We approach instructional design from a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) perspective as a natural way to prioritize and integrate accessibility at the start of a project, rather than retroactively fitting it in at the end.
UDL is a proactive framework for teaching and learning. UDL prioritizes flexible content delivery methods, assessment styles, and approaches to the learning environment. Essentially, instructors can present their course information in multiple ways and give students freedom of choice in how they engage with the course, the content, and each other.
Accessible Course Materials and Activities
Universal Design for Learning aims to meet the needs and abilities of all learners, which complements and naturally gives space for accessible course design. Can everyone perceive and interact with your course materials and activities in an equivalent way?
A key insight from UDL is that designing for the access that some of your learners need improves the experience for everyone. For example, think about the usefulness of closed captioning for watching videos when audio isn’t an option in your environment (or when the audio isn’t easy to understand).
UNCG has great resources to help you learn how to build accessibility into your courses, and our team is available to consult and answer your questions.
Accessibility Resources at UNCG
Web Accessibility 101
Web Accessibility 101: Principles of Inclusive Design is a self-paced, asynchronous Canvas course designed to explore the basics of web accessibility. Participants are introduced to simple accessible design principles and proactive implementation strategies that address accessibility barriers for many people with disabilities.
UNCG Accessibility Website
UNCG offers accessibility.uncg.edu as a hub for web accessibility support services and educational resources for faculty, staff, and students. Learn why web accessibility is important, explore how-to guides for making web content accessible, and discover training opportunities and resources for web accessibility at UNCG.
Captioning & Transcription
Request assistance with creating captions and/or transcriptions for your pre-recorded course materials at no cost to you or your department. If you have other captioning, transcription, or describing needs unrelated to an academic course, explore these accessibility resources or contact [email protected].
Accessibility Review
Once you’ve built a learning experience with accessibility in mind, or if you need to check existing course materials and activities, here are resources for reviewing accessibility.
You Can Do It…
UDOIT enables faculty to identify accessibility issues. It will scan a course, generate a report, and provide resources on how to address common accessibility issues like descriptive links, heading structure, and more.
The Accessibility Checker detects common accessibility errors on a Canvas page within the Rich Content Editor. Fix alt text, color contrast, table properties, and other inaccessible page elements within the Accessibility Checker sidebar.
…And We Can Help
Our instructional designers collaborate closely with faculty to review course materials so students from all backgrounds and abilities can enjoy an equivalent learning experience.
An ID will review your course and other instructional materials and activities, regardless of modality, to identify any existing accessibility issues. We will offer instructional recommendations for content revisions that are in accordance with WCAG 2.2 accessibility guidelines and the course learning outcomes.
Faculty Fellows
ITS: LT partners with the University Teaching and Learning Commons (UTLC) to appoint faculty to our joint accessibility fellowship program. Faculty Fellows are tasked with supporting and coordinating the improvement of digital accessibility within their academic environment and the campus community.
Accessibility Support
If you have specific questions about accessibility please contact [email protected].
