Principle of Representation - Guideline 1 Criterion 2 (v 3.0)

 

When developing a course using the first principle of Universal Design for Learning, there are three specific guidelines to assist us.  The first, Perception in many ways overlaps with creating accessible content.

Criterion 2 of this guideline advocates that we provide alternatives to perceive information.

Images, info-graphics, and video can be a superior way to presenting content.  This is particularly true when demonstrating relationships, such as between actions or events. A picture can stay 1000 words, but not if you cannot see it. These presentations can abandon those with visual disabilities. To ensure equitable access, offer non-visual learners alternatives, such as:

• Providing descriptions (text, spoken, or both) for all images, graphics, tables, and other visual content
• Providing auditory cues for key concepts and transitions in visual information
• Providing physical models (when possible) to convey perspective or interaction
• Adding a primacy to supplying textual representations that can easily be converted to text-to-speech.  The malleable nature of text on the web has an advantage of permanence and flexibility. Having Closed Captions, a transcript, or visual description should always be included. Offering a text-to-speech option alongside the text further benefits the learners.  

Text is a special case of visual information. For those with visual impairment, how the text is presented is critical. Be sure to use accessibly standards to the text you employ, such as those provided by NIMAS or WCAG.  There is an advantage to text in that many tools can easily work with it to provide alternative means of communicate.  Minimally, a text-to-speech option should be available for learners.

Sound is a very effective teaching tool, and the addition to sound to video, or text, can accelerate learning. However, information solely conveyed with audio is not equally accessible to all learners.  This is more so with learners with hearing disabilities. Ensure that all learners have access to information by:

• Providing written transcripts of closed captions to video or audio clips
• Provide visual diagrams, charts, and notations to sound (such as music)
• Offer visual analogues, such as symbols or images.
• When no voice is to be transcribed, offer visual/emotional description of audio, such as musical clips.

Finally, one should note that there are several new technologies that can convert to text to speech.  However, research reveals that learners prefer and thrive with human audio over computer generated speech (Mayer, 2009). Given the option, you should favor creating or using human audio to both increase learning and for generating a more welcoming learning environment.

By following these suggestions, your course will assist students communicating and expressing their knowledge, as well as being in line the Principle of Representation in the Theory of Universal Design for Learning.

Accessibility Checkers

Creating accessible content is easier now than ever before.  While there are several rules to learn and standards are regularly changing, such as WCAG standards, creating accessible content does not require a specialist. There are plenty of tools to assist you.  Most applications have accessibility checkers build right in.   These make producing accessible content easy.

We commonly make spell checking or grammar checking part of the process in creating a document.  Now it is time to include accessibility checking. 
 

You may notice that with so many accessibility checkers, sometimes they may differ in their analysis. Why should we pay attention to them?  Remember that accessibility standards are changing – they are evolving and regularly improving.  Algorithms can vary between programs and are trying to keep up.  The best course of action is to rely on any and all tools at your disposal.  This way you can work at having the most accessible content as possible.

Schools that take accessibility seriously should have at least three accessibility checkers at your disposal.

Available Accessibility Checkers

MS Word (or MS Office Apps)

Depending on the version, the accessibility checker can be in different locations.  It is most commonly on the “review ribbon”, but earlier versions have it under File.  Be sure to use it whenever you create a word document.

  

Ally

Those gauges next to content indicate the accessibility rating.  

Be sure to click on it and see why it is not dark green (or 100% accessible).  Ally will often direct you on how to improve your content.

Accessibility checker in the LSM HTML Editor

For example:
 Brightspace provide an accessibly checker in their HTML editor in the tools ribbon. The icon looks like an eye with a checkmark next to it. Naturally, if you hover the mouse over the tool buttons, you will see their names pop up. If you select the icon, it will scan the page, identify any issues, and offer advice.

It is important get acquainted with the accessibility checkers and incorporate it in your content creation routine.  It does not take much time to ensure that the content you create is accessible. In fact, the more you use the checkers, you will notice that you will be unconsciously adopting accessible practices when you produce content. This is a skill that will help you and others.

Page Titles and Language Sets in Brightspace

The Problem

You have been working on ensuring your course has a perfect Ally Accessibility score and to your surprise you see a page that has an issue.  It reads:

• 96%: This HTML file does not have a language set.

If you explore the issues, you may notice that the page is also missing a title.  Both are critical for accessibility.  To your dismay, Ally states, “Guidance is not available yet”.

Figure 1

Guidance is Here

Luckily, we do not have to rely on Ally to solve this problem and you do not need to be an experienced HTML programmer either.  Any faculty can resolve this issue in the Brightspace editor.  You simply need to follow these steps:

1. Select Edit HTML to the page in question to open the editor. (See Figure 1)
2.  On the toolbar select the drop down from the Other Insert Options icon – it has a + sign on the button (See Figure 2)
3.  Select the Attributes option.
4. Select the “Page Attributes” Tab (See figure 3)
5. Give the page a meaningful title (if it doesn’t already have one)
6. Set the language set – “en’ for English (This is so much easier than adding <html lang="en"> to in the html code.)
7. Select Create.
8. Select the blue “Save and Close.”

