Accessible Online Learning for DE Courses

Transcription

1 Accessible Online Learning for DE Courses Gaeir Dietrich HTCTU Director

2 The Kindle Letter June 29, 2010 Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) Issued by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Cosponsored by DOJ and Dept of Ed Expresses concern over campuses adopting inaccessible technology 2

3 Concerns about Technology Office for Civil Rights DCL June 29, 2010 It is unacceptable for universities to use emerging technology without insisting that this technology be accessible to all students. 3

4 Not Equal Digital does not mean accessible! Just because something is digital does not mean that it is accessible to all!

5 Tech Complaints since the DCL Focus on Inaccessible websites Inaccessible learning software Inaccessible LMS and course materials Inaccessible technology in classrooms Inaccessible documents Uncaptioned videos

6 Want to Read More? U.S. Dept of Ed OCR Website docs/investigations/index.html?exp=2#s ection504rev 6

7 Section 504 vs. Section 508 Yup, It s the Law 7

8 Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Section 504 is about accommodation. Making it work for individuals Disability service offices created to serve students needs. Section 508 is about access. Electronic & Information Tech (E&IT) infrastructure Create accessible software, Web sites, videos, and documents. Purchase accessible products. Campuswide responsibility 8

9 A Campus Analogy Section 504 Deaf student requests that videos for her class be captioned Section 508 New videos must be captioned before being shown in the classroom for the first time 9

10 Campus Comparison Section 504 Accommodation Based on person s request and preference Campus disability office handles student requests / HR handles employee requests Begins where 508 ends Section 508 Access No prior request needed open door All E&IT purchases are affected for entire organization students, staff, and faculty Ends where 504 begins 10

11 Access vs. Accommodation Access Accommodation 11

12 United We Stand Access and accommodation work together It s a continuum Not fully accessible? Accommodate. But beware Some technology cannot be accommodated! 12

13 Risk Management The more long-lasting and broadly available, the more things need to be accessible One-use materials or very limited availability, the more can rely on accommodation 13

14 We ve Got Your Back! Accommodation is always the back-up plan for access! Create and buy E&IT that is as accessible as possible When access falls short accommodate! But remember: Accommodation is almost always more expensive and time consuming! 14

15 How will you accommodate? Can still use materials that are not fully accessible, as long as you can accommodate individual needs in an equally effective manner Make accommodation planning part of the design strategy and buying decisions! 15

16 What does accommodate mean? Accommodations are intended to be individualized solutions Can have a programmatic strategy BUT must be willing to adapt to individual need 16

17 Accommodation Examples Notetakers / permission to record Extended time Adapted materials Occasionally able-bodied assistance And sometimes course modifications 17

18 Course Modification? Good to have clear learning outcomes Work with DSPS to see how this student might meet the SLOs with accommodations Please do not assume that because you cannot imagine how the student can meet the SLOs that the student truly cannot meet them! 18

19 Accommodation vs. Alteration Not required to fundamentally alter your course Makes SLOs so important! Faculty member will be required to explain why the accommodation would be a fundamental alteration 19

20 OCR s Expectations Accommodation decisions will be made in consultation with the student The student will be allowed to attempt to fulfill the work with the accommodations Academic integrity will be maintained If things don t work, there is a grievance process 20

21 Deference Deference is given to the faculty member in terms of academic requirements However, we must attempt to accommodate the student If accommodations are denied there must be a very good reason And, inaccessible materials are automatically a compliance issue 21

22 And Remember Do not require technology (software or hardware) that cannot be accommodated! In other words, if it is impossible to make the technology equally as effective for all users, do not require it of all users. 22

23 Creating Accessible Courses 23

24 End-to-End Access It s like a chain all links must be strong! All the parts must be accessible The hardware The software (LMS, learning software, app) Everything loaded into the LMS If any of these is inaccessible, the user will be locked out of the online course. 24

25 Content vs. Container Academic freedom is about the content. Section 508 is about the container. Conforming to Section 508 simply allows equal access to the content. 25

26 Instructional Materials Online Build in accessibility before putting the material online! All online instructional materials need to be accessible PDFs PowerPoint presentations Podcasts Videos Software 26

27 Creating Materials Online documents Must be text (not scans) and have structure (headings, etc.) Graphics Add alt text brief description Videos and multimedia Captioned Back-up plan for audio description 27

