Presented at 11:30am in Colorado I-J on Thursday, November 9, 2023.
#38035Speaker(s)
- Brandie Wiley, Director, UNT Health Science Center
- John McKenzie, Executive Director, UNT Health Science Center
Session Details
- Length of Session: 1-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: All Levels
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
At UNT Health Science Center, the Office of Disability Access and the Division of Academic Innovation partnered to develop and implement a three-pronged approach to accessibility awareness and training. A free, open-enrollment course, a microcredential course, and an annual compliance course were developed. In this session, the speakers share their findings of the pros-and-cons of each modality and present recommendations for those considering similar training at their institutions.
Abstract
UNT Health Science Center has DO, PA, PT, Pharmacy, Public Health and Biomedical Sciences programs. A need for a faculty training program was identified by The Office of Disability Access (ODA) based on repeated questions, new faculty starting regularly, and a growing registered student case load with more complex needs.
The director of the ODA began conversations with campus partners about developing a robust training course. Meetings were held regularly with the Division of Academic Innovation to map out course and module objectives, and a course designer took the content the ODA created and translated it into an open-enrollment course. Their educational media team was responsible for creating an animated video, a simulated 3D classroom, and recording and editing all course videos. The course covers such topics as: the law, policies and procedures, how to make online content accessible, UDL principles, and health sciences specific accommodations.
Representatives from across campus created videos to discuss how accommodating students has been successful. Students made videos discussing their firsthand experiences with having accommodations and how they helped remove barriers to access. The primary goal for this open-enrollment course was to provide readily available self-paced training for all faculty.
We found that some would value formal recognition of their efforts, and incentivizing them with a credential would encourage participation. With the addition of a microcredential course, an element of skill assessment was added so participants could become certified in Accessibility for Health Sciences Educators.
The Integrity & Awareness team became aware of the work that had been done and requested a course that included HR-related accessibility topics for annual compliance training.
This session will discuss our collaborative approach to developing each course and will present recommendations for those considering similar training at their institutions.
Keypoints
- Explore how accessibility offices can be a catalyst for change through training & development opportunities
- Evaluate the strengths & challenges of establishing & maintaining a campus-wide accessibility training course
- Evaluate three modalities for delivering accessibility-related campus training
Disability Areas
All Areas
Topic Areas
Accessible Course Design, Accessible Educational Materials, Administrative/Campus Policy, Alternate Format, Assistive Technology, Captioning/Transcription, Faculty Development & Support, Legal, Uncategorized, Universal Design for Learning, Web/Media/App Access
Speaker Bio(s)
Brandie Wiley
Brandie Wiley has lived in the Fort Worth area since 1994. She earned two bachelor’s degrees from Texas Christian University and then taught in the public education system for 10 years, three of which were as a dyslexia specialist (CALT).
She has a Master’s degree from the University of Kansas in Special Education - Transition and a Texas special education teaching certification.
She has served on the board of Arc of DFW Area and is currently the Chair of the Fort Worth Mayor’s Committee on Persons with Disabilities. She is the sponsor of DREAM (Disability Rights Education and Mentoring) and Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Student Interest Group student organizations.
She speaks publicly often, most recently at the A Look Ahead Conference on the topic of Disability Services in Higher Education.
She has authored two children’s books on topics related to disability-one, about autism specifically. She has been with UNT Health Science Center since 2012 and is the director of the Office of Disability Access. Inspired by her three children who all have multiple disabilities, she is passionate about creating a more inclusive world for all.
John McKenzie
John McKenzie is the Executive Director of Academic Innovation at UNT Health Science Center. He holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Communication from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas. He leads the teams that design & develop innovative learning experiences as part of the Division of Academic Innovation. In this role, he steers the Educational Development, Educational Media, and Continuing Education & Assessment teams to develop online and face-to-face courses, skill- and competency-based microcredentials, and accredited continuing education experiences for both internal and community audiences. He is also chair of the university's Microcredential Committee.
He collaborates with faculty and staff for face-to-face, blended, and online course design and development, creates and delivers workshops for faculty/staff professional development, and guides instructional technology strategy, adoption, and implementation as a part of the Division of Academic Innovation at the university. He is also a frequent guest lecturer in a wide variety of classes on campus on topics related to communication, persuasion, and advocacy.
Prior to his time at HSC, he was a professor of Communication for a number of years. He taught at UT-Austin and Lakeland University (Wisconsin). From 2011-2015, he designed and implemented a new major in Communication for LU that grew from 9 student minors when he arrived to more than 70 student majors and minors four years later. He has taught more than 20 distinct courses in Communication and in the interdisciplinary core. During his time leading the program, the Communication major grew to be one of the top 10 academic programs at the university for recruitment in less than 4 years.
Today, he continues to teach his Communication for Health Professionals course in the School of Public Health - a skills-based communication practicum for MHA and other public health graduate students.
John has recently presented at the Online Learning Consortium (on faculty development and project management), the Texas Library Association Annual Conference (on microcredentials), the NEXUS Summit (on microcredentials for interprofessional education), and was an invited guest presenter for a webinar from National Association of Colleges & Employers (NACE) (on microcredentials for career readiness), as well as a guest presenter on the Canvas Mid-Atlantic Regional Webinar and the Canvascasters Podcast for topics related to instructional design.