That was it.  

Figure 2

You didn’t have to open the source code and drop in the appropriate code ( <html lang="en"> for the English language set).  Instead, you can quickly fix any problematic pages with these issues and ensure your content passes WCAG accessibility standards. 

Figure 3

Now that you know this, you can have perfect pages.

Inclusive Teaching, Synchronous Sessions, and Auto Captions

Since the Lockdown the use of videoconferencing can no longer be denied as a key part of online education.  Whether you are teaching a synchronous course, a hybrid, holding virtual office hours, or providing a sense of community with an optional introduction in an asynchronous session, you will need to select a video conferencing tool the suits your needs.  But which one?

 

Collaborate in Blackboard and Bongos Virtual Classroom in Brightspace are free and are conveniently embedded inside the LMS. However, not everything that is free, such as the flu, is good. Both of these free applications refuse to provide automatic captioning.  They do ‘claim’ to have captions provided you arrange for a transcriptionist to transcribe them in real-time. Free and not toxic at all!

But why should I care if I do not have any deaf students?  First, in many cases you are not aware of all of your students’ disabilities. One in ten college students report having a disability and this should not be ignored.  Second, The American Disabilities Act requires organizations to provide accessible online content and missing captions is frequently cited in ADA lawsuits.  Don’t be that guy - meet WCAG standards.

Captions expand your audience and increase their engagement often in unexpected ways.  In 2022 50% of US citizens surveyed stated they use captions ‘most of the time’.  The study also revealed that 70% of members of Gen Z (ages 11-25) frequently use subtitles. They are a growing demographic of students, and they will expect captioning. 

Luckily, you can easily provide captioning in video conferences by using MS Teams.  When you enter a meeting, you merely select the “more’ feature on the menu – its symbol is three dots.  Go to “Language and Speech” and select “Turn On Live Captions”. Now you have live captions. You could also do this by selecting “Accessibility” and turning on the Captioning tab.  This is an individual feature, so all your students can access it and use it privately.  A similar feature exists in Zoom.

Live captioning also helps you be more inclusive by assisting ELL students or offering translations for non-English speakers.  MS Teams, as well as Zoom (with the Wordly App add-on), not only offer real-time captioning, but language translation.  Once the captioning is on in Teams, select the three dots on the top right corner of the captions bar.  This will offer the following options:

1.       Change the spoken language.  This is handy when your class is not in English.

2.       Translate the captioning language. Yes, this feature can translate your session into more than 30 languages. This helps level the bar for ELL students who may have difficulty understanding their second or third language in the online environment.

The translation tool is not as good as an interpreter. For example, ‘Warming the cockles of your heart’ does not mean to “heating the mollusks inside your cardiac organ”. However, the translation feature is a handy tool when you need something. It is effectively an electronic dictionary/translator to assist your students.

Remember, not all instructional technology is the same, and this definitely applies to video conferencing applications.  Choose one that has auto-captioning and translations.  It is not only more inclusive and accessible but demonstrates your commitment to being so.   

References

Adelson, B. (2021) Google Translate has “an alarming capacity for miscommunication and error, ” U.S. federal judge decides. Bromberg.

Amin, F. M., & Sundari, H. (2020). EFL students’ preferences on digital platforms during emergency remote teaching: Video conference, LMS, or messenger application? Studies in English Language and Education, 7(2), 362-378.

BOIA (2023) Gen Z More Likely to Use Captions When Viewing Video Content. Bureau of Internet Accessibility.

Patil S & Davies P. (2014) Use of Google Translate in medical communication: evaluation of accuracy BMJ 2014; 349: g 7392 doi:10.1136/bmj.g7392

Kaliyadan F, & Gopinath Pillai S. (2010)The use of google language tools as an interpretation aid in cross-cultural doctor-patient interaction: a pilot study. Inform Prim Care 18:141-3.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2018). Table 311.10. Number and percentage distribution of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions, by level, disability status, and selected student characteristics: 2015–16 [Data table]. In Digest of education statistics. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. [Retrieved 2022]

United States v. Ramirez-Mendoza, 4:20-CR-00107 (M.D. Pa. Oct. 1, 2021)

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (2018) Success Criterion 1.2.4 Captions (Live) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. [Retrieved 2023]

Wormeester, Veron (2020) Hoe toegankelijk zijn videoconferentietools? iBestuur Online. 

Youngs, Ian (2021) Young viewers prefer TV subtitles, research suggests. BBC News Nov 15.

Zajechowski, Matt (2023) Survey: Why America is obsessed with subtitles. Preply

Using Ally to be an Instructional Ally

 When you are an ally, you are someone who promotes and aspires to advance the culture of conclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole.  You foster relationships based on trust and accountability with marginalized individuals or groups.  This requires that your effects not be self-defined and that your work is recognized by those who you are seeking to ally with. One such way of doing accomplishing this is to adopt inclusive teaching practices.

 

Blackboard Ally is a tool that can assist you on your path to promote inclusive practices. This platform tool scans for inaccessible content and offers advice for faculty on remedying inaccessible content. Besides contributing to courses accessibility, the tools also promotes principles of Universal Design for Learning, by offing students’ alternative formats to the content within the course. Impressively, it does this while being architecturally agnostic, i.e., Blackboard Ally works in D2L, Moodle. Canvas as well as Blackboard Learn.

