Not Just a Checklist: Weaving Accessibility Into the Course Development Process

Presenters

• Ginny Moore, EdD — Chalk and Tablet
• Kara Roche — Chalk & Tablet

Description

In online course development, accessibility is often an afterthought; a checklist to implement right before launching a course. This approach fails because accessibility isn’t a checklist. Accessibility features are an extension of your course elements, so waiting to implement them until the elements are built often leads to rework, and/or fewer, less impactful accessibility features. In this session we’ll explore how to weave accessibility into the very fabric of your course development process.

We’ll start with relatable examples of pitfalls associated with the checklist approach, and the benefits of a more integrated method. Then we’ll walk through a sample course development process, stopping along the way to explore threads, or critical points to consider accessibility. You’ll leave with planning and implementation strategies associated with instructional design threads like heading structure and writing level, and usability design threads like keyboard navigation and transcript.

Learning outcomes

• Recognize the pitfalls associated with viewing accessibility as a checklist
• Advocate for an integrated approach to accessibility, where planning and implementation is woven into the development process
• Adopt an integrated approach to accessibility by applying the planning and implementation strategies in your own courses