All posts by Kendra Self, PhD

Learning Technology Integrations

Software in the Classroom and Its Approval for Use

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“To use or not to use” is the question that has come up about software usage in the classroom (in-person and online). With such an abrupt shift to more online learning from the previous pandemic, the need to use various applications, integrations, and software in the classroom has been on the rise. To add more to a course for student enrichment, faculty have searched for software that could aid with this endeavor.  

There are many diverse types of software available on the market. For instance, there are those that provide learning activities, easy access to a textbook, store student work, or even provide additional learning material. They can also be used to provide interactivity with the material and provide more engagement. Then there are the ones that either entirely or partially incorporate artificial intelligence (AI). While there are many available, both for a price and free, not all are approved for use in the classroom at SCSU by the Minnesota State system. Something to keep in mind is that approval for use may be institute specific. 

What Gets Checked and Why 
Data Compliance and Security 

As a duty to our students, the university is bound, by law, to keep their personal information safeguarded. At the federal level you have the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) and at the state level is the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA) (St. Cloud State University, n.d.). With unapproved software (and websites), this information could be at risk. These risks could stem from tracking cookies, and malware (viruses, ransomware, spyware, keystroke logging, etc.), which can track user information, collect personal data, and cause a user’s device to not work properly (Federal Trade Commission, 2021).   

System Integration and Accessibility 

New software must be checked to see if it is compatible with our current Learning Management System (LMS) and provides features that make it accessible to all students. Technology is ever-changing and improving. As of the beginning of 2024, the Minnesota State system switched over to Learning Tools Interoperability® (LTI®) 1.3.  Any LMS integrations not using the LTI 1.3 specification will not be approved for use.  

Also, so that all students can use any software available at the university, it must be accessible. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, learning materials and activities should be provided to students with accessibility features added to help remove/decrease obstacles to learning. The features vary depending on what is present in the software.  

Terms and Conditions 

Another issue is the usage agreement language within the contract. Everything written within a contract needs to either be deemed acceptable or amended during the approval process. There may be verbiage in a contract that is unclear, unfavorable, or just unacceptable for the university. This is when the legal team steps in to make sure that the language in the contract has the university’s best interest in mind and proper usage of the software is followed, once approved.   

The Process of Approval  

For software to become approved by the system, there is a process that it must go through. All software (websites, downloadable, etc.) for use at the university need to be reviewed for compatibility, security, and legal purposes to make sure that all parties can use the application safely and properly. Whether for a price or free, each software must go through a predetermined process.  

Simply stated, for both processes, are the following steps: 

  1. Requestor provides the specified information about the desired software application  
  2. The Information Technology Services (ITS) department conducts a review for compatibility with the current systems 
  3. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office (AGO) conducts a review of the legal policies       

For more information about each process, you can read more about it on the Information Technology Services (ITS) webpage.  

The Alternatives 

The Minnesota State system has approved many software applications for classroom use. Based on your needs, there may be something available for most learning activities administered within a course. The ITS department has a list (with downloadable links) on one of their web pages. For a full list and assistance with setup, please contact ITS. Below is a table with ways the approved software applications can be used within a course.  

For Learning Activities  Approved Software Applications 
Meetings 
  • Microsoft Teams 
  • Zoom 
Collaborative work 
  • D2L groups 
  • Zoom or Teams Whiteboard 
  • Microsoft Outlook 
  • Microsoft SharePoint 
Interactivity 
  • H5P 
  • Kaltura quizzes and hotspots 
  • Zoom quizzes and polls 
  • Adobe 
  • Kahoot (Contact IT for the SCSU branded version) 
Learning materials (can include textbooks, articles, blogs, assessments, supplemental material, videos, etc.) 

