2005 GRADE Leadership Institute Best Practices: Current Thinking, New Directions

2005 GRADE Leadership

Institute

Best Practices: Current Thinking, New Directions

GRADE Funding and Copyright

Funded by the Office of Post Secondary Education (OPE) at the U.S. Department of

Education under Grant #P333A020050.

©2002 All Rights Reserved, Georgia Tech Research Corporation.

Goals of the Institute• To share our knowledge of effective

programs and practices• To pool our expertise to help create

opportunities for students.

Goals of the Institute• Over the next three days, presenters will

discuss and demonstrate innovative approaches to distance education.

Goals of the Institute• We will investigate state-of-the-art

approaches to policy, course design, technology and related issues.

Goals of the Institute• Each of us will have the opportunity to

contribute through open discussions and round table events, leading to new perspectives and integration.

Goals of the Institute• Please take the time to get to know your

fellow attendees, who have all made significant contributions to accessible distance education and have much to share.

Welcome!• It is my pleasure to welcome you on behalf

of Georgia Tech, the Center for Assistive Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA), and the GRADE project, including our partners from IDET Communications.

Housekeeping• We’ll be video taping sections of day one

and will be taking pictures throughout

Housekeeping• Bathrooms - right across the hall!

Housekeeping• Lunch on Thur and Fri will be in the first

floor atrium of this building, the Global Learning Center

• Saturday’s lunch will be held in the restaurant on the first floor of the adjacent Georgia Tech Hotel

Housekeeping• Lunch times

– Thursday - 12:30pm-1:30pm (note change from printed schedule)

– Friday - 12:00-1:00pm

– Saturday - 1:00pm-2:00pm

Housekeeping• Reception - Thur night, 5:00pm-7:30pm in

the atrium on the first floor

Housekeeping• Wireless Internet access, via:

– The Georgia Tech Hotel ($9.99/day)

– The Global Learning Center FAST PASS ($8/day)

– Ga Tech Staff may use the LAWN

Just a little about GRADE …

www.catea.org/grade

IntroductionsA little about who we are, what interests us,

and why we are here …

About GRADE• Hosted at the Center for Assistive

Technology and Environmental Access (CATEA), within the College of Architecture at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Georgia.

GRADE Goals• Development of partnerships.

– Work with an innovative private company and leading institutions and centers to provide quality professional development tools and dissemination opportunities.

GRADE Goals • Focus on capacity building.

– Work with faculty, administrators, university staff, and students, with and without disabilities, to identify access problems and repair them.

GRADE Goals • Involvement of students with disabilities.

– Both as active participants and a target audience.

– Play an important role in evaluating the access of distance learning products.

GRADE Tracks

1. Professional Development

2. Barrier Removal

3. MERLOT database

GRADE Track 1: Professional Development

• Developed a ten-module tutorial to improve knowledge on accessible distance education for faculty, staff, administrators, and students, including people with disabilities, at institutes of higher learning nationwide.

GRADE Track 1:Professional Development

• The tutorial was developed in collaboration with IDET Communications (IDET), an Atlanta-based private company which is developing software and strategies to improve access to distance learning.

GRADE Track 1:Professional Development

• The ten-module tutorial is available online at www.accesselearning.net

GRADE Track 1Professional Development

• Provide technical assistance materials, designed to provide a detailed summary of access issues, solutions, and tips for improving access, based on information in the tutorial.

Example of Fact Sheet: Low Vision Accessibility

GRADE Track 1:Professional Development

• Host a series of lunchtime roundtable discussions on the Georgia Tech campus for faculty members, staff and students, with and without disabilities, to share perspectives on access issues in distance education.

GRADE Track 1:Professional Development

• In 2005, host a national leadership institute on accessibility in distance education in Atlanta, Georgia with speakers and presenters from around the country.

GRADE Track 1:Professional Development

• Present at various strategic conferences on education and technology issues:

– RESNA

– MERLOT International Conference

– CUMREC

– E-Learning

GRADE Track 2: Barrier Removal

• Remove barriers to online education at Georgia Tech through partnerships with:

– Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning

– Georgia Tech Center for Distance Learning

– Access Disabled Assistance Program for Tech Students (ADAPTS).

