Heather Wik ETEC 565

One of the things that has recently impacted my online teaching practice, is being able to provide accommodations to students who have diverse needs.   It’s made me think much closer about the issues surrounding accessibility in online learning environments.  Now that I’m designing a course in Moodle, I’m discovering it is critical in terms of educational design….right from the base level.  It’s a daunting task in some ways, as it’s my responsibility to make sure my course is accessible to a diverse group of learners who may have countless different needs to accommodate.

When I went through many of the links in the eTool-Kit for accessibility, I was completely lost.  So much of what is there I just don’t understand.  But not understanding did send me on a quest to find information, and I did learn many things.  I still don’t know all I need to, but I’m making headway.

A few of the things I made note of were:

• Remove any tools not needed in the course
• Fewer items on the screen speed things up for those using screen readers
• Don’t leave empty or needless folders viewable
• Enhance accessibility of content links – link titles, use appropriate clear icons, be consistent
• Moodle 2.0 has an accessibility block….very cool!
• Browser setting can be adjusted – font, size, colour, minimum size, etc.
• The layout, structure, and content of pages are very significant
• Include both visual and non-visual cues
• Ensure all controls can be accessed through enter or space keys, and be sure tabbing follows a logical sequence
• For images, label with alternative text
• Balance text and images used

One of the things I’ve found in Moodle is that it isn’t easy to make certain accommodations.  This semester I had a student who needed more time on quizzes because of her disability.  This was a challenge in Moodle.  Fortunately, I had support and a way to accommodate my student was found.

Next on my list of things to learn in terms of accessibility, is what is involved when using video.  I’ve googled “flash” to try to get an idea of what it is, but I don’t understand what’s involved as it pertains to developing my moodle course.  Always something to learn….which I guess is a good thing!