28 What about Software? Learning software/apps Either has built-in accessibility or works with assistive technology Learning objects Either accessible from the vendor or can be made accessible 28

29 And if it s not accessible?!? Work with DSPS to determine if an equally effective alternative exists If an equally effective alternative does not exist, you cannot require the material / software / learning object, etc. 29

30 Accessible? What does it mean to be accessible? Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 from the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) WCAG 2.0 Level AA

31 In a Nutshell: Four Guidelines 1. Perceivable 2. Operable 3. Understandable 4. Robust So POUR yourself into your work. ;-) 31

32 Perceivable Make sure pictures (graphics) have text descriptions Alt text or alt tag Use structure Allows for ease of reformatting Use good contrast Make sure that text can be distinguished easily from the background 32

33 Operable Make sure everything works from the keyboard Make sure the tab order is logical Do not require a mouse Make content easy to find and navigate Use logical headings Make sure header rows in tables are clearly marked 33

34 Understandable Write clearly Define terms Spell out acronyms Always write out the first time used 34

35 Robust Use good design to ensure that the document will work with all assistive technology Not just JAWS Provide multiple formats PDF and RTF 35

36 Think Accessible! HOW DO WE DO IT? 36

37 Nuts and Bolts of Access Documents Graphics Videos Learning objects/learning software 37

38 Yes, they need to be captioned VIDEOS 38

39 Accessible Multimedia Videos must be captioned Post captioned video and transcript Action in videos needs to be verbalized Verbalize all steps for instructor-created material Back-up plan for audio description of commercial material Check with DSPS 39

40 Interpretation Videos must be captioned before they are shown for the first time Uncaptioned videos may be purchased and someone (ordering department usually) pays to have them captioned Under 508, captioning required whether or not deaf students will be in the class 40

41 Raw Footage Videos If video is single-use, one time ONLY, and not archived, accommodate as necessary, rather than captioning Please note: One time ONLY does not mean one time this semester! It means one time only EVER! This caveat allows for the teachable moment Decide to use it again? Get it captioned ASAP!

42 You Tube Yes, can be captioned Your own channel? Captions required by law on ANY video created by campus Not your channel? Contact YouTube copyright owner about adding captions Can t reach the owner? Stream captions outside the YouTube interface 42

43 When to Caption Other s Videos If it is a single-use for a limited audience, accommodate as necessary If you plan to use multiple times or with everyone on campus, caption If it is archived, then caption If you need to use it right now but want to archive caption as soon as you can 43

44 YouTube Auto Captions Just say: NOT GOOD ENOUGH! Auto captions are not accurate Expectation is 99%-100% accurate; YouTube? They claim about 80% Auto captions do not include punctuation Lets eat grandma vs. Let's eat, Grandma! I m sorry I love you vs. I m sorry. I love you. 44

45 You Tube Auto Captions Are not really captions No sound information Speakers not identified Not sufficiently accurate No, they are not, Good enough Can be a starting point and edited to 100% accuracy if you have access to the channel

46 Captions Include all spoken dialogue, word-forword, 100% accurate Also information on how dialogue is spoken, e.g., shouting Include proper punctuation Include speaker identification Include information about sounds Dogs barking, doors slamming, music, etc.

47 Ouch! Punctuation matters! Not sure? See Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss 47

48 Summary You Tube auto captions are not really captions It is really auto transcription using speech to text technology. Accuracy not high enough Offline captioning requires 100% accuracy No sound information Captions include descriptions of relevant sounds 48

49 Instructor-created AV Materials Videos / podcasts Work from a script so that captioning is easy Not a script person? Learn to use speechto-text software (like Dragon NaturallySpeaking) Verbalize your process so that you do not need to audio describe Say everything you do 49

50 AV Workflow Develop outline / storyboard Write out script Or use Dragon NaturallySpeaking As you develop graphics describe them Alternative description Any action in video (including writing), verbalize as you do it

51 A Note on Dragon Dragon works really well with one person sitting at a desk Learn to use the program contributions/maincontribute.htm#dragon Train special vocabulary in advance for best recognition

52 Once Dragon Is Trained With a good profile can run your recordings through Dragon to generate a transcript Light editing may be required

