November 24

NCDAE Accessibility Resources

photocredit: ncdae.org NCDAE Cheatsheets screenshot

 

National Center on Disability and Access to Education (© NCDAE) has developed a list of resources that can help with accessibility. If you wonder how to make your documents more accessible, you can find tips for Word, PDF, PowerPoint, and Excel files. You can also find some resources on Adobe and Web content issues. They are on the NCDAE website, and they call them Cheatsheets.

Click here to access these great accessibility resources.

Category: Accessibility in Online Learning, How Does It Work?, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 23

MOQI Webinars for the end of the year

Image credit: minnesota.qualitymatters.org

Image credit: minnesota.qualitymatters.org

Minnesota Online Quality Initiative continue with their series of webinars. The upcoming professional development series focus on Quality Matters standards, as well as the interventions for stereotype threats. You can register here for the final four webinars of this year.

Good news is that the group is almost done with their Spring schedule, so we are looking forward to learning more and bringing these to our St. Cloud State faculty.

A big thanks to the MOQI group for providing free, short, and relevant professional development sessions.

Category: Course Design, Online and Distance Education, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development, Quality Matters | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 17

Accessing Higher Ground Virtual Conference starting tomorrow

Just a friendly reminder, with a full schedule following: tomorrow, Wednesday, November 18, through Friday, November 20, the Accessing Higher Ground virtual conference will be featured at St. Cloud State University. Brought to you by the Academic Technologies Team, the different sessions (webcasts) will be shown in Miller Center conference rooms 114 and 115.

Pass this along to whomever you think is interested. Accessibility in learning is one of the major themes of today’s higher education. We are happy to have this opportunity right here on our campus.

Finally, the recordings of these sessions will be available after the conference, and we will notify you how to get those.

Virtual Conference Schedule – Live Stream

Wednesday, November 18, 2015, Track “A” Sessions     Miller Center Room 114

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Alt Text Production: Providing More Effective Services and Promoting Student Self-Reliance, Jenna Atkinson, Utah Valley University
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. How to Write a Good Description for Visual Elements, Gaeir Dietrich, HTCTU, Robert Beach, Kansas City Kansas Community College
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Faculty Outreach – Spreading the Gospel of Alternate Format to the Faculty Front Lines, Susan Kelmer, University of Colorado Boulder
1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Keynote Talk: Getting from Barrier-Free to Great User Experiences?, Whitney Quesenbery, UX Researcher & Director of Center for Civic Design
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. School of Social Work and Disability Resources: Working to Make Documents Distributed through LMS Accessible, Krista Greear, Univeristy of Washington
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Designing a Mobile Ready Course with Universal Design, Kate Miller, UC Denver

 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015, Track “B” Sessions     Miller Center Room 115

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. What did I sign up for? Technology Accessibility for New Professionals, Steven Salter, Ashford University
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. What works with faculty? Results from a yearlong faculty-to-faculty accessible instructional materials workshop,   Scott Kupferman, University of Colorado
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. The Challenges of Emerging Technology in Online Education: Tips and Tools for Ensuing Accessibility in the Online Environment, Steven Salter, Ashford University
1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Keynote Talk: Getting from Barrier-Free to Great User Experiences?, Whitney Quesenbery, UX Researcher & Director of Center for Civic Design
3:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. When the Federal Government Comes Knocking on Your Virtual Door– What to Expect in an ADA or 504 Technology Review, Mary Lou Mobley, U.S. Dept. of Education (double-session)

 

Thursday, November 19, 2015, Track “A” Sessions          Miller Center Room 114

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Managing Accessibility in Online Education: WKU Processes and Practices, Anne Honaker, Western Kentucky University
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Creating faculty buy-in for accessibility, Kristi O’Neil-Gonzalez, CSU Channel Islands
1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Plenary Panel: Technology Accessibility in Higher Education — The Student PerspectiveA panel of students with disabilities from across the United States share their challenges, solutions, success stories, and ideas.
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. UDOIT – Instructure Canvas Course Accessibility Checker, Nancy Swenson, UCF

 

Thursday, November 19, 2015, Track “B” Sessions          Miller Center Room 117

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Introducing the Center for Accessible Materials Innovation: A First In The World Project, Robert Martinengo, Georgia Institute of Technology
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Building Accessibility Auditing into Course Development, Kara Zirkle, George Mason University
1:50 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Plenary Panel: Technology Accessibility in Higher Education — The Student PerspectiveA panel of students with disabilities from across the United States share their challenges, solutions, success stories, and ideas.
3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. New Developments in Image and Math Content Accessibility 2.0, Sue-Ann Ma, Benetech

 

Friday, November 20, 2015, Track “A” Sessions                Miller Center Room 114

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. E-Learning Accessibility: What Does an Instructor Need to Know?, Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington
10:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. When the DoJ/OCR makes a visit: Campus leaders discuss lessons learned in resolving complaints about inaccessible IT, Sheryl Burgstahler, University of Washington (double-session)
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Fostering a Course Accessibility Community of Practice, Matt Dingo, Ohio University

 

Friday, November 20, 2015, Track “B” Sessions                Miller Center Room 115

Time Session Information
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Motivating Accessibility Adoption on Campus, Janet Sedgley, University of Montana
10:15 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. Taking on the elephant in the room: Implementing innovative procurement processes in a large University system, Tom Siechert, California State University, Fresno
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Getting Mainstream Publishers onto the Accessibility Bandwagon: Why STEM & commercial publishers avoid accessibility, Bevi Chagnon, PubCom — The Publishing Communications Group
12:45 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Creating Audio-Tactiles on the Fly, Alexa Schriempf, Penn State University

 

Category: Accessibility in Online Learning, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 16

Recorded Webinars on Online Learning Accessibility

3Play media Recorded Webinars

 

Implementing Universal and Inclusive Design for Online Learning
This webinar discussed how the principles of universal and inclusive design can be applied to the online learning environment, with a particular focus on the accessibility of course content and materials.Here you can find the Recorded webinar of Implementing Universal and Inclusive Design for Online Learning, which includes closed captions and a searchable interactive transcript, as well as the slide deck.

10 Tips for Creating Accessible Online Course Content
With recent lawsuits in higher education and updates to Section 508 on the horizon, it is more important than ever that online learning content be made accessible to students with disabilities. In this webinar, Janet Sylvia, Web Accessibility Group Leader and Web Accessibility Trainer, will provided 10 tips for making your online course material accessible. Here you can find the Recorded webinar of 10 Tips for Creating Accessible Online Course Content, which includes closed captions and a searchable interactive transcript, as well as the slide deck and handout.

Also, see additional free recorded webinars on various topics, including accessibility, captioning, and universal design.

Category: Accessibility in Online Learning, Future Trends, How Does It Work?, Online and Distance Education, Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 16

D2L Brightspace upgrade tomorrow

Brightspace_logo_Stacked_RGB_300x275D2L Brightspace is going to be upgraded to version 10.5.3 on Tuesday the 17th from 4:00am to 8:00am. So, whats new?

Here is our another D2L tip of the month or FAQ of the week, brought to you by MnSCU D2L Brightspace Service Desk.

Q:  What’s new in D2L Brightspace version 10.5.3 for students, teachers and campus site administrators?

A:  There are three FAQs to highlight the major changes for the update from version 10.5.0 to version 10.5.3.

What’s New for Students?   https://d2l.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1627

What’s New for Teachers?   https://d2l.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1628

What’s New for Admins?      https://d2l.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1629

 

Category: D2L Tip of the Month | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 12

D2L and MnSCU Collaboration Conference: 2016 MN IGNITE

Brightspace_logo_Stacked_RGB_300x275MnSCU and Brightspace by D2L invite you to join them at the annual MN IGNITE 2016 conference on April 15, 2016, from 7:45 AM–3:50 PM (Central Time) at Normandale Community College, 9700 France Ave S, Bloomington, MN. Ignite is your opportunity to connect, exchange feedback, display best practices, and network with other D2L Brightspace users.

Sponsored by D2L in collaboration with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and St. Catherine University, this conference will showcase many aspects of teaching and learning within the D2L Brightspace Learning Management System. Sessions will also feature related topics such as best practices in instructional design, technology integration and administrative management. A MN Ignite Conference is all about connection and collaboration. With presentations, training sessions, and time for peer networking, attendees can discover how D2L Brightspace—our integrated learning platform—supports every individual’s unique pathway and potential.

Proposals will be accepted after December 1, 2015, from higher education and K-12 faculty and teachers, as well as staff and administrators. If you have a topic you are passionate about, some best practices you want to share with colleagues, or an education program you want to promote, watch for the next e-mail and submit your proposal for sessions that fall into one of these five tracks:
1. Design and Development
2. Delivery and Instruction
3. Analysis and Management
4. Innovation and Engagement
5. Support, Training and Administration

This year’s sessions will be offered in the following formats:
• 50-minute Regular sessions
• 100-minute Extended sessions (may include hands-on activities)
• 30-minute Poster sessions

MN IGNITE AWARDS

Did you develop a bright idea for using D2L Brightspace to enhance your students’ learning experience? Or did your team collaborate on a project to address a student, faculty, or organizational need? If so, we want to hear from you!

Please nominate yourself (or your team) for the third annual MN Ignite 2016 Awards.

The MN Ignite 2016 Awards, given out at the annual MN Ignite 2016 Regional Conference, recognizes educators or those in education who have used D2L Brightspace to deliver learning experiences that are innovative, collaborative, or have made an extraordinary impact on learning outcomes.

More information with links to proposals and awards will be posted soon.

Category: Online and Distance Education, Online Collaborative Learning, Professional Development, Spotlight on Ed Tech | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 9

Free online course: Designing Digital Media for Teaching and Learning

A team of students and a teacher at the UMassAmherst College of Education have created a 4 week long open online course on digital media in education. The course has its own website and a Google + community.

I have enrolled in this course in just a few easy steps, and its open access to anyone. Today, Week 2 started, but the course has Week 1 materials available and the only firm deadline for completing the assignments is the end of the course, December 7th, 2015.

The activities are there to help “explore, evaluate, and choose digital media tools for use in your own classroom.” I would recommend it both to beginner and advanced users of digital media. It suggests and teaches many useful tools, so this could be a good starting point if you have thought about using digital media in your classroom.

photo credit to Designing Digital Media course website, welcome page screenshot

 

 

Category: Online Teaching Pedagogy, Open Educational Resources, Professional Development, Spotlight on Ed Tech | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 5

D2L Q&A – Reset Survey Attempts

MnSCU D2L Brightspace Service Desk

Our team recommends the MnSCU D2L Brightspace Service Desk. You can always find small details you were probably thinking about at some point. Here is another great tip on surveys:

Q: How can an instructor reset an in-progress survey attempt in a D2L Brightspace course?
A: Instructors can reset (i.e. delete) an in-progress attempt from the survey’s Statistics page. Follow instructions here.

Category: D2L Tip of the Month | LEAVE A COMMENT