*Log-in may be required for access* 
  • Cengage 
  • Pearson 
  • Wiley (Assignments and Resources) 
  • FlatWorld (Assignments and Books) 
  • McGraw Hill (ALEKS and Connect) 
  • SAGE Vantage 
  • RedShelf 
  • myBusinessCourse  
For Other Uses  Approved Software Applications 
Academic integrity 
  • Lockdown Browser and Respondus Monitoring 
  • Turnitin (only for courses in the Herberger Business School) 
Teaching presence 
  • Media Library (Audio notes and videos) 
  • Kaltura 
  • Zoom 

SCSU makes every effort to approve and make software available to faculty for use in their classroom. No matter if the entire course is reliant on a textbook integration (Pearson or Cengage) or if parts of the class are supplemented with learning activities (H5P or Kahoot), there is something available. If you are interested in learning more about what is approved and available at SCSU, please check out the Information Technology Services (ITS) webpage dedicated to this topic. If you are interested in having a desired software go through the approval process or have any questions, please contact ITS. 

The SCSU Online team can help you choose the right approved software for your classroom, whether it is taught in-person, online, or in combination. Just reach out to us via email or through Bookings.  

Additional Reading:  

For more information on any of the following topics, please check out our previous blog articles. 

References:   

Federal Trade Commission. (2021, May). How to recognize, remove, and avoid malware. Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-remove-avoid-malware#:~:text=Once%20malware%20is%20on%20your,vulnerable%20to%20even%20more%20malware.  

Kindel Media. (2021). Woman Smiling and Approving [Photograph]. Pexels.  https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-smiling-and-approving-7688367/      

St. Cloud State University. (n.d.). Data privacy and data practice. https://www.stcloudstate.edu/policies/data-privacy/default.aspx  

St. Cloud State University. (2023, September 12). Software purchasing guidelines for campus. Retrieved October 5, 2023 from https://services.stcloudstate.edu/TDClient/1919/Portal/KB/ArticleDet?ID=147217  

Learning Strategies

Gamifying Your Asynchronous Course

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With online learning becoming the new norm in the world of education, we see many learners of different age groups learning through this method. An asynchronous course is one modality of online learning that allows learners to interact with class materials at their discretion, with the addition of guided pre-recorded videos and notes. There are no scheduled lectures to attend, but learning activities and assessments may have completion deadlines.  While convenience is a major advantage of asynchronous courses, they have their disadvantages as well. In an article about asynchronous learning, Pappas (2015) talks about the lack of motivation as there are no interactions with peers and the learning material itself, which demotivates and disengages learners who require stimulation.  One way to change this is through course gamification.

In another article regarding the perspectives of learners in a gamified course, Pandey (2015) noted that “80% of learners claimed learning would be more productive if it were more game-oriented; 67% of learners reported that a gamified course was more motivating than a traditional course” (para. 6). 

What is Gamification? 

“Gamification is the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts” (Fitz-Walter, n.d., para.1).  Course gamification differs from just adding games together with class material. A gamified course would have the class syllabus and material made with gaming elements.  Each part of the lesson should be used to teach something new, combined with the repetition of previous lessons to promote information retention, and constant engagement to use the information learned.

A well-known example would be Duolingo. Duolingo presents itself as a language learning platform but utilizes gaming elements such as levels, bonus points, and achievement badges to make learning fun. While Duolingo is not approved for use at the university, faculty do have access to various software applications and tools that can be incorporated into gamifying their course.  This includes H5P, MediaSpace hotspots, and Microsoft Sway for interactive content.  There are also Kahoot and MediaSpace quizzes for engaging assessments.  Lastly, there are badges and certificates which can be awarded for student achievement.  Discussion boards could be used for peer-to-peer learning, a repository for materials, and information exchange related to the learners’ progress.  