53 Synching Once you have a transcript, synchronizing with the speech is often quick and easy Amara / Subtitle Horse / Dot Sub Do-it-yourself captioning Aeneas automatic and free Automatic Sync Technologies (AST) Inexpensive to just synch

54 DECT Grant Learning/Captioning/Pages/default.aspx Live and asynchronous captioning and transcription Captioning is FREE Get preapproval for number of minutes AND DECT grant does require copyright permission 54

55 Caption Guidance Best guidance from the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) DCMP Captioning Key Specifics on how to caption DCMP also has a resource for audio description 55

56 Audio Description Law does require it Can be technically very challenging However, only needed in order to make content clear Can potentially be handled by other means When creating a video, just describe what you are doing/writing 56

57 GOOD ALT TEXT 57

58 Describing Graphics First figure out the purpose (intent) of the graphic. Does the student need to do something with the graphic (part of an exercise)? What does the graphic convey? What specific information does the graphic communicate? Who is the intended audience? 58

59 Context Is Everything Context can change the description! The same graphic may have a different purpose in a different context. Sometimes decoration Sometimes informational Sometimes an illustrative point 59

60 First Question to Ask Information or Decoration? How much is the purpose of the graphic informational? How much decoration? 60

61 NCAM on STEM Summarize briefly and then provide details If color conveys information, include; otherwise, no If appropriate include info on shape/size Consider the intent of the image, as well as intended audience 61

62 No One Right Way There is no single best way to describe graphics. Just remember Keep context in mind Ask yourself: Is this something the person really needs to hear? 62

63 Exercise 1 In a book about health, this fullpage photo appears at the beginning of a chapter on nutrition: 63

64 Possible Alt Text The photo is decorative. It is simply illustrating the theme of the book. Keep the description simple: People biking 64

65 Exercise Photo 2 In the same textbook, the graphic below is included next to boxed text about the benefits of strength training.

66 Possible Alt Text This graphic is purely decorative. Since this graphic is essentially eye candy, it is a good example of when a null tag (HTML) or decorative text (PDF) might be useful. If you do want to describe, keep it very short: Smiley face lifting weights.

67 Logo Example 1 Kansas City Kansas Community College Presents an Evening of Jazz Come join us for two hours of wonderful jazz by the lake.

68 Possible Alt Text The logo is decorative. Logo is branding for school, but in this context is essentially decorative from the end-user s viewpoint. Since the graphic is decorative, keep it simple. College logo KCKCC logo

69 Logo Example 2 In marketing your business, the design of a logo can make a big impression or can be a waste of money. The logo needs to be attractive but not dominate other information presented along with the logo. In the example below, what catches your attention?

70 Possible Alt Text The logo is informational. In this case, the same logo is a specific example and requires a more lengthy description. Focus on what the student needs to know: Interlocking blue K and red C on left with the words Making Life Better in red above the college name in black blocked and underlined with a blue line.

71 WAI and WebAIM ACCESSIBLE DOCUMENTS 71

72 What Does Accessible Mean? Documents/text must be Readable with screen readers or other text-to-speech (TTS) programs All elements must be perceivable Graphics need alternate text description 72

73 The Life and Times of PDFs PDFs happen two ways 1. Documents are scanned 2. Documents are authored in Word or other program and turned into PDF 73

74 Graphical vs. Text-based PDF Scanned PDFs are pictures of text Computers cannot read a picture Documents are not e-text unless the computer can see the letters as text Text can be highlighted with the mouse Text can be selected a letter / word at a time Text can be searched 74

75 PDFs Need to be Text-based Searchable PDFs are text-based Not scans or pictures of text If you scan, you need to run Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to obtain text If you start from a Word document, you will have text Now you just need to ensure the PDF will be accessible 75

76 Resources for Faculty If faculty are scanning documents, recommend a campus copy of ABBYY FineReader Easy to use optical character recognition (OCR) program Perhaps have copy in teaching & learning center or faculty support center 76

77 Create Accessible To create an accessible PDF, start with a well-structured Word document Open Office works equally as well InDesign requires some additional steps 77

78 Four Primary Steps to Access Use logical hyperlink names Describe images (add alt text) Picture descriptions Use styles and built-in tools Mark the header row in tables THEN make it into a PDF

