Pushing the Boulder up the Hill

Gaining Traction for Accessibility Case by Case at a Small, Rural University Rapidly Expanding Online Offerings

Outline

• Introductions• E-learning Environments• Technology & Innovation• Universal Design• Action Steps• Current Efforts & Initiatives• Planning & Navigating Tomorrow

This presentation will be shared on the AHG 2013 resources webpage

Linnea BartonOffice for Students with Disabilities (OSD)

Assistive Technology Specialist

Writing Center Coordinator

Teaching Specialist

Academic Assistance Center (AAC)

University of Minnesota Crookston

barto148@umn.edu 218 281 8553

Welcome to Crookston

UMC Promotion

• The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC), proudly carries on a tradition of a century of educational service to northwestern Minnesota. UMC equips all students and faculty with laptop computers and offers individual attention in a technology-rich environment. Integral to the University's statewide land-grant mission, UMC provides applied, career-oriented learning programs and connects its teaching, research, and outreach to local, county, and regional economic development agencies in support of the rural economy.

UMC Enrollment

• 1,813 degree-seeking students– 995 (55%) on-site/on-campus students– 818 (45%) online-only– 1,236 (68%) are full-time, and 577 (32%) are

part-time.

On-Campus Programs

• 28 bachelor programs • 20 minors• 39 concentrations

Online Programs

• 11 degrees – Accounting, Applied Health, Applied Studies,

Communication, Finance, Health Management, Information Technology Management, Management, Marketing, Manufacturing Management, Quality Management

• 6 minors– Accounting, Communication, Entrepreneurship, Finance,

Management, Marketing

• 4 certificates More information about online programs

Online Course Offerings

• 107 sections online • 37 of those sections are ONLY available

online• 32% increase last year

Center for Teaching, Learning & Technology

• Moodle support, Online and on campus course design and evaluation, Learning resource development, Multimedia development (in cooperation with NETS), Audiovisual services and software (numerous), Video and audio format conversion, Digital photography services, Screen capture, Microsoft Office, Document conversion, Adobe Acrobat PDF, Test generators (including TestGen, EZ Test, ExamView), Qualtrics Survey, University licensed software acquisition, Software acquisition and licensing recommendations, Adaptive technologies for students with disabilities 

MN Statute-Jan 2013

• Any public information• Does not apply to technology prior to Jan• $500 per violation + other costs• Limit of up to $15,000• MN Statutes Website

Sisyphus

E-Learning Environments

• Exponential growth in technological advances

• In 2009, 44 percent of post-secondary students in the USA were taking some or all of their courses online, this figure is projected to rise to 81 percent by 2014. Ambient Insight Research

• 6.7 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2011. Babson Research Study

Technology Innovation = Accessibility

• A student with quadriplegia working as a photographer for the school newspaper

• A volleyball player who is deaf following a transcription of her teammates’ and referees’ conversations in real time

• A teenager with autism seeing a small red dot when their classmate’s face looks bored or green if they are intrigued

• An instructor with blindness receiving a description of his classroom and students on the first day of class

Universal Design

• UD-Universal Design• UDE-Universal Design of Education• UDI-Universal Design of Instruction• UDL-Universal Design of Learning

Universal Design Is NOT

• UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.

• It does not remove academic challenges; it removes barriers to access.

• It does not regulate teaching style.

UDL

• Multiple means of representation to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge,

• Multiple means of expression to provide learners alternatives for demonstrating what they know, and

• Multiple means of engagement to tap into learners' interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn

Action Steps 1• Examine and evaluate current efforts: individual academic

accommodations, adaptive equipment, case management and coordination, advocacy, and personal counseling and advising

• Identify successful access, performance, and retention in programs

• Identify specific barriers to the provision of disability-related services, including barriers created by policy and funding requirements

• Assess the e ectiveness of educational practices and ffdisability-related services that are important to career mobility and success in the workplace

Action Steps 2• Test the e ectiveness of specific models of delivery that are ff

believed to increase accessibility of educational supports and innovative technologies

• Identify types of educational and subsequent labor-market success

• Provide training, technical assistance, and information to educational support personnel, public and private rehabilitation personnel, career placement specialists, and students with disabilities, based on the findings and implications of the research

• Implement a consumer-driven plan of empowerment evaluation to assess the progress in achieving its goals.

Case Study

Current Efforts

• Committee on Access• Informal Relationship Building• Resource Development• Thursday Commons Campus Presentation• Pilot Program• Support of Stakeholders

Previous Strategy

• Step 1: Develop content first, then design.Step 2: Provide simple, consistent navigation.Step 3: Include an accommodation statement. Step 4: Choose CMS tools carefully. Step 5: Model and teach good discussion board etiquette.Step 6: Use color with care. Step 7: Provide accessible document formats.Step 8: Choose fonts carefully.Step 9: Convert PowerPoint™ to accessible HTML.Step 10: If it's auditory make it visual; if it is visual make it auditory.

Keypoints

• Use campus collaborations to achieve universal design in physical spaces and e-learning environments

• Develop a promotion plan• Collaborate and support faculty by

developing teaching resources with them• Understand and use effective reward

systems

New Metaphors

Valuable Resources

• http://uduc.org/• www.cast.org• http://www.washington.edu/doit/• http

://www.myacpa.org/sc/scd/CTAD/ctad-a.pdf• http://www.temple.edu/studentaffairs/disabilit

y/faculty-resources/udl-resources.html

References 1

• "Babson Research Study: More Than 6.7 Million Students Learning Online". Babson Research Study. Retrieved 12 February 2013.

• Ambient Insight Research (2009) US Self-paced e-Learning Market Monroe WA: Ambient Insight Research

• www.ncsu.edu/ncsu/design/cud/pubs_p/docs/poster.pdf

References 2

• http://onthehuman.org/2010/11/your-brain-on-metaphors/#sthash.ryjlyFdt.dpuf

• Online Teaching Universal Design Accessibility Book

• Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice