1. Tips for Reaching Diverse Learners in Online Courses Kirsten Behling

2. A Brief History of Distance Learning 1728 – First distance course; lessons by mail 1922 – Penn State; lessons by radio 1965 – University of Wisconsin; phone-based courses 1968 – Stanford University; Instructional T.V. network 1971 – Ivan Illich describes computer based education 1976 – University of Phoenix is founded 1992 – Electronic University Network; Online Ph.D. 1994 – CALCampus; First completely online curriculum 1997 – CVU: Consortium of 1,000(+) online courses 1999 – Blackboard is introduced 2008 – Khan Academy is founded

3. What is online learning?

4. The number of online courses is growing As of 2012, 94.5% of higher ed institutions had some form of online learning. 62.4% offer fully online programs. 70% of chief academic officers think that online learning is “critical to their institution's long-term strategy.”

5. Who is taking online courses? In 2012 – 7.1 million students took at least one online course Online courses attract: – Non-traditional students – Part-time students – Students with disabilities

6. Trends in Online Enrollment

7. Online Learning Increases but Retention is Decreasing 10% – 20 % lower than face-to-face classes. College freshman who enroll in online courses their first semester are more likely to drop out of college. Retention is higher among full-time students, than part-time students. Students who are not as academically prepared for college have higher online drop out rates. Retention rates are higher at institutions whose admission’s criteria is more selective. Few higher education institutions invest substantial resources in programs that are designed to support faculty and students in online environments.

8. How do you reach the diversity of online learners?

9. Universal Design

10. Quick Inquiry Who is the number one user of closed captioning? What is the purpose of darkened mobile device screens? What is the purpose of serrated shampoo bottles?

11. Universal Design in Higher Education Universal Course Design (UCD) is the design of college courses including the course curriculum, instruction, assessment and the environment, to be usable by all students, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for accommodations.

12. Let’s look at a few examples of UCD in online learning

13. UCD Curriculum … an example Survey students about their readiness https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7QCNUPsyH9f012B

14. UCD Curriculum … an example Ask your students to introduce themselves. – What is their educational background? – What do they hope to learn from this course? – Post a picture of them doing their favorite hobby. – Have they taken an online course before and if so ask them to identify one area that was tough.

15. UCD Instruction … an example

16. UCD Assessment … an example Campus-Resource Brochure for Students: Identify what assistive technology is available through the disability office, on your campus or a different campus - it’s up to you. List out whether students can borrow, purchase this AT. Identify who might benefit from each type of AT available on campus. Note who the support person is to help students learn how to use the AT. Your brochure can be created in a format that works best for you. Formats might include a one-page flyer, a tri-fold brochure, a wiki, a website, etc…

17. UCD in the online environment…

18. Putting a course online does not make it accessible… it is important to design with access as a component of the final product

19. Access Concerns with Online Courses Learning Management Systems Publisher Content Faculty Content

20. Testing for Access in the LMS

21. Testing for Access in Publisher Generated Content

22. Testing for Access in Faculty Content

23. Given these areas of concern, how do you create accessible online materials?

24. The Online Learning Check List

25. Word Documents

26. Top 5 Word Document Issues - Example A lack of structure to the document Inappropriate fonts Too much information on one page A lack of alt-tags on images Longer documents lack direction

27. How do you check a Word doc for access? Follow these steps: 1.Open up your Word document 2.Click on “File” 3.Scroll down to “Info”, which will bring up an option menu on the right titled “Information about the Document” 4.Select the third option, “Check for Issues” 5.Select “Check Accessibility” 6.You will see the results of the accessibility check to the right.

28. Is this Word doc accessible?

29. Word Document Solutions Using the “styles” feature Font style and size Spacing Graphs/ charts/ images Tables Hyperlinks

30. Excel

31. Top 5 Excel Issues There is no heading It is difficult to distinguish between two sheets The graphs have poor color contrast The graphs do not have tags The rows and columns are not labeled

32. How do you check excel for access? Follow these steps: 1.Open up your Excel document 2.Click on “File” 3.Scroll down to “Info”, which will bring up an option menu on the right titled “Information about the Document” 4.Select the third option, “Check for Issues” 5.Select “Check Accessibility” 6.You will see the results of the accessibility check to the right.

33. Is this Excel document accessible?

34. Excel Solutions Font style and size Appropriate labeling Graphs (color, labels, and alt-text tags) Hyperlinks Alt-tags

35. PDF Documents

36. Top 5 PDF Document Issues The document does not have highlightable words The images are not tagged The structure of the document does not read true to form The font is not accessible The document is too busy

37. How do you check a PDF for access? Method 1: 1.Open up your PDF. 2.With your mouse, try to select and highlight an individual word in your document. If you are unable to select individual words, than it is inaccessible. Method 2: 1.Open up your PDF. 2.Under the “Edit” tab scroll down and choose “Accessibility”. 3.Choose “Quick Check”. This will give you a very quick overview of where access issues may lie in the document.

38. Is this PDF document accessible?

39. PDF Document Solutions Create an accessible Word document Transitioning from a Word document to a PDF Tag your PDFs

40. PowerPoints

41. Top 5 PPT Issues Busy backgrounds Color contrast is not significant Slides are too full Images are not tagged There is no transcript

42. How do you check a PPT for access? Follow these steps: 1.Open up your PowerPoint 2.Click on “File” 3.Scroll down to “Info”, which will bring up an option menu on the right titled “Information about the XXX (the tile of your PPT)” 4.Select the third option, “Check for Issues” 5.Select “Check Accessibility” 6.You will see the results of the accessibility check to the right.

43. Is this PPT accessible?

44. PPT Solutions Accessible backgrounds Font style and size guidelines Spacing, bullets, transitions Hyperlinks Graphs/ charts/ images Audio/ video transcripts Alt-tagging

45. Audios and Videos

46. Top 5 Audio/ Video Issues The audio is not clear There is no captions The captions are not accurate The link is broken There is no context for the audio/video

47. Audio/ Video Solutions There are a number of factors to consider including: Where is the file from? What is your time frame? What is your expertise with captioning and descriptive video? What is your budget?

48. Learning Management Systems

49. LMS Issues The course has no sequence, no flow The documents posted have labels that make no sense The navigation bar is not relevant to this course Quiz lengths are not adjustable Your using Collaborate with no transcript or captioning Discussion boards are unorganized

50. LMS Solutions Choose accessible tools in Blackboard Post information, course material, assignments, discussions in a logical manner Make sure you can adjust the time lengths on your quizzes as necessary Make sure the format of your content is accessible

51. Publisher Generated Content

52. Testing for Access in Publisher Generated Content

53. What are your next steps? What one thing did you learn today that you will incorporate into your course? What are your next steps?

54. For more information please contact: Kirsten Behling, MA Suffolk University Office of Disability Services 617-994-6820 kbehling@suffolk.edu