Accessibilities Summit AERO Algonquin College Pearson Publishing Canada E-TEXTBOOK PROJECT

Algonquin College e-Text Initiative Agenda: Welcome and Introductions The Challenge of Obtaining Accessible Textbooks How Algonquin’s E-Text Initiative came about Partnering with Pearson Canada AERO Q & A

Access to Alternate Format Material

Project Objectives: 100% of students will have all required resources on the first day of class. 100% of students will have access to their resources, on-line or off-line at anytime of the day 100% of resources available on the mobile device(s) of their choice. The student cost for the eText resources in 13/14 was 63 % of the traditional printed textbook Next year we are targeting 55% eText Algonquin College

e-Textbook Project – Pilot January 2013 The following first level, Winter Intake Programs were involved in the e- Textbook Project in January Business Mgt. & Entrepreneurship 2.Business Administration 3.Computer Engineering Technology 4.Computer Programmer 5.Computer Systems Technician 6.Event Management Publisher Partners involved in the E-Textbook Pilot Pearson Publishing Wiley McGraw Hill Nelson Publishing

e-Textbook Project – Pilot January 2013 Connecting 750 students 6 Programs 27 courses 26 Instructors 2283 Student eTextbooks  Pearson  810 – Nelson  McGraw  120 – Wiley

e -Textbook Project – January 2013 e-Resource Platforms CourseSmart - Pearson textbooks were used by the School of Technology and Trades, and had been seamlessly integrated into blackboard operating system Faculty would logon to Blackboard and find their eTextbooks in their course, …making the course available automatically allowed student access – authorization was managed in the background of Blackboard Vital Source – Nelson, Wiley, and McGraw Hill textbooks were used by the School of Business and Event Management students Faculty and Students logon to a web based Bookshelf and install eTextbooks with an access code per book. Deployment of the codes were managed by a college website.

e -Textbook Project – January 2013 Two Types of eText Deployments at Algonquin Institutional Pay Model eTextbook Incidental Fees are collected with registration fees at the beginning of each semester with100% enrolment – all students will participate in the eText program Course level fee structure to students is based on the number of “Required” resources identified by the professor Important to Note: eTexts in our program are permanent versions and printable from “Cover-to-cover”. Student Pay Model Would include CCOL (Continued Online Learning), CE, International Campuses and other campus programs interested in moving to eResources. Students may wish to purchase their eText resource from the Connections Bookstore website and can then obtain their etextbook by using the access code on the VitalSource Bookshelf. The etext is usually for a short term and offers restrictive print options.

Phase #1 - eTextbook Project – Fall 2013 Connecting 3600 students 34 Programs 180 courses 450 sections 160 Instructors 16,800 Student eTextbooks  Pearson - Wiley – McGraw – Nelson Lippincott – Elsevier – Emond - APC  eText Platform - VitalSource Bookshelf

Phase #2 - eTextbook Project – January 2014 Connecting 3400 students 34 Programs 160 courses 420 sections 140 Instructors Levels 1 & 2 14,000 Student eTextbooks  Pearson - Wiley – McGraw – Nelson Lippincott – Elsevier – Emond - APC  eText Platform - VitalSource Bookshelf

Phase #3 - eTextbook Project – Fall 2014 Connecting 120 Programs Approx. 11,000 students 600 courses 1450 sections 300+ Instructors All first level students (including Level 3 from Phase #1) 50,000 Student eTextbooks  Pearson - Wiley – McGraw – Nelson Lippincott – Elsevier – Emond - APC … a total of 28 publishers are now involved  eText Platform - VitalSource Bookshelf

eText Advisory Group Student Association College Faculty Student Council Representatives Library Resources Registrar’s Office Blackboard Support IT Support AODA Officers College Bookstore College Print Centre Student Success Specialists Centre for Students with Disabilities eText Algonquin College

LMS (Blackboard) Deployment Challenges Course Level Deployment – unable to resolve individual student issues and account adjustments Browser issues …Pop Up Blockers must be turned Off. Process of adding the etext to the students “Cloud Account” is not intuitive and the student the leaves the resource in Blackboard, instead of in the VitalSource Bookshelf. Only available “Online” in the browser view Browser view has only a few of the rich eText features enhancing the Student Experience At Algonquin College we have thousands of students enrolled in programs not using our Blackboard system. eText Algonquin College

eTextbook Project – Fall 2014 eText Strategies A new Book Adoption database (Learning Resources Management System) has been developed to help manage the challenge for September Special features have been integrated into the system to address the very specific challenges we face with large scale etext deployment.  Enrolment Numbers (SIS Student Information System)  Onix Data Feed from Each Publisher  Single Sign-on solution for students  Access to other student program specific information  Initial 30 Day complimentary Access Code  Permanent Validation Code

We wanted to improve our etext deployment model by simply using an access code to redeem in VitalSource Bookshelf eText Algonquin College

All students will login (network access username and password) to a new Personal Resource Access website portal. System will be connected to the college student information system and can identify student resources based on the specific courses the student is enrolled into at the college. eText Algonquin College

LEARNING RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - Student Access Algonquin eText Resources >> e-Resources >> eTexts Available for you McGraw Hill Connect - Student eResource This eResource is included in your registration fees, please log in to open your Connect account at and use this access code to open your resource. Your instructor will provide instructions in Blackboard Access your resources from your Blackboard Account This etext is included in your registration fees, please log in to your VitalSource Bookshelf account and use the temporary access code to open your etext resource. Return after Sept 12 to obtain your permanent code or take advantage of the textbook option. Temporary Code: This etext is included in your registration fees, please log in to your VitalSource Bookshelf account and use this access code to open your etext resource. Temporary Code: Digital eResources available to you include: I would like to buy the TEXTBOOK My eTextbooks BYOD – Requirements My Software My Uniforms Student Survival Guide Logout Now Selecting the TEXTBOOK OPTION button will allow you to use the etext fee value against the purchase of the text in our college Campus Store. You must have selected this option before Sept 15. I would like to buy the TEXTBOOK Permanent Code: ENL1813S - Business Communications …. Ann Mikula Welcome: Larry Weatherdon ECO Microeconomics…. EXPLORING MICROECONOMICS SUPPORT VIDEO We will be able to offer the choice of applying the student etext fees to the purchase of a traditional textbook. This student would then loose access to that eText. CLICK

eText Algonquin College

Pearson and Algonquin College The initiative at Algonquin represents an opportunity for us to work with a forward-looking institution, on a true partnership that is indicative of where we believe the post-secondary education space is headed A pilot opportunity to test all facets of what is (was?) a complex business- model A potential win-win for all stakeholder groups

Publisher Challenges Content coming from 3 sources within Pearson Traditional accessible file transaction model Timing Legal Internal structure & communication

21 Challenges…accessibility is needed for All portals, systems, platforms, players

22 More challenges… Accessibility is needed for all media content eBooks, documents, animation, activities, video…

Making Learning Technologies Accessible Guidelines were created to guide Pearson's development teams and are updated regularly with new techniques. They are public so that customers and others can see what we're working toward and will, we hope, find them useful for their own digital learning projects. These guidelines explain how to make educational Web media accessible to people with disabilities, and meet the international Web content accessibility guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium, specifically Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) at Level AA Step 1. Value people Step 2. Learn how to include each person Step 3. Implement Alternatives: Provide alternatives for sounds and images that provide information. (5 guidelines) Coding: Write UI code according to standards so that varying operating systems, browsers, access methods and assistive technologies will be supported. (22 guidelines) Color: Choose text colors that pass standards for good readability. Design with color blind users in mind. (3 guidelines) Executive: Consider accessibility when choosing technologies and publishing options. Document your product's accessibility. (4 guidelines) System Functionality: Allow learners or instructors: To control time limits, motion, and audio to avoid distraction & to adjust for differing needs. (7 guidelines) To make their own content accessible while authoring in Pearson systems.(1 guideline)

AERO’s Mandate The mandate of Alternative Education Resources for Ontario’s (AERO) is to assist in the provision of alternative format texts to students with perceptual disabilities who attend publicly funded educational institutions in Ontario. Perceptual Disability: As defined in the Copyright Act, section 32 and for the purpose of the Pilot MOA, a perceptual disability includes one or more of the following range of difficulties: For education purposes, a student whose visual acuity is not sufficient for the student to participate in everyday instructive activities without the accommodation of instructional and related materials in multiple formats; an inability to hold or manipulate printed materials; or any other impairment (including but not limited to dyslexia and brain injury) such that student cannot use print publications other than in formats not available from the publisher. Print Alternate Format is a version of a text document or digital file that has been converted into another format (such as Braille) to make it accessible to a student with a perceptual disability.

AERO’s Overview

AERO’s Goals Students Reduce wait times The use of Higher quality accessible materials Institutions Reductions in workload and duplication Cost savings Publishers Have a single point of contact /services Secure file management services by AERO All Stakeholders: Shared Goals Compliance with ADOA Information and Communication Standards ( Jan 2013 ) Increase quality of textbooks for postsecondary education Uniform and standardized production processes Increased security Increased access to postsecondary education for all Ontarians, including students with disabilities.

AERO System Architecture

AERO Request Process Submit the Requests 2. The Disability Office logs onto AERO’s web-based repository to submits a request. 3. If the accessible file exists in AERO’s repository it may be downloaded or mailed as a hard copy. 4. If the accessible file does not exist, AERO will work to obtain the conversion ready file and produce the accessible format version requested by the student. The Accessible Format is Provided 5. AERO informs the institution the accessible format requested is available and has been sent. 6. The student signs an agreement stating the accessible format will not be copied or shared. 7. The college or university provides the student with the accessible format version of the textbook as requested. Check Eligibility Requirements 1. The Disability Office at the institution ensures the student is registered at the institution and has purchased a hard copy of the textbook.

Questions and Answers