79 HANDS-ON WITH MS WORD 79

80 Access in Word Documents Logical structure Clear components Good color contrast Graphics Briefly described 80

81 Tips Show hidden: ON (Alt + Shift + *) Selecting Rulers Columns Views 81

82 Four Simple Steps in Word Links: Name links logically Images: Add alt text Picture descriptions Styles: Use templates and styles Tables: Mark the header row in tables THEN make it into a PDF

83 Helpful Acronym Use this colored LIST for access! Links Images Structure Table And watch your color contrast! 83

84 L is for Links Instead of Click here for document X Use the name or description as the hyperlink Document X has the information you need 84

85 Benefits Benefit for you You don t loose connection with your materials when you make edits Linking to documents and learning objects by their names allows you to keep track of them easily! Benefit for others What you get when you click is clear Screen reader users can use a links list 85

86 How to Create a Link Select the text for the hyperlink s name Right-click Choose Hyperlink Browse to the object you want to link 86

87 Alt Text Right click on picture At bottom of window, choose Alt Text Note: Put the alt text where it says Description 87

88 Checklist Links 88

89 I is for Images Add very brief text description If graphic is simply decoration, wait and mark it as decorative in Adobe Acrobat Pro If graphic is informative, describe as succinctly as possible 89

90 Benefits Benefits for you Requires out of the box thinking Text becomes searchable online Benefits for others Text appears on mouse-over, clarifying purpose of graphic Provides access for nonvisual users Higher hit on Google 90

91 How to Create Alt Text Right click on graphic Format Picture Alt Text Enter text in description 91

92 Alt Text Right click on picture At bottom of window, choose Alt Text Note: Put the alt text where it says Description 92

93 Checklist Links Images 93

94 S is for Styles Use styles Headings Lists / bulleted lists / numbered lists Use columns if needed DO NOT use text boxes 94

95 Benefits Benefits for you Allows easy changing and editing Improves document navigation Can use outline view to rearrange sections Automatic table of contents Benefits for others Improves document navigation for all headings useable with screen readers 95

96 In General Font size and readability 12 point is good Avoid fonts that will be difficult to read online Color contrast Be aware of color! Avoid white text on light background; avoid black text on dark background Avoid using enter key for spacing 96

97 Styles Are So COOL!! Quick and easy formatting Very simple to change Using Outline feature allows for rapid editing and rewriting Automated table of contents Oh and BTW, it s now accessible! 97

98 What s a Style? Paragraph styles Paragraph attributes Font type & size, line spacing, indent Affects entire paragraph Attribute Styles Applies only to selected characters Font type, size, style

99 Seeing Styles Work in Draft Mode View Draft Turn on Area Pane Button > Word Options Advanced > Display Set area pane over 1 inch

100 Area Pane

101 Applying Styles Paragraph styles Click in text, click on style name Use format painter Use keyboard shortcut Attribute styles Select text, click on style name

102 Handy Style Shortcuts Heading One Ctrl + Alt + 1 Heading Two Ctrl + Alt + 2 Heading Three Ctrl + Alt + 3 List Bullet Ctrl + Shift + L

103 More Keyboard Shortcuts Remove manual formatting = Ctrl + Spacebar Normal style = Ctrl + Shift + N Change case = Shift + F

104 Selecting Text Double click Triple click Shift + arrow keys Shift + home/end Shift + page up/page down "shift-click" technique 104

105 Modifying Styles Styles can be modified in MS Word to change spacing, fonts, etc. Best NOT to modify Normal Style Use Body Text if you wish to make changes Styles pane: Ctrl + Alt + Shift + S 105

106 But what if I didn t Word can help by applying autoformat Must turn on Autoformat under File > options > Proofing > Autocorrect 106

107 Check the Automatically Apply Check to apply styles Also preserve those styles you have used 107

108 To run autoformat Must place autoformat on Quick Tools Choose Customize Quick Access Toolbar Select More Commands 108

109 Add Tool Add the Autoformat tool 109

110 Run Autoformat Autoformat will automatically apply styles where it can 110

111 Once You Have Styles Reorder sections in outline view Click on heading and drag where you want All the subheads and associated material will move along with the heading! 111

112 ToC With styles, you can automate the table of contents generation Reference > Table of Contents > Insert 112

113 Choose Levels to Include Have control over which levels of heading to include To update later, just right-click on the ToC 113