 

Content is reviewed and a gauge illustrate how accessible it is.  Those with a low rating will appear in red while highly accessible content will have a green color.  Only faculty see this gauge and selecting it will provide the specific issues, if any, with the content and solutions to fix those issues.  This can help guide faculty through developing a perfectly accessible course.

 

Another feature of Blackboard Ally that helps promote inclusion is that alternative content option it provides students.  At a click of a button, students can have the content presented to them in various modalities, including: Tagged PDF, Beeline Reader, or MP3 Audio.  This can not only benefit students with disabilities, but all students can choose the modality the best suits they way the need to learn.  Likewise, Blackboard Ally can translate material in over 75 languages.  This can be very helpful to any student wishing assistance because English is not their first/preferred language.

Creating Online Images & Tables that Engage & are Accessible

 

For years there have been a common place bias favoring textual learning over other forms of learning, such as the use of visuals.  However, humans are highly visual creatures and relied on visual far before text existed.  It is not surprising that images can have a profound effect on us, and this includes our learning.  When carefully employed, images can generate:

• Discussion,
• Critical thinking,
• Empathy, and
• Motivation

All of this can be harnessed to increase learning.

There is over thirty years of research illustrating that images can play a key part in knowledge transfer.  For example, Mayer’ s Multimedia Learning Theory have a plethora of studies confirming that combining visuals with another modality of presentation, such as auditory content or textual content, significantly increases learning in subjects.  This applies to more than diagrams, but all types of images.  Even decorative images, when applied correctly, can increase learner retention of content.

The embedded webinar includes tips for making your images have a greater impact.  It also reviews the importance of accessibility issues.  Furthermore, tables will be reviewed and solutions suggested to ensure that they are accessible and effective. 

References

 Austin, A. A. (2009) Multimedia learning: Cognitive individual differences and display design techniques predict transfer learning with multimedia learning modules. Computers & Education. 53(4): 1339-1354.

Magner, U, Schwobke, R., Aleven, V., Popescu, O., and A. Renkl (2014) Triggering situational interest by decorative illustrations both fosters and hinders learning in computer-based learning environments. Learning and Instruction 29: 141-152

Levie, W. H, and R. Lentz. (2015) Effects of Text Illustrations: A Review of the Research. ECTJ 30.4 (1982): 195-232.

Kaas, J. H., & Balaram, P. (2014). Current research on the organization and function of the visual system in primates. Eye and brain, 6(Suppl), 1–4.

Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. Cambridge: University Press.

Mayer, R. E. (2014) Incorporating motivation into multimedia learning. Learning and Instruction. 29:171-173.

Mayer, R. E. & G. Estrella (2014) Benefits of emotional design in multimedia instruction. Learning and Instruction. 33:12-18.

Meyer, A. D. (1991) Visual Data in Organizational Research. Organization Science 2(2):218-236.

Whitenton, K. (2014) Image-Focus Design: Is Bigger Better? Evidence-Based User Experience Research: Nielsen Norman Group.   

Principle of Representation - Guideline 2 - Criterion 4

Universal Design for Learning

Principle of Representation - Guideline 2 - Criterion 4

When developing a course using the first principle of Universal Design for Learning, there are three specific guidelines to assist us. The second, Language and Symbols focuses on maintaining clarity about the content provided.

Criterion 4 of this guideline advocates that we illustrate through multiple media.

Materials are often dominated by text, however textual presentations of content are not optimal for presenting information on the web, or possibly in a classroom. This is compounded with those who have language-related disabilities, such as dyslexia. Providing alternatives, such as illustrations or animations, can make the information more accessible for these learners. It may also help learners who favor visual presentations. Remember to:

• Present key concepts in two different forms, such as a symbolic representation of a physics equation and an illustration or animation of its relationship
• Provide explicit connections between information provided textually and other accompanying representations of the information.
  

By following these suggestions, your course will assist students communicating and expressing their knowledge, as well as being in line the Principle of Representation in the Theory of Universal Design for Learning.

Principle of Representation - Guideline 2 - Criterion 3

Universal Design for Learning

Principle of Representation - Guideline 2 - Criterion 3

When developing a course using the first principle of Universal Design for Learning, there are three specific guidelines to assist us. The second, Language and Symbols focuses on maintaining clarity about the content provided.

Criterion 3 of this guideline advocates that we promote understanding across languages.

While the class may be taught in one language, it does not mean that this is the learner’s first language. Accessibility of information is significantly reduced when no linguistic alternatives are available. While it is not always possible to offer every language, there are translation tools to offer to assist the learners. Using these and offer options demonstrating alternatives to key information greatly increases the accessibility. Consider:

• Providing electronic translation tools or links to multilingual dictionaries on the web
• Embedding visual, non-linguistic support, such as images, for vocabulary clarification.

By following these suggestions, your course will assist students communicating and expressing their knowledge, as well as being in line the Principle of Representation in the Theory of Universal Design for Learning.