Presented at 9:15am in Colorado I-J on Thursday, November 9, 2023.
#38114Speaker(s)
- Louis Shanafelt, Senior Product Manager, Texthelp
- Rachel Kruzel, Higher Education Specialist, Texthelp
Session Details
- Length of Session: 1-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
Each year, more focus is paid to the creation and distribution of digitally accessible STEM based content. However, the accessible creation and remediation of this type of content can be time consuming, challenging, and a daunting task. This session will discuss how Equatio can support faculty, staff, content creators and remediators as they create, remediate and distribute STEM course content to learners. Time will be spent showing how students can use Equatio to access course content as well.
Abstract
Digital accessibility continues to be a focus at institutions as more efforts, resources and attention are being paid to this necessary component of the digital ecosystems of our campuses. Despite campuses being at different places in their digital accessibility journey, one area which continues to be a challenge for all is the accessibility of STEM based content. Given the complexities around creating and remediating this specific type of content, campus professionals need an easy to use tool which supports professionals of all experience levels with this process. This includes professionals creating new content, staff remediating post-production content, and sharing materials with learners in a variety of platforms and educational environments. Likewise, some students on campus may need support accessing, engaging with and creating STEM based content. This session will focus on Equatio, Texthelp’s digital STEM creation toolbar which can help professionals and students as they create, remediate and share course accessible content digitally. Time will be discussing and demonstrating how this tool can support the following personas and the role they have with accessible course content: -Faculty as they create or remediate content for STEM based courses -Staff as they remediate or recreate post-production content to make it more digitally accessible, including from poor quality course content -Students as they consume and engage with accessible or inaccessible STEM based content while creating their own content -Instructional Designers, Tech Professionals and those tasked with digital accessibility on campus they support faculty, staff and students as they engage with, create, and access STEM based course content. Attendees will leave with an understanding of how this tool can help people across campus, no matter their role, move the needle on digital accessibility when it comes to STEM based content no matter where or how it is created and distributed to learners.
Keypoints
- Equatio can support faculty as they create new accessible STEM based course content or remediate old content.
- Equatio can support staff as they remediate STEM based course content and work toward digital accessibility.
- Students can access STEM based content more equitably given it’s accessible creation with Equatio.
Disability Areas
Cognitive/Learning, Vision
Topic Areas
Accessible Course Design, Accessible Educational Materials, Alternate Format, Assistive Technology, Teaching about Accessibility in Curriculum, Uncategorized, Universal Design for Learning
Speaker Bio(s)
Louis Shanafelt
Louis is the Equatio Senior Product Manager for Texthelp which is an industry leader in literacy and STEM software. He holds the Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) credential from IAAP which represents broad, cross-disciplinary conceptual knowledge about disabilities; accessibility and universal design; and accessibility-related standards, laws, and management strategies. In 5 years at Texthelp, he has served as the liaison between our marketing team, sales staff, development team, and our customers which help drive our Equatio product roadmap. Prior to this role, he spent 20 years working in a large urban district as a teacher & district administrator. His teaching experience began at the elementary level & eventually he transitioned to secondary mathematics. He has also delivered countless hours of professional development to thousands of teachers on instructional best practices using technology. He finished his education career as an instructional designer building online learning modules for teachers in the district for which he worked.
Rachel Kruzel
Rachel Kruzel, ATP, is the Higher Education Specialist for Texthelp where she supports higher education institutions across the United States and Canada as they explore, adopt, and implement technology based literacy, STEM, and accessibility based solutions to help create more inclusive, equitable, and accessible campuses and learning spaces for all students and campus members. She is a RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Professional and spent over ten years working as an Assistive Technology and Accommodations Specialist in Disability Resource Offices prior to coming to Texthelp. During her time in higher ed, she built and developed assistive technology programs at both schools she worked at, as well as coordinated the provision of accommodations. Rachel is a national expert in the areas of assistive technology, digital accessibility, accessible course materials, and accommodation provision around testing and notetaking. Rachel presents both regionally and nationally on these topics and others, as well as consults with students, parents, schools, and organizations.