UDL

APS Instructors Illuminate Labs Using UDL

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 21:50:43 +0000

APS Instructors Illuminate Labs Using UDL Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/26/2019 - 15:50

Joy Adams

Rachel Bowyer, a second-year PhD student in Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences (APS), has taken on a task that may seem insurmountable. She’s not only updating the entire 200-page Introduction to Astronomy lab manual; she’s making the assignments accessible to students with visual impairments.

As the current Graduate Teacher Program Lead for APS, this endeavor is Rachel’s “legacy project,” a way to leave something lasting in the department. “It’s an interesting challenge,” observed Seth Hornstein, who teaches the Introductory Astronomy lecture and is the department’s TA coordinator. “We’re in a unique situation in that we’re trying to teach astronomy, which is a very visual field. At the same time we're teaching it in a classroom, so we do a lot of hands-on and data-based things, and we want to provide the same experience and the same learning outcomes for students with disabilities.”

In May 2019, Rachel attended a workshop on Universal Design for Learning (UDL), presented by ASSETT Teaching and Learning Consultant Joy Adams. UDL centers on three principles: 1) providing multiple means of representation, 2) offering flexible options for action and expression, and 3) incorporating strategies for promoting student engagement and motivation. Considering the principles holistically supports students with diverse abilities, skills, and interests, while helping to maximize their learning.

Rachel immediately saw the potential benefits of UDL to her project. She scheduled a one-on-one consultation with Joy to work on updates to the spectroscopy lab, which seemed particularly challenging. “The subtitle of the lab is ‘Light and Color,’” she explained. “If we can do this with a lab that is highly visual and has a lot of moving parts, it will make it seem more achievable to re-develop other labs.” Because this lab activity covers “some really cool concepts,” Rachel also saw an opportunity to expose students to more of the science underlying those concepts, in hopes of boosting their engagement with the course.

“The most surprising thing about the consultation was how figures and phrases could be reviewed intentionally to determine what exactly is being asked,” said Rachel. “We ended up with clearer, better questions in the end, even though that wasn’t the major issue with the lab.”

Joy also helped the instructors proactively plan for formal accommodations. Rachel is preparing supplemental instructions that provide strategies for students to support peers with visual impairments by working collaboratively within their lab groups. Additionally, she is updating figures within the lab manual to include numeric values so that students are not required to rely on color perception to participate in the activities.

“Joy helped us see that the answer is to evaluate the students not on ‘What color do you see?’ but their ability to reason through the situation to determine what color should be there,” Rachel observed. “If you design the lab in a way that they should be able to logically figure out what’s going on scientifically, they don’t need to know what the color is. It’s not only a good practice for accessibility but also for different types of learners.”

Rachel was pleasantly surprised that the consultation focused more on adding options than taking them away. “I was initially concerned that we’d be told that we shouldn’t use visuals at all,” she explained, “but the consultation was more about how we can keep these things for the people who can use them as well as make them accessible to meet the needs of others.”

Seth added, “Joy gave us suggestions at low, medium, and high-effort levels. The medium and high levels can be addressed lab-by-lab, but just doing the low-hanging fruit now gets us significant improvement. It’s a low amount of time to invest to get a lot of impact, and that took a lot of the stress out of making the lab accessible.”

Rachel summarized her experience with the consultation, saying: “Overall, the real benefit was to make the curriculum more intentional, to get to the learning goals more directly, with fewer obstacles for students. Having someone who knows about UDL review the assignment makes me feel confident that the curriculum is doing its job rather than being busy work or an obstacle.”

To schedule your own individual consultation, small-group presentation, or workshop on UDL, contact Joy Adams, ASSETT Teaching & Learning Consultant (joy.adams@colorado.edu).

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Tips for Creating Accessible Learning Experiences with Canvas

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 23:25:55 +0000

Tips for Creating Accessible Learning Experiences with Canvas Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/20/2018 - 17:25

Anna Reid

Organization. Be thoughtful and consistent in how you organize information in Canvas. This will help all of your students access the materials and participate in the course.

File names. Use a consistent format for naming files. It’s helpful to include the week or module number and content type in the file name, for example, “Module 2, Smith and Adams, pdf reading.” Ensure that the names of readings and assignments in your syllabus match the names of corresponding links and files in Canvas.

