Couldn’t attend the Growing Online Learning Conference this past month? Not to worry, all the sessions were recorded so you can watch them when and where you want.
You can find videos and information about each session on the ILLCO site here, but we’ve also cross-posted it here.
Accessibility: A Civil Right
Vance Martin, Ph.D.
Campus Accessibility Specialist
Center for Online Learning,Research,and Service (COLRS), University of Illinois Springfield
When we hear the phrase “civil rights” it is often seen from the lens of racial equality within the United States, but this phrase now encompasses a larger social movement based on factors such as race, gender and sexual identity, and (dis)ability. In this presentation we will examine the history of disabilities within the United States, as well as its place within civil rights overall. This will set the stage for the federal laws concerning accessibility, and the role educators must play to support the civil rights of all their students.
Mapping Your Success: Universal Design for Learning
Zach Petrea
Associate Professor of English
Heartland Community College
With every new teaching fad that pops up, I struggle with the difference between my personal learning process and student learning processes. Often, I like an idea but it proves unworkable for students in real learning environments. However, using the UDL framework as a guide to designing your instruction and assessments it is possible to account for the natural variability in learners through accessible curriculum, authentic assessments, and greater student engagement. In short, following sound research in neuroscience UDL will allow you to intentionally design effective learning experiences which will reduce barriers for all students.
Simple Solutions: Accessibility for Audio and Video Resources
Robin Fisch
Instructional Designer
Sauk Valley Community College
Lori Wendt
Learning Management System Specialist
Parkland College
Accessibility compliance is a hot topic among higher education faculty these days. But attaining compliance can be a monumental task. There are some easy steps to getting started, though; and one is ensuring that your audio and video resources are accessible for all right from the start. In this session, we’ll cover some basic principles to consider when choosing multimedia content for your course as well as how to ensure that your own content is captioned and transcripted. Two colleges will share their processes, training programs, and best practices for their faculty.
Moving Down the Road to Success: How to Approach Accessibility
Kona Jones
Director Online Learning
Richland Community College
Scott Rial
Director of Educational Technology
College of Lake County
Susan Nugent
Online Support and Instructional Technology Specialist
Lake Land College
Accessibility is an important consideration in Higher Education. Yet, there is no well laid out path for Colleges to take as they seek to ensure they are meeting Federal guidelines. In this session, accessibility champions at three Illinois Community Colleges (College of Lake County, Lake Land College, and Richland Community College) will discuss how their Institution has approached accessibility. Each school is at a different place in their journey, but the overall conversation will include first steps, tools used, where they are at in the process, and some tips and suggestions of best practices when working with faculty.
Moving Down the Road to Success: How Different learning Management Systems Address Accessibility
Kona Jones
Director Online Learning
Richland Community College
Selom Assignon
Instructional Design Manager
Harold Washington College
Lara Tompkins
Instructional Technologist
College of DuPage
What does accessibility look like in Blackboard, Brightspace (D2L), and Canvas? This panel discussion will cover how each of the different learning management systems are addressing accessibility issues as well as the challenges they face. Session participants will gain an understanding of the different built-in tools, 3rd party tools, and the overall pros and cons of each.
Digital Access and YOU
Becky Benkert
Instructional Designer
College of DuPage
Mike Maxse
Instructional Designer
College of DuPage
This session will provide an exploration of common, easy-to-access tools that make digital content accessible to all. The session will focus on readily available Office functionality that improves digital access for all users and devices.
