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Spring Break: Make Your Documents Accessible with Panorama DocHub (for COD Staff)

Panorama DocHub is your new workspace for digital accessibility. It provides staff with a central, cloud-based space to upload documents and presentations, view their accessibility scores, and identify barriers that require attention. In this interactive session, you’ll practice using DocHub’s guided feedback workflow to address common accessibility issues. Bring a frequently accessed document or presentation to work on and leave with a more accessible version you can share with care.

Spring Break: Accessibility Fundamentals: Alt Text 101 

This hands-on workshop demystifies alt text and helps you decide what information an image needs to convey for a learner who can’t see it. We’ll practice writing alt text for common teaching visuals, discuss when to mark images as decorative, and introduce strategies for charts, graphs, and other complex images that require more than a short description. Bring a few examples from your materials to help guide the practice scenarios.

Spring Break: Creating and Remediating Accessible Blackboard Content

This practical 90-minute workshop combines an introduction to Blackboard Ally with hands-on strategies for creating and improving accessible content in the Ultra course experience. You’ll learn how to interpret Ally’s feedback, prioritize quick wins, and apply those insights while building or updating reused course items. Participants are encouraged to bring questions and examples so we can focus on the workflows that matter most in your courses.

Introduction to Blackboard Ally

This training introduces faculty to practical methods for identifying, resolving, and prioritizing accessibility issues in their course materials using Blackboard Ally. It highlights common barriers for students, quick wins, and strategies for utilizing the Course Accessibility Report, empowering instructors to make steady, meaningful progress on accessibility without becoming overwhelmed.

Introduction to Evaluating Websites for Accessibility

This training introduces faculty and staff to the essential skills needed to evaluate and improve the accessibility of websites and online resources used in higher education.

Participants will learn how to assess their websites for compliance with accessibility standards, such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), and identify common barriers that may prevent users with disabilities from navigating content effectively.

The session will cover free and easy-to-use tools for accessibility testing, along with practical strategies to address common issues like color contrast, keyboard navigation, and screen reader compatibility. By the end of the training, participants will be equipped to create more inclusive, accessible online environments for all students.

Introduction to Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

This training introduces Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework that helps educators create inclusive learning environments by offering multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression.

Faculty and staff will explore how UDL principles can be applied to course design, teaching methods, and assessment strategies to accommodate diverse student needs.

Participants will learn how to provide flexible learning opportunities that support all learners, including those with disabilities, English language learners, and students with varied learning styles.

By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with practical tools and strategies to enhance accessibility and student success through UDL.

Blackboard Ally Course Accessibility Report Training

This training introduces faculty to practical methods for identifying, resolving, and prioritizing accessibility issues in their course materials using Blackboard Ally. It highlights common barriers for students, quick wins, and strategies for utilizing the Course Accessibility Report, empowering instructors to make steady, meaningful progress on accessibility without becoming overwhelmed.

There are two versions of this training. One version requires deliverables and can count for PDH. 

Blackboard Ultra: Gradebook

Offers an overview of the Ultra Gradebook and how to set up your Gradebook to ensure that you and your students have a successful term.

Blackboard Ultra: Building Your Course in Ultra

Spring is here and all College of DuPage courses are being offered in the Ultra Course view. This session provides a guided walkthrough on how to build a course optimized for the Ultra experience. Learn how to build an outline, add content and assessments, and even copy items from Original courses

Blackboard Ultra: Converting Your Course to Ultra

Our Converting your Course session will include a guided walkthrough on how to transition your content from Original Course View to Ultra Course view and how to add new content from other sources. You can then take what you have learned and begin transitioning your content into the Ultra Course view. Stick around after the session to ask more questions or get hands on help from Learning Technologies.

Blackboard Ultra: Creating Tests and Assignments

Learn how to build tests and assignments in Blackboard Ultra! Join Learning Technologies to discuss the benefits of using tests and assignments for online submissions in Blackboard and learn how to create your own test or assignment manually or using the AI tool.  

Blackboard Ultra Hands-On Support Lab

Need some help? Want to ask questions about Ultra? Our open support labs are here to ensure you get the best possible start with Ultra. No registration needed! 

Please note: these lab times sometimes overlap with sessions we are holding on Ultra. We may be temporarily unavailable but will do our best to accomodate any walk-ins! 

Foundations of Online Teaching – Part 2

This five-week, hybrid course is designed to build on the skills that were developed in Foundations of Online Teaching Part 1 but can also be taken if you would like to enhance a course you have already developed.

Using the OSCQR Rubric, participants will develop their entire course structure and complete at least two units of work. This course will tackle more advanced topics regarding content development and assessment building.

This hybrid course is highly participatory in nature, combining practical hands-on learning with engaged discussion and meet twice on Zoom on the Fridays of weeks 2 and 4.