Learning Management Systems and Accessibility IAAP Webinar Jon
Learning Management Systems and Accessibility IAAP Webinar Jon Gunderson, Coordinator of Accessible IT Group, University of Illinois Hadi Rangin, IT Accessibility Specialist, University of Washington
Overview > Background on LMS accessibility > Searching for an Accessible LMS > Application vs. content accessibility > How you can shape the accessibility of LMS
Dealing with two layers of accessibility issues > Application framework > Content > Both are required to provide an accessible experience
Accessibility Status of Major LMS > Blackboard, Desire 2 Learn, Moodle & Canvas All of them are mostly technically accessible All of them have active collaboration groups > Note: we are not doing side-by-side comparison > Published side-by-side comparison in 2011 and 2013 > Comprehensive Canvas accessibility evaluation in 2016 > Agile development methodology > Side-by-side comparison is very time consuming and results are out-dated by the time you finish the project
Background on LMS collaborations (1/2) > > > > Support of key stakeholders is essential for any collaboration Solid accessibility support from campus Lanny Arvin, acting CIO and head of College of Business Web. CT 2005 conference Meeting with Web. CT PM Got the “Aha!” moment and realizing the severity of the issues Shortly after we started our collaboration with Web. CT Blackboard purchased Web. CT and we lost our connection
Background on LMS collaborations (2/2) > Turning point: Removing BB and D 2 L by CSU from their preferred vendor list in 2008 > Rough start but turned into a smooth collaboration > BB lead by UIUC, D 2 L lead by OSU, SAKAI by IU, Moodle by UIUC, Canvas by UW > LMS vendors have developed accessibility programs. Some examples…
Fruitful Outcome > Educated many PMs, designers, developers on accessibility > Fixed massive numbers of accessibility issues > Many lessons learned went into the design/redesign > LMS vendors began incorporating strategies to address accessibility issues > NFB Certificate program, developers with disabilities, accessibility roadmaps, third-party accessibility evaluation, training devs/designers on accessibility, attending accessibility conferences, etc.
Collaboration Hurdles > Pitfalls: Having a thick VPAT or an accessibility person/team does not guaranty the accessibility of the application. > Human resource issue: Campus needs to have more accessibility experts on board to be able to evaluate the product independently. > Recent accessibility complaints in higher ed include LMS accessibility
Searching for an Accessible LMS > Compile a list of functional tasks and perform accessibility evaluation > Can user login reliably? Can user locate the desired course and see the relevant announcements and other communications? Can user identify errors/warnings and recover from it? Can user locate the desired discussion thread and participate reliably in it? Can user locate the posted quiz and submit it reliably? And many more… Some critical modules: Grading, Discussion, Announcement, Lessons and quizzing
Purchasing or Renewing a Product > Get involved in RFP process > Considering accessibility as a functional criterion when purchasing any product including LMS. > Find out how much vendors know about accessibility and identify commitment to resolving issues found during product evaluation > Contract negotiations and coming up with an accessibility plan/roadmap
Content Accessibility > Vendor can make the application framework accessible, but instructors and instructional designers play a role in ensuring students can access course materials. > Instructors and instructional designers need to know: The institutional commitment to accessibility The author’s role in making universally accessible content How accessible design helps all learners Training resources to learn about universal design
Reactive vs. Proactive Accessibility > Reactive: Have DRS worry about it > Proactive: Create accessible materials from ground up or remediate > Reactive approach is time consuming, not engaging, doesn’t provide a real-time interaction or collaboration with other peers. > Most LMS vendors have reactive approach for content accessibility > Instructors/instructional designers should do their best to streamline learning process Creating accessible content saves students an extra step of having to wait for remediation by DRS, etc.
Creating Accessible Content from the Ground Up > Using built-in/third-party accessibility checkers Ex: Canvas Authoring Tool, AInspector plugin for website accessibility, CK Editor Accessibility Checker
Checking for Accessibility Upon Uploading Content > Missing alt text for graphics and charts > Test for PDF and Power. Point file accessibility > Missing caption for videos > Missing transcript for audio
Authoring Tool Features > Using headings to create structured documents > Accessible link text > Adding text alternatives to images > Headers for tabular data tables > Captions for videos > Transcripts for audio > Built-in help to learn about accessibility
What you can do if you are: > A Student > A Faculty member/instructional designer > An IT/LT professional > An IT evangelist
If you are a student: > Report any accessibility issue/enhancement suggestions to your local LMS support team, have them log it with the vendor and follow up > Share accessibility bugs/feature enhancements with respective LMS collaboration groups > Communicate with faculty any issues you experience with accessing content; document remediation may be needed.
If you are an instructional designer, faculty or content creator: > Focus on content accessibility. > Report any accessibility issue/enhancement suggestions to your local LMS support team, have them log it with the vendor and follow up > Share accessibility bugs/feature enhancements with respective LMS collaboration groups > Work collaboratively with students to ensure content is accessible and allows for real-time engagement with the class
If you are an IT/LT professional or evangelist: > Get actively involved in accessibility discussion of respective LMS > Test/evaluate your LMS periodically for accessibility > Make sure that issues you find are logged with the vendor and follow up with the status > Demand for an ETA for fixes > Have an active accommodation plan for LMS accessibility issues > Note: the owner of the LMS service in your campus is responsible for all the good and bad things that comes with the LMS
Questions and Answers
Contact Information > Jon Gunderson > Hadi Rangin > jongund@Illinois. edu hadir@uw. edu Links to Collaborations: Blackboard Open (Moodle. Rooms): http: //collaborate. athenpro. org/group/bbopen/ Blackboard: http: //collaborate. athenpro. org/group/bb/ Canvas: http: //collaborate. athenpro. org/group/canvas/ Desire 2 Learn: http: //collaborate. athenpro. org/group/d 2 l/ Moodle: http: //collaborate. athenpro. org/group/moodle/
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