Ways to Gamify a Course 

Gamification of a course is no easy feat, but the results it yields are worth it.  This process would benefit from the proper planning and course mapping of the course before development begins.  A course can undergo gamification through these steps: 

  1. Designing a Quest with One Goal: Just as a game has one end goal for the player to achieve, so should your course.  Use course mapping to lay out the learning components of your course.  Your one goal should be the overarching “big idea” of your course.  What is it you would like your students to take with them once they have completed your course?  Use your course learning outcomes and module learning objectives to guide the development of smaller goals you would like to have your students achieve.
  2. Scaffolding the Learning Content: Have lessons with assignments that fall into increasing goal levels (micro-, sub-, end).  Assignments that are micro-goals, allow students to identify the problem first.  Once these assignments have been completed, students are encouraged to use the newly acquired knowledge to move on to the more challenging assignments associated with sub-goals.  These sub-goals will lead to students solving the problem, which is the end goal.
  3. Set Expectations for Achievement: Set expectations through learning objectives and let learners know them from the start. Each goal level should have expectations that students need to work toward to progress on to accomplish the end goal.  By exposing students to these expectations throughout the course, it can allow them to better apply what they have learned as they move forward.
  4. Grades and Scores as Achievements: High scores on individual assignments or the completion of a goal level, can be rewarded with the use of a badge or certificate.   These awards could be used to signify student success in understanding the coursework.  For added incentives, use a culmination of these awards to introduce bonus points, passes for special circumstances, or even skips in levels.

Though a gamified course is an effective way to engage and motivate learners, it all depends on the course, the teacher, the selection of the proper gamification tool, and how well the learners engage. There is not a ‘one size fits all’ format for a gamified course and will require the teacher to find the right fit for the teaching style. Course gamification requires trial and error, but once the teacher understands how to utilize it to its full potential, only then will a masterfully designed gamified course be effective.  

If you are interested in learning how to gamify your asynchronous or synchronous online course, please let us know.  The SCSU Online and Distance Learning team can walk you through course mapping, and how to set up the SCSU-branded Kahoot, MediaSpace, and other tools. Reach out to us via email or through Bookings.

Additional Reading:

For more information on any of the following topics, please check out our previous blog articles.

References: 

Fitz-Walter, Z. (n.d.). What is gamification? Gamify.  https://www.gamify.com/what-is-gamification  

Morrow, G. (2017). Photo of a controller on the desk, with other appliances around it [Photograph]. Pexel.  https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-game-console-on-wooden-surface-682933/ 

Oprean, D., Seo, G., Lundolos, P. & Mitchell, B. (2023, February 1). Level up: Gamifying an asynchronous course on designing games for learning through modeling, authenticity, and learner autonomy [Video]. Online Learning Consortium. https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/webinar/level-up-gamifying-an-asynchronous-course-on-designing-games-for-learning-through-modeling-authenticity-and-learner-autonomy/

Pandey, A. (2015). 6 killer examples of gamification in eLearning. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/6-killer-examples-gamification-in-elearning   

Pappas, C. (2015). Asynchronous learning advantages and disadvantages in corporate training. eLearning Industry. https://elearningindustry.com/asynchronous-learning-advantages-and-disadvantages-in-corporatetraining#:~:text=Asynchronous%20learning%20doesn’t%20offer,being%20isolated%20and%20%E2%80%9Cdisconnected%E2%80%9D     

Cavan Cheong is an Instructional Designer Graduate Assistant with the Online and Distance Learning Department at St. Cloud State University. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and experience in the hospitality industry. Currently, he is pursuing his master’s in business administration at St. Cloud State University. 

Learning Strategies

Honing Students’ Soft Skills for Future Career Aspirations

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In courses that make up a student’s major, it is understood that the curriculum was developed with their potential career path in mind.  This may not be as true for the general education courses, but their curriculum is still of importance.  While major courses work on honing hard skills in preparation for the job market, general education courses can work on honing the soft skills.

Hard skills are the “technical skills and experiences that are used for a job or career”(Birt, 2023, para. 4), while soft skills are the habits, traits, and mannerisms that influence how a person works.  Examples of soft skills include interpersonal communication, delegation, initiative, critical thinking, reasoning, and adaptability, amongst other things.  By providing learning activities throughout the coursework, that practice these soft skills, students can become better prepared as they move toward their intended career.

