In the first article in our Accessibility Basics series, we defined four essential steps in planning for online course accessibility:
Choosing file formats
Chunking content
Providing options
Having backup plans
Commonly Used Formats
In this article, the focus is on step one, choosing file formats. The file formats that faculty include in an online class vary widely based on a number of factors:
Faculty technical skills – only a minority of faculty create html pages.
Faculty field of expertise/subject area – some fields need special file types for special purposes.
Faculty workload – a busy person will do what they are most familiar with
File Format Pros and Cons
Html pages are the most flexible, and can be made the most accessible. This is the format the ITRC uses when building a course, because it can include other media and provide for accessibility. However, if you are a faculty member working on your own, this may be intimidating. The HTML Creator tool inside WVU eCampus, however, can allow easy, simple creation. While some subject areas use or require files in a specialized format, these are generally best used as specific demonstration pieces or elements of a homework assignment.
You want to use Facebook for your online course. Social networking is hot, and tapping into your students lives in familiar ways can be highly effective for sparking interest and conversation.
The problem is the same as the draw: Facebook is a social network, and one with ever-changing privacy options. The conversation you intend to spark is not one about a student's weekend party photos...
To avoid problems of exposing your students, or yourself, to a breach of privacy (Whose business is it that the student is even in your class? FERPA may want to know) why not set up your class on Edmodo instead of Facebook?
Edmodo works very much like Facebook, only the instructor has a great deal more control over who sees what. Ideas and files can be shared on a communal wall, assignments can be posted (and graded, if you want to use the integrated grade book), and while students and teachers can communicate privately, students cannot communicate privately with other students. Classes can even be archived.
Have you tried Edmodo? Tell us about your experiences in the comments!
Do you think it's safe, or wise, to keep student grades in this type of third-party online service? Share your thoughts below.
A new app available for the iPhone and Android phones called Quick Cite allows you to create a citation by scanning the barcodes of sources with your phone’s camera. This app allows the user to choose APA, MLA, Chicago Style, or IEEE formatting standards.
When a user scans the barcode of a book with Quickcite, the properly formatted Bibliographic entry of choice is generated. A great time-saver when you’re buried in research.
