1. Workshop 4 Creating Usable Content Web Content Accessibility Project Funded by BCcampus Natasha Boskic, Kirsten Bole, Nathan Hapke University of British Columbia

2. Workshop schedule Monday August 21 Basics of Web Accessibility Tuesday August 22 Coding an Accessible Website Wednesday August 23 Accessible Multimedia Thursday August 24 Creating Usable Content Friday August 25 Disabilities & Assistive Technology

3. The Plan How is web content different from print? Learning disabilities & learning styles Site structure & navigation Use of different media

4. It’s hard to read a screen Screen: 72 dpi (dots per inch) Print: 200-300 dpi Staring at screen creates eyestrain Sitting at desktops is also tiring Result: people don’t read as much online as they do in print

5. Reading in bits & pieces Web readers skim pages looking for key points & ideas Headlines, blurbs, summaries Shorter paragraphs, bullet points preferred Print out large documents to read offline

6. Students with learning disabilities Learning difficulties: dyslexia, ADHD Cognitive difficulties: brain injury, autism, age Poor concentration, memory, problem- solving, and/or time management Anxiety, frustration

8. Facing learning disabilities Guessing at content, rather than reading it Skimming looking for bolded keywords Rereading the same passage repeated times Avoiding interacting online Difficulty interpreting instructions …but all students & disabilities are different

9. Dealing with Learning Disabilities Academic consulting & advice essential Some tools used by blind & visually impaired can be useful for LDs Screenreader highlights text and/or reads it aloud Predictive typing assists with spelling & correct word choice

11. Learning styles “Sage on the stage” or “sage on the screen” - traditional teaching method doesn’t work for everyone Reinforce one concept with different methods Mix & match for maximum effect

12. Learning styles Visual-verbal: prefers to read Visual-nonverbal: charts, animations, videos Auditory: prefers to listen Tactile: learn by doing, interaction Sensory: fact-based activities

13. Preferred approaches Intuitive: reflection & imagination Inductive/deductive: examples, theories Active: through application or work w/others Reflective: think about topics before engaging Understanding: see “big picture” first Sequential: step by step

14. Applying this to YOUR content…

15. Website structure Map out your site before building it Goal: keep your navigation simple and consistent on every page What sections & subsections will you need? What might you need to add in the future? Where would that go?

16. Navigation Group similar items together Keep same on every page Offer site map, search, index

17. Keep it clean Avoid distracting animations Avoid background patterns No, no, no.

18. Keep it clean High contrast text is important …but be careful with your colour choices

19. Keep it quiet Don’t autoplay sounds Distracting, disturbing Interferes with screenreaders The same goes for pop-up windows

20. Redundancy can be good Good content can take many forms Reinforce ideas through multiple media Offer same content as text, image, video, interactive tool

21. Assignment options Offer students a choice between essays, presentations, posters… Different ways of expressing same knowledge Makes grading more interesting, too

22. Assignment criteria Clear, unambiguous directions Built-in checkpoints benefit LD students –How will you approach this problem? –Submit a paragraph summary of your project –Submit a proposed project schedule

23. File formats PDF, Word, Excel, PPT often used unnecessarily Content could be on web instead Good for forms, complicated charts, anything that must look perfectly consistent to everyone Warn if user is about to download file

24. Getting started Which learning styles do your course materials appeal to the most? What parts of your online course materials could be offered in another format or media? How could you modify your course to benefit learning-disabled students?

25. Thank you for coming! Join us tomorrow for Disabilities & Assistive Technology - 12 pm PST Natasha Boskic (natasha.boskic@ubc.ca)natasha.boskic@ubc.ca Kirsten Bole (kirsten.bole@ubc.ca)kirsten.bole@ubc.ca Nathan Hapke (nhapke@interchange.ubc.ca)nhapke@interchange.ubc.ca Thanks to Deb Butler of UBC for her advice on learning disabilities Thanks to Kevin Kelly of SFSU for his advice on Universal Design and learning styles.