A New Normal in Inclusive, Usable Online Learning Experiences | Phillips & Colton
Channel: Empower Teaching
Date: 02/11/2021

One consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic has been more students accessing content remotely, without access to the technology and other resources available on campus. Students from underrepresented groups have been disproportionately affected, something that is not unique to COVID, of course. However, this crisis has provided opportunities to create a new normal of inclusive content delivery, where focusing on the needs of students from the margins will benefit all students.

Providing usable and accessible content through online learning management systems is a challenge, but there are ways forward. For this seminar, we will discuss two specific accessibility practices that provide a model for delivering more inclusive and usable instructional materials: (1) conversion of PDF Content to HTML Content and (2) creating captions for instructional videos.

These two accessibility practices originated from a need to create more inclusive and flexible content and experiences for students with disabilities, but they are not just tools for accessibility alone. When we approach our pedagogical practice from the margins, an unexpected byproduct is that we have a more resilient pedagogy that provides a more usable experience for everyone