Technology can extend access to content and enrich an educational experience, no doubt. But the flipside is that it can also, unwittingly, create barriers. All learners’ abilities and disabilities affect how they consume information, apply concepts, and achieve mastery. This, in turn, requires everyone involved in course design, development, and delivery to consider and evolve instructional practices.
That said, trying to account for all the elements of accessible course design can be dizzying, leaving you with more questions than answers. It can make you wonder how you’ll be able to identify every element, how you’ll ever manage to learn all the skills necessary, and whether you’re getting it “right” when you finally do. (For the record, there are certainly best practices, but the only wrong thing to do is nothing!)
In any given situation, having too many priorities often translates into having zero priorities. To avoid this pitfall and begin formulating a plan, simply ask yourself, “What is at least one thing I can address this term? And another thing I can address next term?” And so on, and so forth. Start with what you know, or what you can easily learn.
The previously covered best practices for readability and consistency are all integral to clear communication. And, as luck would have it, it’s likely you’ve already baked several conduits for information-sharing and community into your course (how easy was that?), including, but not limited to:
[2] ASU Accessibility. Best practices. accessibility.asu.edu
Jill Roter, M.A., is a Senior Instructional Designer with EdPlus @ ASU, where she focuses on scalable initiatives for worldwide learner audiences.
That said, trying to account for all the elements of accessible course design can be dizzying, leaving you with more questions than answers. It can make you wonder how you’ll be able to identify every element, how you’ll ever manage to learn all the skills necessary, and whether you’re getting it “right” when you finally do. (For the record, there are certainly best practices, but the only wrong thing to do is nothing!)
Readability, Consistency, and Communication
If you were to think of knowledge, skills, and abilities you already have and use every day, it’s probably a safe bet that reading, navigating the web, and communicating with others would be chief among them. Similarly, if you were to think of 3 fundamental aspects of good course design, digestible content, a logical sequence and structure, and information-sharing may be top of mind. So if you were looking for 3 high-impact ways to start incorporating accessibility into learning, well, there you have it! Make your course materials easy to read. Make your course site’s navigation consistent and predictable. And create community and conduits for communication. Here’s how.Readability
Put plainly, writing for the web and its outgrowth, readability, impact learning. Consider your materials and practices in the context of the following key areas, and make adjustments as necessary. (And also visit ASU’s accessibility website for easy-to-follow instructions across different media.)- Chunk your content. Large blocks of text are fatiguing, and a very clear way of signaling “skim,” “skip altogether,” or, “TL; DR (too long, don’t read).” While paragraph breaks may seem artificial in some cases, the web is a visual medium; you may have to make some discretionary concessions to accommodate it.
- Write clearly and simply. Use the most straightforward language possible, and stick to one or two important points per paragraph. Check your spelling and grammar, employ bulleted and numbered lists, and steer clear of ALL CAPS for emphasis.
- Use a hierarchical, descriptive heading structure. This helps both visual and non-visual learners alike. As previously mentioned, large blocks of text are tough going. For nonvisual learners who use text-to-speech screen readers, the absence of headings makes it impossible to index content and quickly access information auditorily. If given a hierarchical heading structure, their screen reader can construct an index for expeditious consumption; otherwise, the learner has to run through all the material presented, something a sighted person wouldn’t have to do.
- Use a singular, san serif font, no smaller than 12 point for your instructional materials. Imagine looking through a compromised lens; the little “feet” on a serif font make it difficult to differentiate between letters. And multiple fonts create visual “noise.” (Arial, Helvetica, Calibri, or Verdana are good choices.)
- Use descriptive links. Long URLs are distracting, and don’t provide meaning to learners in general, nor does “click here.” And nondescript links are particularly problematic for those who are blind. Screen reading software identifies links in running text; in addition, a user can pull up a list of all links on a page. Linking the text, “click here” or having just the URL creates an inefficiency and causes confusion. It makes it impossible to reconcile where a link will take them. So, for example, if you want them to visit ASU’s accessibility website, make it apparent in the running text.
- Use discretion when formatting. While using bold or italics for emphasis here and there is fine, extensive formatting makes reading distracting, difficult, and fatiguing. (Note: Avoid underlining anything that isn’t an active web link; this can be misleading to learners, particularly to those with low vision.)
- Consider your color scheme. Those with low vision often have decreased contrast sensitivity, and those with color blindness can’t distinguish between certain colors. Avoid using color to convey meaning, as well as color-referenced tasks. Choose high contrast color schemes when developing materials from scratch, or when drawing from existing resources. WebAIM’s color/contrast checker is a great tool to help you evaluate your choices.
Consistency
Everyone can agree that when content isn’t easy to find, it diverts all learners’ attention. Sure, in a New York City, shoebox-sized apartment you may have no better choice than to store linens in kitchen cabinets. But when it comes to your course site, you have the luxury of organizing it as you’d want any site you’d visit to be organized. You can, for instance:- Provide logical sequence and structure. Even for the most seasoned online learner, each course is new; everyone benefits from a consistent, predictable navigation routine from week to week. For those with disabilities such as low vision/blindness, ADHD, learning disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorder, the absence of this routine can make it difficult or impossible to get from point A to point B and be successful. Determine and employ structure throughout your course, including naming conventions to identify its various content types and assessment categories.
- Implement readability considerations. Apart from basic navigation, your pages themselves should be consistent in their overall look and feel across your course. It should be readily apparent to learners how and where to find things on a page for a given content/assessment type used in each module, what the expectations are, and how to meet them.
Communication
Whether online or in-person, clear communication makes it possible for everyone to establish connections, create support mechanisms, and build community. It can minimize frustration and remove obstacles to learning.The previously covered best practices for readability and consistency are all integral to clear communication. And, as luck would have it, it’s likely you’ve already baked several conduits for information-sharing and community into your course (how easy was that?), including, but not limited to:
- Managing expectations. Your syllabus, course schedule, and welcome message on your homepage are good places to start managing expectations, mapping out assignments, and ushering students in.
- Providing opportunities for direct, timely feedback, whether peer-to-peer or instructor-to-learner(s). Feedback from various sources helps learners evaluate their work; they can determine what they’re doing well and where there’s room for improvement.
- Maintaining “general questions” discussion forums and holding optional office hours. This is useful to all learners. Depending on abstract reasoning skills, those with and without disabilities may be unaware of an information gap until a peer asks. A public forum allows everyone to benefit from others’ questions and answers, creating a safe space for reciprocity and community.
Lastly...A Call to Action
Readability, consistency, and community are just three points of entry for accessibility. What will your accessibility plan be for your course? Make it S.M.A.R.T.; write it down, work with an instructional designer, take advantage of ASU's accessibility resources, and do your best to ensure full access and participation for all learners!References:
[1] National Center on Disability and Access to Education. Creating accessible electronic content. https://ncdae.org/resources/cheatsheets/electronic-content.php[2] ASU Accessibility. Best practices. accessibility.asu.edu
Post-Author:
Jill Roter, M.A., is a Senior Instructional Designer with EdPlus @ ASU, where she focuses on scalable initiatives for worldwide learner audiences.
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