Canvas accessibility. Canvas is relatively accessible for people who use assistive technology such as screen magnification or text-to-speech software. When you set up a Canvas course, however, you do need to know a little about what is and is not accessible for people with disabilities who may be accessing your course. Review CU’s Canvas accessibility pages to learn how to create accessible exams, structure your content, and run the Canvas Accessibility Checker.

Accessible documents and media. Usability is optimized for all students when documents are in an accessible format (text is clear, searchable, and structured correctly), and digital media has closed captions, transcripts, and image descriptions. Learn how to create accessible content on CU’s Accessible Technology Resources page. If you have students with specific accommodation needs, work with Disability Services to ensure your content is in accessible format(s).

Get creative. Canvas supports multi-modal learning, including use of videos, audio, images, interactive discussions and quizzes, and more. Check out CU’s resources on Universal Design for Learning for ideas about how to enhance student engagement and success. Remember to always check for accessibility as you create multi-modal content.

Timing. Finalize your syllabus and publish your Canvas course as early as possible. Students with disabilities who need materials in alternative formats often have to wait several weeks for these materials to be processed, so it is important that reading lists are finalized and available at least a couple of weeks before classes begin. Students with a variety of learning and access needs may also find it valuable to familiarize themselves with the Canvas course before classes begin.

Orient students to Canvas. Students have varying levels of familiarity with Canvas, as well as diverse learning and access needs. At the beginning of a course, and as needed throughout the semester, alert students to the features that they may need or want to use within Canvas. Be sure to let students know what type of feedback you will give on assignments, and where to find this feedback in Canvas. Also familiarize students with their options for communicating with instructors and other students through Canvas.

Check in with students. Canvas is an extension of your classroom, and it is essential that all students are able to successfully access your Canvas content and utilize the tools that are relevant for your course. Ask students what is working well for them, and what isn’t. It is especially important to check in directly with students who have accommodation needs. If you or a student have questions or concerns about Canvas, visit CU’s Canvas Support Pages, or contact the IT Service center at 303-735-4357 (5-HELP) or help@colorado.edu.

�鶹ӰԺ the author: Anna Reid works in CU's Accessibility and Usability Lab. She is currently a student in the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work.

Image: Photoroyalty/Freepik.com.

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Universal Design for Learning (March 2018 tip)

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 22:24:49 +0000

Universal Design for Learning (March 2018 tip) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/20/2018 - 16:24

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for curriculum design that fosters an inclusive learning environment by ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity to learn (National Center on Universal Design for Learning).

At its core, UDL is about building flexibility and options into course design. Proactively minimizing barriers to learning reduces the need for individual accommodations. Providing multiple pathways to achieve course outcomes motivates and engages students while supporting different learning styles, needs, and abilities.

UDL is a mindset, not a prescribed set of steps and procedures. As you develop your course, consider ways to provide multiple means of representation (how content is delivered), action and expression (how students demonstrate their knowledge), and engagement (how students participate). To learn more, watch our website for upcoming trainings and resources, or check out the resources below to get started:

CAST (www.cast.org)
National Center on Universal Design for Learning (www.udlcenter.org)

For further information or customized recommendations, email help@colorado.edu to request a Universal Design consultation with one of our staff.

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Video Captioning (January 2017 tip)

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 18:41:28 +0000

Video Captioning (January 2017 tip) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/13/2017 - 11:41

By Laura Hamrick

Need a pedagogical New Year’s resolution? Consider captioning your video content!

Captions allow students with hearing disabilities to access the content of your course, and also improve learning comprehension for students whose first language is not English. Captions can benefit students who learn best by reading, and are useful for courses involving complex technical vocabulary. Furthermore, if you caption your video on YouTube, a searchable transcript is automatically generated that allows students to review your content more effectively.

If you want to start captioning your videos, consider the following tips.

If you don’t have time to caption your own videos, TAs and other student assistants can help! Captioning is a great opportunity for them to help improve your course. OIT’s captioning service can provide training for TAs or students to enable them to produce high-quality captions.
Create scripts for your course screencasts as you make them. Then you can simply copy-paste your script into YouTube to be synchronized with the video. Some screencasting softwares like Camtasia also allow you to create your own captions directly in the software.
Don’t forget to add in any important non-speech sounds like [buzzer sounds] to your captions! For more tips like this, check out the Captioning Standards for Quality Checklist on the captioning service’s Resources page.

Need technical help or more tips on captioning your videos? Learn more in this month's Tech of the Month article. You can also get in touch with OIT’s captioning service for a free consultation or training at help@colorado.edu or (303) 725-4357 (5-HELP).

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