Your Class is Already Accessible – 5 Fast Ways To Make It More So
By Maureen Barnes
The first three weeks of classes has felt like many, an entire semester. We moved quickly to mounting courses on eClass, redesigning course design and delivery and then arrived at our first few classes out of breath even though we were logging in as opposed to running across campus. And as we settle in, we are seeing where our classes are functional and accessible and perhaps might not be.
Here are some things that make your class accessible that you likely have in place already:
1) It is online – this means that students do not have to travel and deal with the physical realities of getting to class, moving between classes, and arriving on campus.
2) Course outlines are more robust – with the move to on-line many instructors are providing more information up front about the course content, the course evaluation, and details of what is involved in assignments.
3) Material is being posted to eClass – with information being uploaded, it is available 24/7 for students to engage with it and this accommodates both early birds and nighthawks along with those in different time zones.
Many things we do intuitively supports student learning. Things that are considered “accommodations” can also help other learners struggling in your course for different reasons.
5 Fast Ways to Make Your Course Even More Accessible
1) Consider Captioning Support. Pre-record some lectures so that they can be uploaded and captioned. Lectures that are pre-recorded/narrated with Power Point just need to ensure that the captioning is turned on while you are video recording. If you are audio recording only, you can audio record in Zoom, upload to YouTube as an unlisted video, and YouTube will automatically caption. (see the Going Remote website and the Going Digital website for LA&PS). Captioning supports students with hearing loss, those with attention issues, second language learners, as well as those with auditory processing difficulty.
2) Consider Flexibility with Deadlines. In a remote environment, students are moving from a structured learning environment to one which is unstructured. Help them out. Build in ways for students to make mistakes with their time management. Ideas include: a) provide a 3-5 day window for assignment submission b) allow a set number of “grace days” for assignment submission c) allow students to drop an assignment (eg. 5 assignments are due, students can drop the lowest grade).
3) Consider Time Limits and Test Design. Carefully consider the relevance of speed to the test that is being administered. Is speed of response necessary? Perhaps design test so that all students could take as long as they wished. Alternately, clearly state what the longest expected time to do a test is by the student not faced with additional barriers. If this is 1 hour, consider giving the entire class 1.5 hours so that students can self-accommodate.
4) Consider Volume. Students are being asked to pay attention to more for longer periods of time when learning on-line. Provide information in small chunks before students need a break. For instance, can your “lecture” be recorded in 20 minute increments with activities to do in between?
5) Consider Breaks. Students are being asked to work on the computer far more than previously. Can they be given a break every 20 minutes – even if it means moving them to break out rooms or engaging in a group activity. Every 40 minutes, have students take a minute to look way from the screen, set up and stretch.
About the Author
Maureen has been working with Student Accessibility Services at York over the past 20 years in a variety of capacities. Currently as the Director, her focus is on working within the larger community at York to think about ways to remove barriers to learning and to engage the community to think in terms of supporting all learners so they can flourish. She is also active in the broader disability community, working as a long-standing member of the IDIA (Interuniversity Disabilities Issues Association) which is an association of disability service providers from Universities throughout Ontario, where she currently sits as the Chair.