Early Bird

Course-accessibility checkups

Transitioning to remote learning presents the perfect opportunity to ensure that all students can access the full range of their educational experience.

By Gabe Christie

March 31, 2020

The Metropolitan State University of Denver community has put forth an amazing amount of effort in quickly transitioning all on-campus courses to remote teaching. This is no small task, and it isn’t over yet. Hang in there and keep up the good work.

A key part of student success in online courses and in-person courses that have transitioned to remote delivery is content accessibility. Accessibility, in this context, means ensuring that anyone and everyone can access your content and interact with it fully regardless of their ability level. This is more important than ever as students are being asked to learn in online environments that may be especially difficult to access compared with the in-person courses they signed up for.

As MSU Denver prizes accessible education, this transition presents the perfect opportunity to ensure that all students can access the full range of their educational experience. Being mindful of the accessibility of your course materials will help students find success in our new online learning environment.

For some instructors, this will be your first time hearing about accessibility. It may feel daunting, especially in this moment. Fear not – the Instructional Accessibility Group (part of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Design) is here to help.

The CTLD Instructional Accessibility Group is offering a new course-accessibility checkup service. Instructors can request a checkup to get an expert’s review of the accessibility of any course and its associated materials. Instructors will receive a detailed report on any accessibility concerns, resources to remedy them and continued support.

If you are interested in helping your students by improving the accessibility of your course, complete the Course Accessibility Checkup Request Form. For questions or additional information, please contact Gabe Christie, instructional-accessibility manager, CTLD.