Project SET
Modules
Start Planning Online Instruction for Usability and Accessibility
launch moduleHarriette Spiegel
Graduate Student, Instructional Technology, UT KnoxvilleJohn C. Cummins
Research Associate, Plant Sciences and Landscape Systems, UT KnoxvilleAs UT faculty members continue to integrate technology into their teaching, they are increasingly presenting their course materials online, reaching a diversity of students that include users with visual, cognitive, auditory, or physical impairments or disabilities. There is a resulting need for raising faculty awareness of usability and accessibility implications, as well as for direction in ensuring that electronic course materials are accessible to users with disabilities. This self-contained web-based instructional module will meet that need by providing information about and instruction in accessibility features of operating systems and/or applications and design of online materials. This module will: 1) describe selected scenarios in which students will encounter common barriers to accessing information with a computer, barriers that are caused by features of both hardware and software (including operating systems, and/or applications) and web design; 2) present discussion of relevant issues regarding product features and principles of web page design; and 3) offer step-by-step guidance to solutions presented by product features and principles of web design that will aid the user in accessing the information. The module will contribute to faculty development by providing useful information to the faculty designer of electronic course materials.