Best Practices for Accessible Course Development

Proposal No: 862

Bios & Handouts

Speaker(s)

• Jennifer Hill, Courseware Developer, Desire2Learn
• Cheryl Bauman, Senior Courseware Developer, Desire2Learn

Disability Area: Cognitive|Learning   Mobility   Vision   Deaf|HOH   Other Disability  

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Topic Area: Legal   Best Practices   Web|Media Access   Alternate Format   Campus Policy   Curriculum Access   Assistive Technology   Information Resources  

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Length of Session (in hours): 2-hr

Format: Lecture

Expertise Level: Intermediate

Type of session: Not provided

Summary of Session

This presentation will cover best practices for developing accessible online courses, covering legislative standards, common barriers to access, design principles, development, and testing techniques. Attendees will be provided with useful tips and techniques that they can implement right away.

Abstract

Developing courseware can present a variety of challenges. How can you create content that satisfies the gamut of requirements, in the most efficient manner? One of the most important goals in creating courseware is engaging the learner and helping them to reach their highest potential. By creating and developing course materials following best practices for accessibility and usability, you can reach more learners than ever before. This presentation will cover best practices for developing accessible online course content for a wide variety of learners and instructors, demonstrating common barriers to access, universal design principles, development, and testing techniques. Attendees will be provided with 10 useful tips that they can implement right away to improve the accessibility of their online materials.

Kepoints

1. Accessible courses can reach more learners and improve learner success.
2. Understanding the needs of learners helps to inform your best practices.
3. Defining development standards makes development more efficient and improves accessibility of courses.

Speaker Bio(s)

Jennifer Hill

Jenny Hill is an experienced Courseware Developer at world-class elearning provider Desire2Learn. She has years of experience developing and auditing courseware materials to improve accessibility and reach more learners.

Cheryl Bauman

Eight years ago, Cheryl Bauman stepped into a world which spoke in HTML/HTML5, CSS/CSS3, Javascript, Actionscript, and other web development languages. As part of Desire2Learn's Learning & Creative Services Courseware Development team, Cheryl works closely with internal and external clients to develop dynamic and engaging on-line course content. The Senior Courseware Developer puts her Conestoga College Journalism and Wilfrid Laurier University Communication Studies degrees to good use editing course content.

Handout(s)