114 Checklist Links Images Styles 114

115 T is for Table Mark the header row in your tables Word calls this Repeat as header row at top of every page or just Repeat Header Rows Note: If you have column headers (i.e., header in first column), that will need to be marked in Adobe Acrobat Pro 115

116 Benefits Benefits for you Always see header row, even across multiple pages Lessens reformatting/editing issues Benefits to others Screen reader users will be able to hear the header text repeated as needed Users of large print will still see header row when enlarging text 116

117 Avoid Avoid using tables just to get columns Instead, use the column tool Select the text and choose columns 117

118 Checklist Links Images Styles Tables And you re done! 118

119 TOOLS TO HELP 119

120 MS Word Built-in Checker 120

121 CAR Check Central Access Reader (CAR) from Central Washington University

122 Central Access Toolbar (CAT) CAT Tracks Simplifies document creation

123 Color Contrast Color Contrast Analyzer (CCA) contrastanalyser/ Can download checker for free Windows or Mac version 123

124 Use Color Carefully! Do not represent information ONLY with color Use a combination of color and text/symbols Color contrast needs to be clear Black on white good Yellow on white not good 124

125 PowerPoint

126 PPT Accessibility Themes Use built-in themes (under design tab) Allows user to adjust contrast as needed Styles are applied automatically Describe graphics Logical links Built-in accessibility checker File > Info > Check for issues 126

127 Prezi Sorry, at this time, Prezi is not fully accessible 127

128 What are my options NOT ACCESSIBLE? 128

129 And if it s not accessible?!? Work with DSPS to determine if an equally effective alternative exists If an equally effective alternative does not exist, you cannot require the material / software / learning object, etc

130 Just to Be Clear If learning materials cannot be made accessible for ALL students, you cannot require those materials of all students Want to use it anyway? Make it an option one of many options Ensure there are other roads to success! 130

131 Getting Real Risk management and common sense Create a culture of access The greater the usage the more need for access The more restricted the access the more reliance on accommodation Make accommodation part of the access plan!

132 Strategies for Working with Your Campus

133 Decide Where to Start Remember risk analysis Start with areas of greatest exposure Look for low-hanging fruit When you rewrite, recreate, revise, add accessibility to the LIST 133

134 Find Places to Draw Lines Find areas to say from now on and then rely on accommodation to fill in behind you talk to DSPS Videos From now on all videos either purchased captioned or captioned before use Caption legacy materials as an accommodation 134

135 Make a Plan Having a plan with a schedule will go a long way to limiting liability And remember accommodation is your back-up plan! Work with DSPS to see if an equally effective alternative is possible Don t require what cannot be accommodated 135

136 Getting Buy-in Make sure that faculty understand that accessibility is not the enemy of academic freedom Make sure that all document creators understand that accessible design will save time and effort in the long run Make sure that all online designers realize that accessibility is part of good design 136

137 Teach to All Learners Encourage universal design Designing for access with designing for all learners 137

138 You Have the Power Be proactive with vendors Ask if textbook publisher will provide e-text for students with print disabilities Ask if videos are captioned Ask if software is accessible for students with disabilities When campuses across the country put their collective foot (feet?) down, vendors will respond! 138

139 Where is the easy button? Get book orders in on time Talk to vendors There s a lot of power in asking! Ask about access before you buy! Learn to use MS Word Learn to use the PDF Wizard Use the DECT grant 139

140 Beyond Access We can go beyond access to inclusion Example of welcome and accessibility statement for an online course from Sheryl Burgstahler, DO-IT Director

141 Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D. This course is designed to be welcoming to, accessible to, and usable by everyone, including students who are English-language learners, have a variety of learning styles, have disabilities, or are new to online learning. Be sure to let me know immediately if you encounter a required element or resource in the course that is not accessible to you. Also, let me know of changes I can make to the course so that it is more welcoming to, accessible to, or usable by students who take this course in the future

142 Others can help! RESOURCES

143 One Site for Free Course on accessibility for online ed Sidekick

144 Learning from Others W3C Guidelines WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) DO-IT (University of Washington) WebAIM

145 Digital Media DCMP Captioning Key NCAM STEM ucational_media/stemdx/guidelines WGBH Web Media ltimedia/accessible-digital-mediaguide/guideline-h-multimedia 145

146 Thank you! Gaeir (rhymes with fire ) Dietrich gdietrich@htctu.net