How to Create a More Inclusive Digital Environment
Building a more inclusive environment isn't just about focusing on accessibility. It requires a broader focus that includes recognizing different needs and abilities when delivering course curriculum and content. To meet students where they are, instead of simply making accommodations.
The right technology can extend access to course materials and provide high-quality experiences to all students by removing barriers. It can create a more inclusive culture by enabling instructors to design materials with the needs of those who matter most in mind: the students.
Be Proactive - Collect consistent feedback on your content’s accessibility, quality and usability, and monitor its successes and areas for improvement. Stay focused on your educational and institutional goals and let the technology shape strategies that help move you forward.
Incorporate Feedback - Leverage feedback to create opportunities for your content creators to remediate and improve their content, while at the same time improving the experience for all students by providing a variety of options that they can interact with.
Prioritize & Act - Determine your overall performance to simplify your improvement process into a linear plan of action. Use this new insight to make prioritization clear and simple, and align with your programs' accessibility standards. Accessible content leads to better content.
Blog: An Integrated and Responsive Approach to Personalized Learning
As various kinds of tools and media flow into the LMS via LTI, universities face a growing challenge in managing a “wild-west” of applications and content. Standards will play a crucial role in being able to assess and monitor the accessibility levels of applications and content residing in the LMS.
Video: An Accessibility-First Approach with the University of Montana
Courses that heavily rely on technology for communicating and interacting with students can be very challenging to those that use assistive technologies. Aaron Page, an accessibility specialist at the University of Montana talks about our partnership in the development of Blackboard Collaborate and the use of the system on campus.
eBook: How Inclusive Classrooms Grant Universal Access to Students
Even when disabilities have been disclosed and accommodations made, an experience gap remains, and students with disabilities are less likely to successfully complete their higher education than their peers. Learn how an inclusive classroom also results in an improved learning experience for all learners.
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Article: Acknowledging Diversity Around the World
Inclusive education and digital access: Is your institution on top of it? Highlights from Blackboard’s Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Ally Community Story: It Takes a Village - Chico State University
Find out how Chico State and the California State University system adopted Ally as part of their effort to address content accessibility issues, and to bolster their commitment to advancing UDL principles in their teaching with Ally’s “alternative formats.” White Paper: Making Education Accessible Throughout the Learning Environment
Tools like in-class surveys are common as instructors look to keep students engaged and attentive. Read practical advice on how to approach inclusive education and key things you need to consider when building a truly inclusive classroom through technology, course design and practice.
Blog: Inclusive Learning Is Not Only for Students with Disabilities
While many people in the world with disabilities face barriers in their education, every single student in the world learns differently and has difficulties in certain areas without necessarily having a diagnosed disability. Learn about some accessibility best practices using inclusive learning to make sure your course is designed so that all students are supported and can learn effectively.
Website: Blackboard Ally
Blackboard Ally is a revolutionary product that integrates seamlessly into the Learning Management System and focuses on making digital course content more accessible.
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