While faculty are responsible for providing the opportunity to practice these skills, it is up to the students to take ownership of their learning by continue to build upon those skills.  Preparing students for their future careers in just as much the responsibility of the student as it is the college or university they attend.

Ways Faculty and Students Can Hone Soft Skills  

Below are some ways to help to move students toward their career goals.

  • Aligning Coursework: Thinking of the overall course in “big picture” terms, consider how it can align with students’ long-term career goals. Is what is to be gained from this course relevant to a student’s desired profession or field? Mapping your coursework to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experiences that can be transferable to future students’ career goals associated can ensures that students are investing their time and effort wisely.
  • Mapping Career Goals: Once learning objectives have been identified, encourage students to create a roadmap for the coursework to help develop an unobstructed vision toward their goals. Have them align the course objectives to the skills and experiences they will need to be successful in their future careers.  This will allow the learning process to become more personalized and help students to track their progress.

Flat lay photography of gold Iphone on opened notebook beside pen   

  • Learning Through Real-World Applications: Learning is not about the theory; it is also about application. Throughout the course, offer opportunities for students to learning through real-world scenarios. This could involve working on practical projects, completing internships, or discussing case studies. These practical applications could enhance various and desirable skills relevant of their career.
  • Learning Activities Using Soft Skills: The skills that any course can help students hone for a future career are soft skills.  In a report published by World Economics Forum “eight of the top 10 employable skills of 2023 are soft skills” (Busson, 2023, para. 2). These types of skills can be added to any learning activity, through discussion boards (communication and critical thinking), group work (collaboration and leadership), and project-based (problem solving and initiative) (Busson, 2023).
  • Displaying Student Work: Consider creating an ePortfolio in D2L for students to display the skills and knowledge that they have gained through their coursework. This will be an asset once they enter the job market, as it demonstrates their preparedness and relevance to potential employers. 
  • Evaluating Progress Toward Goals: Remind students to regularly assess their progress against their roadmap and the learning objectives. Is what they are learning contributing to their identified goals, as they initially planned? Encourage students to be open to adjusting their plan if they find that certain skills and experiences are not contributing as expected to their goals.

When faculty offer opportunities for growth toward an intended career, they can make the most of their students’ education. This means that careful attention is paid to what is taught and how it will help students towards their future in the workplace. This means designing learning activities that hone the soft skills that are desirable for future employers.  It is like having a smart strategy to make sure that the learning journey leads to success in a dream career.

If you want to explore how to align objectives and activities to support soft skills and workplace experiences, please contact the SCSU Online and Distance Learning team.  We can be reached via email or through Bookings.

Additional Reading:

For more information on course mapping, please check out our previous blog article.

References: 

Academic Partnerships. (n.d.). Begin with the end in mind: Map first! Faculty Commons. https://facultyecommons.com/webinars/begin-with-the-end-in-mind-map-first/

Birt, J. (2023, September 7).  Hard skills vs. soft skills: What’s the difference? Indeed. Retrieved December 7, 2023 from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/hard-skills-vs-soft-skills

Busson, S. (2023, November 16). Align your teaching with the career needs of tomorrow. Harvard Business Publishing. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/align-your-teaching-with-the-career-needs-of-tomorrow/?icid=top_nav 

C. R. (2021, October 7). A guide on how to begin with the end in mind. Basics by Becca. https://basicsbybecca.com/blog/begin-with-the-end-in-mind

Gallagher, S. (2021, June 28). Begin with the end in mind. Proctor Gallagher. https://www.proctorgallagherinstitute.com/47606/begin-with-the-end-in-mind 

Jopwell. (2019). Group of people sitting inside room
 [Photograph]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/group-of-people-sitting-inside-room-2422294/

Lewis, J. (2017). Flat lay photography of gold iPhone on opened notebook beside pen [Photograph]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/flat-lay-photography-of-gold-iphone-on-opened-notebook-beside-pen-583847/ 

