method means that you can keep the CSV file and upload it to each meeting that will use that set of groups.
Technological Accessibility
The technology-based nature of distance learning makes it all the more imperative to not make assumptions about what our students know and are able to do online. For example, many recommended practices (video and videoconferencing) require high bandwidth connections that students may or may not have. The matrix below offers a good thumbnail view of what different activities demand and offer.
Immediacy and Bandwidth Matrix
Matrix by DePaul University
The potential variety of technology students have access to is why it’s important to start classes with some kind of survey to find out what technology students have available to them and what they are comfortable using. (The LSA Canvas templates all include such a survey, ready to be used or adjusted for your needs!) The information provided by the survey can guide you in choosing the most appropriate teaching methodology for meeting students’ needs in that particular class.
It’s often the case that the most accessible courses include a robust and overlapping variety of activities. For example, the same course goal might be served by both a demo video and a collaboratively created how-to document with text and images.
In addition to varying your course activities, to take different levels of technology access into account, there are some simple things you can do to course materials to make them easier for more students to access in online form. Consider taking the following steps for each type of course content:
Adapted from the University of Michigan’s Accessibility site
| Topic | What to Implement | How to Implement |
|---|---|---|
| Images | Add Alternative Text | Use the accessibility checker for each image Guides: |
| Videos | Add captions and transcriptions | Order captions through MiMedia, then review their accuracy |
| Documents | Structure with actual headers and lists, not just big/bold text or typed in numbers. | Use headings Guide: |
| Tables | Structure with good data tags and metadata. | Use table headings, captions, and summaries Guides: |
| Links | Use unique and descriptive text (not just “click here”) | Make link text meaningful by describing the content of the link target |
| Color and contrast | Appropriate fonts and color combinations |
Guides: |
| Video conferences | Captions and backgrounds |
|
Pedagogical Accessibility and Inclusion
The inclusive teaching measures that LSA instructors are familiar with may also require a little adjustment for remote teaching. Below are some recommendations and resources, drawn from UofM and some of our peer institutions, for continuing some common inclusivity practices in an online context.
| Course Area | Practice |
|---|---|
| Syllabus |
|
| Assignments and Activities |
|
| Beginning of the Course |
|
Of course, these are only general steps. There is no substitute for having a dialogue with students about their needs and perspectives, and LTC can advise on what tools are available to put your decisions into practice in an online or hybrid format. Here are some recommendations for two of the most common practices.
Technology to Support Student Voices
One way to help ensure that all students are included in the learning experience is to increase opportunities for students to speak their minds and feel that their voices are valued. You might, for example, ask for feedback from students about their learning experience via an ungraded survey in Canvas. Other formative feedback techniques you can use at any point in a course include:
polling in iClicker or Zoom (private feedback)
chat in Canvas (public feedback)
verbal questioning in synchronous sessions (public feedback)
blogging and journals in WordPress or Harmonize (private or public feedback)
Informal/ungraded asynchronous discussions (public feedback)
These opportunities help place perceptible value on student voices, especially if you address the feedback in course discussion or activities.
Technology to Support Course Community
A sense of community is a strong academic motivator, and a strong learning community can carry a course through a good deal of stress and upset. To foster a sense of community, consider helping students get to know one another from the start with meaningful ice breakers. Ice breakers can be conducted in Zoom breakout groups or via discussion boards, to take advantage of the multimedia tools in Canvas Discussions, Harmonize, or Yellowdig. Another useful tool is Canvas Groups, which provide each group with a mini course-site, accessible only to group members and the instructor. Students might use the Group workspace to discuss course activities or even as a social space. Collaborative activities and projects are also a good way to engage students in community building. LSA’s Active Learning Framework page provides ideas for collaborative activities, many of which lend themselves to online learning.
LSA’s Learning and Teaching Consultants are happy to provide consultation and one-on-one assistance to instructors working to continue inclusive teaching efforts online. Please reach out to us at [email protected] or request a consultation here!
Resources
University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, & the Arts, Inventory of Inclusive Teaching Strategies (2020)
University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, & the Arts, Welcome to Inclusive Teaching at U-M (2020)
University of Michigan’s CRLT, Inclusive Strategies Reflection (5 principles) (2020)
San Diego State University Diversity and Innovation, Maintaining Equity and Inclusion in Virtual Learning Environments (2020)
DePaul University Center for Teaching and Learning, Videoconferencing Alternatives: How Low-Bandwidth Teaching Will Save Us All (2020)
University of Michigan Accessibility, Accessibility Quick Tips (2020)
University of Michigan Information and Technology Services, Instructional Accessibility Tips (2020)
University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, & the Arts, Gender Diversity and Pronouns (2020)
United States General Services Administration, Accessibility for Teams (2020)
