Imagine you’re a student in an introductory biology course. On an exam, your professor asks: " What is a byproduct of photosynthesis as exhibited by Figure 1.1 below? " Could you answer the question? Figure 1.1 Now imagine you are a student who has a visual impairment and you were asked the same question. Could you provide the answer then? Chances are you may not be able to answer the question based on Figure 1.1 alone. What seems like a well-written question, is actually only accessible to students who are sighted or otherwise have functional vision. For students with visual impairments, assessment questions based solely on scientific images or graphs may create a barrier in the learning process. Being web inclusive means that course content and associated materials are equitably available to all students regardless of their abilities, or type of technological device that they are using. Instead of relying only on scientific images and graphs to showcase data, you can im...

The ability of students to think abstractly and formally is one of the major challenges instructors have faced over time. This is true across all disciplines but more so in the sciences. Concepts such as molecular bonding, biochemical pathways and cellular communication bring the biggest challenges to students as they require one to think outside of one’s normal schema. Arizona State University Emeritus Professor Anton Lawson , states, Concrete thinking is just regarding the facts. On the other hand, abstract thinking goes down below the facts. While some mental process is involved in abstract thinking, no such effort is evolved in concrete thinking. A person with concrete thinking does not think beyond the facts. They do not have the ability to think beyond a certain limit. Concrete thinkers only have a generalized concept for all things. On the other hand, abstract thinkers have a very specific concept of things. Is there a secret to teaching abstract thinking to learners? One of the...

Why do we use images in online courses? To make the course "pop"? To support the topic we’re trying to convey, or perhaps to engage students visually? Presenting information fluidly, with one concept leading to or building upon another is essential for learning. Students now expect to dive into the topic and find multiple resources of information at their fingertips. Using interactive images allows you to provide course content to students in a more visually engaging way than a simple list of links.  If you’re looking for a creative way to visually display resources, readings, videos, and more, I suggest trying an interactive image, by using an innovative tool in your online or hybrid courses called Thinglink . Here's an example of using an interactive image to introduce a science topic. How would you use interactive images in an online-only course? Embed it into a Page within a Module on Canvas. Students can then hover and click on links on interactive image right ...