McCabe Union Elementary School District. (n.d.). Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind. https://www.muesd.net/Resources/The-Leader-In-Me/Habit-2-Begin-with-the-End-in-Mind/index.html  

McNamara, C. (2023, September 19). How to start strategic planning: Plan for a plan. (J. Talaguit, Ed.). Management Library. https://management.org/blogs/strategic-planning/2010/04/04/how-to-start-strategic-planning-the-plan-for-a-plan-part-1-of-3/

 

 

Monisha Mohannaidu, currently serving as a Graduate Assistant at SCSU, brings three years of valuable experience from her work with advertising agencies around the world. Apart from her professional background, she is an enthusiastic individual who has actively participated in several art workshops and has proficiency in graphic design.

Learning Technology Integrations

Communication Made Easier with the New Media Library Tool in D2L

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Don’t you wish that you could have more diverse forms of communication in your online course that are built right into D2L? Something that our Education Technology Innovation (ETI) specialist Greg Jorgensen says all the time is, “Wish out loud.” Well, D2L has added a few new tools with features that seem to have granted a few wishes. Recently, D2L has made it possible for faculty and students to further personalize the online classroom experience by adding even more avenues for communication. D2L unveiled its Media Library tool and added its usage to a few areas within the LMS.

What It Is

The Media Library tool allows faculty and students to record and store videos within D2L, for immediate use or to save for later. Recordings can be performed within each tool by locating the “Record” button or the “Insert Stuff” button in the WYSIWYG menu. Any media previously recorded was automatically saved to the library and could be retrieved and used multiple times. These recordings can be located via the “Existing Activities” button in the content or the “Insert Stuff” button in the WYSIWYG menu. Media can be edited to an extent and captioning is available. The D2L Media Library tool is like Kaltura MediaSpace, except there is no need to work outside the LMS. Below is a table of comparisons.

 

 
Media Library 
Kaltura MediaSpace
Used for videos up to 30 minutes  Used for videos over 30 minutes 
Used for audio up to 5 minutes  Used for audio over 5 minutes 
Record & add multimedia within D2L  Record multimedia within Kaltura, then add to D2L 
Record & add video within D2L; embed or link  Record video within Kaltura, then add to D2L; embed only 
Not shared outside of D2L  Shared outside of D2L 
Allows for increased options for more communication between students and faculty  Limited options for communication 
Video (only) editing capabilities: Minor (chapters, seek, cut, and optimize for streaming)  Video editing capabilities: Intermediate (hide audio, split video, cut, zoom, set in/set out) 
Audio cannot be edited  Audio can be edited with the same features as video (except for hotspots) 
Video quiz creation and hot spots are not possible  Video quiz creation and hot spots are possible 
Captioning available only  Captioning and transcription capabilities 
No recordings organization possible  Some recordings organization available (tags, playlists) 
Recordings imported to new course shells (except for student feedback)  Recordings not imported to new course shells  
How Faculty Can Utilize Media Library

The Media Library tool makes it easier to add multimedia to tools that previously did not have them. It also adds personal and humanization aspects to an online course. This can be especially impactful for asynchronous modalities, where there can be low interaction.

Now audio can be added directly to an announcement. Audio could be used to read aloud the announcement to add expressions, or for those students who could benefit from hearing the announcement read aloud. This could also occur with assignments. The Media Library tool allows you to provide a recording of the instructions and the feedback. With feedback, there is an option of reading aloud written text or just speaking the assignment’s feedback. Lastly, for discussion boards, multimedia can be added to new threads and thread replies. Faculty can either add prerecorded videos or audio to a new thread by using “Insert Stuff” or reply to a student’s thread with a new audio recording. Once again, a reply could be used again for reading text or spoken word.

