Bridging the Accessibility Gap to Online Engineering Courses
Concurrent Session 6

Brief Abstract
How did the creation of two online graduate programs in Engineering create an accessibility challenge? How can we make equation heavy content and complex analytical figures accessible? This session will highlight techniques and resources to create accessible math via assistive technologies and universal design for learning principles.
Presenters


Extended Abstract
The field of accessibility has grown with the rise of technology. Our world is becoming very complex and aspects of it have become unusable by a portion of the population. Some people with disabilities might feel left out of the highly experiential world that surrounds them and end up not pursuing careers in engineering. When our team of learning experience designers and a student representative partnered with the engineering department to develop two new online graduate programs at a R1 research institution, we discovered many inaccessible online course materials and teaching practices.
In this session, participants can expect to learn about accessible math, assistive technologies, and universal design for learning strategies. Our team will share some of the simple strategies and extensive changes we applied to a wide variety of courses to ensure an accessible course experience for all.
Throughout this presentation, we will encourage participants to empathize with students and the barriers they may encounter in a complex engineering course. Participants will engage in facilitated discussions about the how math content is presented, and will also receive helpful resources including:
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A quick tips accessibility checklist
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Accessible video strategy
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Basic accessibility strategies when developing course materials
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A deeper understanding for the complexities of accessible math
Join us for a collaborative and reflective session on developing engineering courses accessible to all students.