[gui-talk] Fwd: November Barrier-free E-learning Online Course

[David Andrews]

>
>Take advantage of the special free Barrier-free E-learning Handbook 
>that comes as a bonus for everyone who takes this course in 
>November.  Two significant resources  in one package.
>
>The handbook is a detailed and compact treatment of distance 
>learning today with a special emphasis on making the courses 
>accessible.  It reflects my 20 years of distance learning experience 
>and reflects changes in the Web, in operating systems, in adaptive 
>hardware and software and in courseware management systems.  It is a 
>$24.95 value and will shortly be available for purchase.  You can 
>read the 2-page table of contents online at:
>http://easi.cc/download/elearning-toc.htm
>
>The course syllabus and registration are at:
>http://easi.cc/workshops/bfel.htm
>
>
>The course itself has 10 lessons spread over a month.  Because of 
>the long Thanksgiving week end, it will last for a few extra days.  The 10
>lessons in the course are:
>
>Lesson 1: Introduction to E-learning Systems
>
>This lesson will discuss the different types of e-learning or online 
>learning systems, and will also describe the types of disabilities 
>that are relevant
>for e-learning which essentially refers to people with what used to 
>be called "print disabilities". There will be a discussion of the 
>ways in which e-learning
>systems provide both advantages and disadvantages for this 
>population. The lesson will demonstrate how actual accessibility is 
>made up of 3 components:
>an accessible courseware system, robust adaptive technologies that 
>interact effectively with that courseware and an end user that has 
>skill in using that
>adaptive software and has experience with the Web.
>
>Lesson 2: What is Accessibility and is That Enough?
>
>The major thrust of this lesson is to explain that making a Web site 
>meet the Section 508 Standards or the WAI Guidelines may not be 
>enough to permit a
>student to learn effectively online. A site may meet technical 
>accessibility standards and still be confusing for a user to 
>understand and difficult to
>navigate. While this is true for everyone, it is particularly true 
>for users with disabilities. The lesson will also look specifically 
>at Blackboard, WebCT,
>eCollege and Horizon Wimba and what they say about their accessibility.
>
>Week 2:
>Lesson 3: Tips for Faculty and Content Providers
>
>This lesson will argue that good design and clear communication is 
>half of achieving accessibility for people with disabilities. Good 
>teaching improves
>learning for everyone. Course content posted inside courseware by 
>faculty will normally only relates to 3-5 accessibility issues 
>instead of the 16 Section
>508 Standards, and we will focus exclusively on this limited set of 
>accessibility features. The lesson will include ten tips for 
>effective e-learning developed
>over the years by Coombs.
>
>Lesson 4: Creating Content Using Microsoft Word
>
>This lesson will explain how using styles in Word helps make 
>documents that are consistent, that can export with the format to 
>other file types, are more
>accessible for users of adaptive technology and which permit the 
>author to make modifications quickly and easily. When the author 
>takes 3-5 accessibility
>features into account, the end result will produce accessible 
>content for use in the courseware system. It will also describe 
>recent technical breakthroughs
>permitting the display of math and scientific information that can 
>now be accessible to users who are blind.
>
>Lesson 5: PowerPoint and Accessibility
>
>First, the lesson will discuss general content and slide design tips 
>for accessibility. Some screen reading software will not function in 
>PowerPoint in
>which case the author may need to save the content in another 
>format. It will explain how to extract content from PowerPoint and 
>save it either as a Word
>document or as rich test format both of which would be accessible to 
>anyone with any adaptive technology. When saving for the Web content 
>providers will
>need the Illinois Microsoft Office Accessibility Wizard to guarantee 
>a totally accessible result. The lesson will also explore different 
>ways to save narrated
>PowerPoint for the Web in an accessible format.
>
>Week 3:
>
>Lesson 6: Creating Accessible PDF Documents
>
>Simple PDF documents can be produced using Microsoft Word provided 
>the document is simple and provided that the author is using styles 
>in Word. Scanning
>hard copy into PDF can have the output sent to Word which, again if 
>the structure is simple, can create accessible output. More complex 
>PDF documents or
>repairing inaccessible documents will require someone learning the 
>basics of Acrobat.
>
>Lesson 7: Authoring With Dreamweaver and Creating Multimedia
>
>For those faculty members who do create some Web content, we 
>recommend their using Dreamweaver which includes special 
>accessibility features. We will only
>discuss the most basic access items:
>
>images, tables,
>forms
>and other items students' request.
>
>We will not discuss multimedia creation itself. Instead, we will 
>assume the multimedia content author is familiar with its creation. 
>We will discuss how
>and when to include audio descriptions of video for users who are 
>blind and text transcriptions of conversation for users who are deaf 
>or hard-of-hearing.
>Captioning can be very time-consuming and arduous, and, for that 
>reason, we will point some simple solutions although they may not 
>always synchronize voice
>and text too well.
>
>Lesson 8: Checking for Accessibility
>
>The genuine test of the accessibility of Web content is to have a 
>number of users with different disabilities and different adaptive 
>technologies to examine
>the content manually and report back. However, there are several 
>software packages which can be considerable help to content authors 
>wanting to check their
>content themselves. There are 2 packages on the web: Cynthia Says 
>and Watchfire WebXACT. High Software also produces a commercial 
>package, called, Act
>Verify, and there are also browser extensions for both Internet 
>Explorer and FireFox. This lesson will introduce these tools and 
>provide the know-how that
>is needed to use them.
>
>Week 4:
>Lesson 9: Beyond Online Delivery
>
>Currently, Complex graphs, drawings and other complex images like 
>maps cannot be made accessible online. The graphic can have a text 
>label identifying,
>but if it is important course content and is too complex to be 
>rendered in a clear, verbal description, the content will have to be 
>provided in some other
>way. Usually, this will require creating raised-line, hard copy 
>tactile graphics accompanied with Braille. This will require special 
>formatting to compensate
>for resolution issues and will require an appropriate embosser to 
>output both raised lines and Braille. This also has to be created 
>enough in advance to
>be delivered to the student before it is presented online.
>
>Lesson 10: Planning and Policy
>
>The Office for Civil Rights has said that providing support for 
>students with disabilities is a campus-wide responsibility. There 
>needs to be a planning
>body which includes half a dozen or more departments and which 
>receives support from the higher levels of the institution. The 
>courts say there needs to
>be a plan in place to cover all aspects of accessibility which does 
>not rely on ad hoc solutions. We will discuss what departments need 
>to be involved
>and which topics it needs to consider.
>
>Final Test
>There will be a final pass/fail, multiple choice tests. It will help 
>us know that our lessons do present the basics clearly and help our 
>participants know
>they have grasped at least the major basics. The test can be retaken.
>
>Syllabus and registration are at:
>http://easi.cc/workshops/bfel.htm
>
>
>----------          ----------          --------
>EASI Events for November
>Webinar 4-part Series Taming PowerPoint and Designing for 
>Accessibility On and Off the Web
>Read more and register at easi.cc/clinic.htm
>Month-long Online Course Barrier-free E-learning
>Read more and register at http//easi.cc/workshop.htm
>
>Norman Coombs
>CEO EASI (www.easi.cc)
>(949) 855-4852 Pacific time zone)