How Students Can Utilize Media Library

Just as with the faculty, the Media Library tool could also be used by students to lend their voice and face to certain tools with D2L. Within the assignment tool, in addition to uploading a document and writing a comment, students can add both videos and audio. While audio may not be sufficient (due to the length), video submissions are possible. Examples of video submissions could be critiques and reviews, monologues, songs, poems, or other assignments where spoken word is acceptable. This is transferrable to discussion posts too. Students can provide recordings for both new threads and replies. The Media Library tool could even be used during exams to provide answers for written questions (short answer, written response, and fill-in-the-blank). This could be useful for students who like to talk through their answers instead of typing them.

No matter if you are recording a simple welcome announcement or having students video record their discussion posts, the Media Library tool provides more and quicker avenues for expression, personalization, and humanization. If you want to explore how to incorporate the use of the Media Library tool, reach out to the SCSU Online and Distance Learning team via email or through Bookings. We can walk you through the tool.

Additional Reading:

For more information on any of the following topics, please check out our previous blog articles.

 

References:

Padriñán, M. (2018). Pink background with speech bubble [Photograph]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/pink-background-with-speech-bubble-1111369/

 

DEI Learning

Creating Accessible Content for Equity and Inclusion in the Online Classroom

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Providing learning materials and activities in the online environment, so that all students can learn, is imperative for equity and inclusion within the course. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, all people with disabilities are afforded the “equal opportunity as those without disabilities, no matter the sector (transportation, school, work, etc.)” (United States Department of Justice [DOJ], n.d., para. 1). Only individual students with documented needs are guaranteed specific accommodations under the ADA, to help make learning more accessible. In a higher education setting, these accommodations can be anything from extended time on assessments to screen reading software on their devices. By adding accessibility to the learning materials and activities within the course, faculty can make learning available for those students who may need some assistance but do not have a documented need.  

Unfortunately, adding accessibility to a course is not always considered, which in the end could negatively affect those who need it. There are several reasons this is occurring: 

  1. Faculty do not think about it or simply forget to incorporate it 
  2. Faculty lack proper training on how to properly incorporate it 
  3. Faculty are not interested in taking the necessary steps to incorporate it 
  4. Faculty have a misunderstanding on which materials need accessibility added 

No matter the reason, a helpful solution is providing ample opportunities for faculty to be introduced, re-introduced, reminded, and properly trained by offering accessibility training (webinars, workshops, guides, etc.). By keeping this practice in the forefront of faculty’s minds it can also help to make the enactment occur more readily. This action would fall in line with the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives put forth by the university. 

ADA and the Classroom 

As stated previously, the ADA was added to the category of civil rights laws that attempt to “add equity to spaces without it for people with disabilities, to achieve equality” (DOJ, n.d., para. 1). Equity means that an individual’s needs are recognized and that resources are provided to ensure fairness and equality (Merriam-Webster, n.d.; Morton & Fasching-Varner, 2015). Equality means the same treatment is afforded to everyone as it pertains to “equal access to opportunities and benefits in society” (Anderson, 2022, p. 4).  

This allows for services provided by the law to be used by those who need them but can also be used by all. By doing so, it establishes environments and situations that are inclusive for everyone. For example, ramps for elevated surfaces. These were intended for those in wheelchairs. Ramps could also be helpful for users of assistive equipment (walkers, canes, or clutches), strollers (or other wheeled contraptions), pain sufferers, and those with recent injuries or surgeries.  

Cartoon image of a drawing showcasing the difference between equality (left image) and equity (right image). Scene at a baseball game of 3 people of different heights peering over a fence. the Equality side provides crates of the same height for all to use. In the equity image, crates tall enough for all to see the game are provided.

(Interaction Institute for Social Change & Maguire, 2016) 

Implementing Accessibility 

The D2L Brightspace LMS (Learning Management System) is already accessible, but when it comes to adding accessibility to learning materials and activities, each object has its own set of features to be added. Below are simplistic tables, with the key features, for reference. Notice that objects are separated by “text only” and “others” in the separate tables, to make for easier usage. Microsoft Office applications and Adobe Acrobat have accessibility checkers built into them to identify the issues and information on how to fix them. For further assistance, please reference this website on Tools for Promoting Disability Access and Inclusion.   