GRADE Track 2:Barrier Removal

• Work with these partners to make Georgia Tech a model institution on accessibility to distance education.

GRADE Track 2: Barrier Removal

• Work with faculty and staff at Georgia Tech and Georgia State University to improve accessibility in other distance education courses.

GRADE Track 3:MERLOT Database

• Involves a partnership between GRADE and the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and On-Line Teaching (MERLOT).

GRADE Track 3:MERLOT Database

• MERLOT is a free and open resource designed primarily for faculty and students in higher education.

• Available at www.merlot.org/

GRADE Track 3:MERLOT Database

• Work with MERLOT to develop voluntary standards for accessibility for distance learning.

GRADE Projects

www.accesselearning.net/

Access E-Learning Modules

• Online tutorial consists of ten modules:

1. Issues for Accessibility in Distance Learning

2. Planning for Accessibility in Distance Learning

3. Making PowerPoint Slides Accessible

Access E-Learning Modules

4. Making Online Video Files Accessible

5. Making Animations Accessible

6. Making Microsoft Word Documents Accessible

7. Making Microsoft Excel Documents Accessible

Access E-Learning Modules8. Making Adobe PDF Documents Accessible

9. Making Common HTML Elements Accessible

10. Making Scripts and Java Accessible

Feedback

• Time to complete: 1-10 hours/module• Conversion costs and time vary.• Total Users: 1324• Total Visits: 26,408

www.accesselearning.net

A Typical Page in AEL

Navigation Structures within AEL

Access E-Learning Module 3: PowerPoint

• Text• Bullet lists• Multi-column layouts• Tables

• Images• Embedded video• Embedded audio

– The PowerPoint module covers several different slide types, including:

AEL Tools and Software Page

Sample

Module 3: PowerPoint

– Do not use “Save as Webpage” feature but rather manually convert to HTML or use Accessible Web Publishing Wizard for Microsoft Office.

(Converts PPT, Word, Excel to accessible, valid HTML with CSS)

http://cita.rehab.uiuc.edu/software/office/

Cost EstimatesType of PowerPoint Slide Time to Complete Conversion

Title slide 2 minutes

Sl ide with bullet list 5-10 minutes (depending upon whether the bullet list is multi-level or not)

Slide with multiple column 5-15 minutes

Slide with embedded video 30+ minutes, but varies on length of video (see the “Making Videos Accessible” learning module)

Slide with a table 10-15 minutes

Slide with an image 2 minutes per image

Slide with shapes 5-15 minutes depending upon the complexity of the shapes used

Slide with notes Add 5-10 minutes for the notes section

Slide with chart 10-15 minutes

Slide with non-outline text 5-10 minutes

Slide with sound Add 5 minutes for each sound

Access E-LearningModule 4: Online Video

• RealPlayer• Windows Media• QuickTime• MAGPie

• Transcription• Synchronization• SMIL

– This module covers captioning issues in a variety of technologies, including:

Access E-LearningModule 5: Animations

• Flash MX• Accessibility panel• Reading order• MAGPie for Flash

– This module covers issues regarding animations, particularly in Macromedia Flash, including:

Access E-LearningModule 6: Word Documents

• Paragraphs• Text formatting (fonts)• Images• Tables

– This module covers Microsoft Word accessibility issues, including:

Access E-LearningModule 7: Excel Documents

• Pages/Sheets• Tables• Text• Images• Graphs

– This module covers Microsoft Excel accessibility issues, including:

Access E-Learning:Module 8: Adobe PDF Files

• Acrobat 6.0• Structure (tagging)• Creating textual equivalents• Forms• Adobe Reader

– High contrast mode, Zoom and reflow

– This module covers PDF accessibility issues, including:

A Lab Assignment in AEL

Access E-LearningModule 9: HTML Elements

• Fonts• Style sheets• Proper structure• Images (alts, longdesc)• Forms• Tables

Access E-LearningModule 10: Scripting and Java• JavaScript and Java

– Text equivalence

• Plug-ins

– Accessibility of tool and content

• Image maps

– Client-side

– Access keys

– Large clickable areas

An AEL Evaluation Form

Access E-Learning: Results• Time to complete is 1-10 hours/module• Conversion costs vary• Publishing to CMS (Blackboard, WebCT)

www.accesselearning.net

GRADE Projects: Accessible Course Models

1. Designing for the Life Span

2. Federal Court Concepts

3. Introduction to Fluid Mechanics

www.catea.org/grade/coursedesign.html

Accessible Course Model 1:

www.catea.org/grade/lifespan/Segment1/index.html

Accessible Course Model 1:

Designing for the Life Span• Undergraduate course in human factors

design and engineering developed and taught on-site in the Georgia Tech College of Architecture, Industrial Design program by Joseph Koncelik, Former Professor, Industrial Design.

Accessible Course Model 1: Designing for the Life Span• The four segments of the original

classroom course had extensive PowerPoint slides, graphics, charts, tables and sound files that lacked text descriptions.

Accessible Course Model 1: Designing for the Life Span• As a result, the course could not be

accessed by students who were unable to see the visual content, or hear the audio.

Accessible Course Model 1: Designing for the Life Span• Solution: Provide a web-based HTML

version of the course that contains:

– Logical, consistent navigation.

– Text descriptions for all PowerPoint slides, graphics, charts, and tables.

– Transcript for each sound file.

Designing for the Life Span

Accessible Course Model 2: Federal Court Concepts

www.catea.org/grade/legal/index.html

Federal Court concepts

Accessible Course Model 2: Federal Court Concepts

• Module on the federal court system developed by Curtis D. Edmonds, J.D., a co-principal investigator for GRADE, for instructors teaching high school and undergraduate courses in civics or introductory political science.

Accessible Course Model 2: Federal Court Concepts

• Designed from the start with accessibility in mind.

• Created in order to showcase some of the best practices from GRADE research.

Accessible Course Model 2: Federal Court Concepts

• Utilizes PowerPoint slides, Excel charts, and other features.

• Has been submitted to the database of the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) to serve as a sample best practice in accessible design.

Accessible Course Model 3: Introduction to Fluid Mechanics

www.catea.org/grade/mecheng/mehome.htm

Accessible Course Model 3: Introduction to Fluid Mechanics• Graduate-level course (ME6601) on the the

fundamentals of fluid mechanics, including the derivation of the governing equations of motion and an introduction to viscous, inviscid, turbulent, and boundary-layer flows.

Accessible Course Model 3: Introduction to Fluid Mechanics• Provides preparation for courses in a broad range of

engineering disciplines, such as mechanical, bio-engineering, aerospace, and civil engineering.

• Taught by Professor Paul Neitzel from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.

Accessible Course Model 3: Introduction to Fluid Mechanics • The original distance-education course relied heavily

upon video without captioning that was inaccessible to those with low vision or blindness.

• Contained web pages that were not designed for accessibility and were difficult or impossible to navigate for users who could not see them.

Accessible Course Model 3: Introduction to Fluid Mechanics• In addition, the course made frequent use

of mathematical equations, charts, images and other files that lacked textual equivalents. These elements were unusable to those who could not see the visual representations.

Accessible Course Model 3: Introduction to Fluid Mechanics

• Solution: Provide a web-based HTML version for six modules from the course that each contain:

– Logical, consistent navigation.

– Text descriptions for all PowerPoint slides, graphics, charts, and tables.

– Captioned videos with transcripts.

– Accessible Word documents with descriptions and references for mathematical equations.

Fluid Mechanics

Fluid Mechanics Video Feed

Resources• National Center on Accessible Information Technology in

Education (AccessIT)www.washington.edu/accessit

• Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) www.adata.org/dbtac.html

• W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/

• Access Board Section 508 Page www.access-board.gov/508.htm

Contact GRADE• GRADE www.catea.org/grade/index.html

• Access E-Learning www.accesselearning.net

• Phone: 404-894-4960 (v/tty)• Fax: 404-894-9320• Email: robert.todd@catea.org