This fall, join the California Virtual Campus and Online Network of Educators for a professional development series that will prepare you to design online courses that are accessible to all students in the California Community College system. The series will focus on accessibility best practices in online course design strategies and the tools available to check your online courses and materials.
This series will provide information concerning a variety of accessibility-specific topics, including web accessibility and how to integrate accessibility into online instruction. You will learn to create online courses that follow Universal Design for Learning guidelines to ensure compliance with accessibility standards and provide greater opportunities for student engagement and participation for all.
Session 4: Students First! Accessibility for STEM (Math)
DATE: Friday, March 3, 2023, at 2:00 - 3:00 pm
Presenter: Kelly Spoon Associate Professor, Mathematics at San Diego Community
Accessibility Specialist Panel:
Shawn Jordison, Assistive Technology and Alternate Media Specialist, CCC Accessibility Center
Albert Gareev, Accessible Media and Assistive Technologies (Prior Sr. Technical Lead, Accessibility (AODA / WCAG), QA / Agile Testing), CCC Accessibility Center
Description:
The first step is to ensure that students with disabilities see STEM as accessible to them, and that all students, can access all materials to learn. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses have unique issues to solve when it comes to designing accessible materials. Professor Kelly Spoon was bitten by the accessibility bug after she won a “Teach Access” Grant to create modules for her statistics course on accessibility for data visualization. While creating those materials, the lightbulb went on! All materials in all courses need to be accessible. Join Kelly and our panel in discussing topics including Canvas built-in accessibility options, Desmos, PreText, and other tools important to accessibility in her math courses.
Kelly Spoon is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at San Diego Mesa College where she serves as a member of their Online Success Team and is involved in all things related to professional learning. She loves trying new things in her classrooms – whether it’s experimenting with upgrading options in Calculus or teaching students about accessibility in Statistics – and sharing her successes and failures with others. When she’s not saying ‘yes’ to too many things, she is probably on a soccer field or chasing after her preschooler.
Session 3: Accessibility Toolbox
DATE: December 8, 2022, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Topic: Accessibility Toolbox Treasures
Presenter: Helen Graves, Cheryl Chapman, and Shawn Valcarcel Instructional Designers,
California Virtual Campus
Description: Making your online content accessible creates a more equitable learning
environment for all students. Learn about tools available to scan and fix accessibility issues
while building content in Canvas. We’ll address accessibility in each of the “Big 7” areas
(headings, alt text, lists, links, tables, color, and captions) and which accessibility tool most
effectively handles those issues. Using break-out rooms, time will be offered for hands-on skill-building and questions. Tools will include the Canvas Accessibility Checker, Pope Tech, WAVE, and UDOIT. For captioning, Studio and YouTube will be discussed.
Session 2: Student Experience & Universal Design for Learning
DATE: November 10, 2022, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Topic: Student Experience & Universal Design for Learning
Presenter: Jessica Lopez - Vice President, Associated Student Government, Coastline College
Description: Jessica Lopez is a disability advocate and full-time student at Coastline College
triple-majoring in Business, Economics, and Communication. Born without hands and feet,
Jessica's lived experience as a disabled student informs her advocacy for inclusive and
accessible education and workforces. She is Vice President of Coastline's Associated Student
Government, and advocates for students locally and statewide. Jessica does consultancy work
on disability, reaching over 800 educators on accessible education, and has organized student
action and met with legislators to lead the way for expanded disability inclusion. She works to
interrupt the narratives we are often led to believe about people with disabilities in order to make
the world more equitable.
In this session, Jessica will offer a student’s perspective on accessibility. She will discuss the
importance of Universal Design for Learning and how faculty can understand the variety of
individual skills and learning styles or preferences, age, gender, sexual orientation, culture,
abilities, and disabilities when selecting appropriate content and strategies for the delivery of
online instruction.
Presenter Materials
Session 1: Universal Design for Learning & Statewide Resources
DATE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2022, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Part 1
Topic: Universal Design for Learning & Canvas
Presenter: Jared Stein - Vice President, Global Education Strategy/Higher Education, Instructure
Description: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can improve teaching and learning in higher
education. UDL is a teaching approach that focuses on the needs and abilities of all learners and
eliminates unnecessary hurdles in the learning process. Jared will share UDL’s innovative best
practices for Canvas and global learning and explore UDL approaches that different users can
take–faculty, administrators, and staff. He will also discuss the current status of Canvas
accessibility and Instructure’s roadmap for the year ahead.
Part 2
Topic: Statewide Accessibility Resource Round-Up
Presenter: Dawn Okinaka - Director, California Community Colleges Accessibility Center
Description: Join us for a “speed dating” version of the amazing resources and support
available from the CCC Accessibility Center for all community colleges in California! The Center
proactively assesses the CCC system's web and information technology accessibility needs and
offers tools, services, guidance, and technical assistance to help colleges realize an
accessible technology environment. Diversity and inclusion are core values embraced by
California Community Colleges. Creating online courses that are accessible positively impacts
all students, especially individuals with disabilities, offering greater opportunities for engagement
and participation in the pursuit of lifelong learning. Topics will include current and new tools,
services, and resources.