 
Object (text only)
Features
How it helps
PowerPoint slides 
  1. Reading order 
  1. Allows screen reading software to read slides in the correct order 
WORD  
  1. Headings 
  2. Sans serif font
  1. Allows screen reading software to pause, which signals a new section 
  2. Allows the visually impaired (or dyslexic) to read the words more clearly 
PDFs  
  1. Language 
  2.  Title 
  3.  Tags 
  4. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) 
  1. Allows screen reading software to read aloud the content correctly   
  2. Allows screen reading software to search and identify documents better 
  3. Allows screen reading software to identify features readily accessible in WORD documents (headings, lists, tables, etc.) 
  4. Allows the document to be searched for specific words, the text to be selected, and the screen reading software to read aloud the content correctly   
Excel Spreadsheets 
  1. Names (cells, ranges, worksheets) 
  2.  A1 cell 
  3.  Simple design 
  1. Allows screen reading software to readily identify the purpose of each 
  2. Signals the screen reading software to begin reading at the A1 cell 
  3. Allows screen reading software to keep up with its location as it reads the document 
Tables  
  1. Headers first row 
  2. Repeat header rows 
  3. Alternative (Alt) text 
  1. Allows screen reading software to identify the information on the top row  
  2. Allows the heading to appear at the top of any rows that spread to subsequent pages 
  3.  Allows the visually impaired and screen reader software to read the title and description of the table’s content 
 
Object (Other)
Features
How it helps
Videos 
  1. Captions 

 

  1. Transcript 
  1. Both allow the hearing impaired (physical or environmental) to read what the speakers are saying 
Images 
  1. Alternative (alt) text 
  1. Allows the visually impaired and screen reader software to read the context of the image (not for images deemed decorative)  
Audio (only) 
  1. Transcript 
  1. Allows the hearing impaired to read what the speakers are saying 
Links (to outside sources) 
  1. Embedding URLs to word(s) within a statement 
  1. Allows screen reading software to easily identify hyperlinked text 
Colors 
  1. High contrast 
  1. Allows the visually impaired (and with neurological conditions) to better read the text  

There are a couple of places that could offer assistance for faculty and staff who need it. The first is the Student Accessibility Services (SAS), which assists students, faculty, and staff with the accommodations they need to be successful.  SCSU Online is also equipped to walk faculty through the processes that make their content more assessable. Lastly, the Minnesota State Network for Educational Development (NED) offers short courses and webinars on accessibility.  

If you want to learn more about adding accessibility to your course, reach out to us via email or through Bookings. The SCSU Online and Distance Learning team can walk you through the process for any of your content.  

Additional Reading:  

For more information on any of the following topics, please check out our previous blog articles. 

References:  

Anderson, N. (2022). Enhancing inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) in open educational resources (OER) – Australian edition. University of Southern Queensland.  

Booth, C. (2020). Girl sitting on a couch using a laptop [Photograph]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/girl-sitting-on-a-couch-using-a-laptop-4058219/ 

Equity and equality image was created by Angus Maguire and adapted under the public domain from: Interaction Institute for Social Change. (2016). Illustrating equality vs equity. [Joint Photographic Experts Group]. https://www.interactioninstitute.org and https://www.madewithangus.com.  

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Equity. Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved August 15, 2023, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/equity  

Microsoft (n.d.). Make your Excel documents accessible to people with disabilities.  https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-excel-documents-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-6cc05fc5-1314-48b5-8eb3-683e49b3e593#namecells_win 

Morton, B., & Fasching-Varner, K. (2015). Equity (Vol. 1.) (S. Thompson, Ed.). Rowman & Littlefield.  

United States Department of Justice. (n.d.). Introduction to the Americans with disabilities act. Americans with Disabilities Act. https://www.ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada/