What Accessibility Means in Course Design
Overview
Creating an accessible course is not just about compliance; it's about fostering a learning environment where all students can succeed. Whether students need accommodations, face language barriers, or other challenges, accessible course design ensures that everyone has equitable access to learning materials, engagement opportunities, and assessments. By incorporating accessibility from the start, faculty can reduce barriers, improve student success, and enhance the overall learning experience for diverse learners.
Effective course design begins with clear organization, multiple modes of content delivery, and flexible assessment strategies. Structuring materials with consistent headings, providing captions and transcripts for multimedia, using accessible document formats, and offering alternative ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge are all key strategies.
A key framework for accessible course design is Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which emphasizes providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression. UDL encourages faculty to offer varied ways for students to access content (text, audio, video), engage with materials (discussions, interactive activities), and demonstrate learning (written assignments, presentations, projects). By proactively integrating UDL principles, faculty can create a flexible learning environment that accommodates diverse learning preferences and needs. This approach not only enhances accessibility but also improves overall student engagement and success.
What Does an Accessible Course Look Like?
Recognizing that students interact with online materials in diverse ways, effective course design centers on three fundamental concepts:
- Organized and Intuitive: Course structure follows clear, consistent patterns that students can easily predict and understand.
- Perceivable: Materials are presented in formats that accommodate different sensory abilities and disabilities.
- Videos are closed captioned, include a transcript, and an audio description.
- Digital files meet accessibility guidelines.
- Additional resources are shared with a variety of options. For example, providing an article to read may be supplemented by a video of the author talking, or a podcast discussing the article or a related topic.
- Assessments are clearly described and aligned with course/unit objectives to help connect students to the why (purpose) of their work. Assessments are authentic and designed with alternatives and flexibility options.
- Navigable: Students can move through course content using various methods—keyboard commands, assistive technologies, or other tools—without relying on any single input device like a mouse.
Top Priorities to Consider for Course Content
- Syllabus meets accessibility standards.
- Required textbook and readings are accessible, printable, and available.
- Videos are closed captioned with transcripts, and (if possible) audio descriptions.
- Third-party tools meet accessibility standards.
- Assignments and activities meet accessibility standards and include flexible options.