508 Compliance
Brianna
Benoit
Brianna is a A highly motivated coder and designer, effective communicator and curriculum designer with 5+ years of progressive experience in Technology, Education and Programming. Expertise in adult and youth learning techniques, lesson plan designs, application design, instructional design, team-teacher leadership and coaching. Multi-talented creator of training and promotional videos for use in classrooms, corporations and in the community. Vast knowledge and experience in use of a wide variety of audio-visual equipment for education purposes. Advanced hardware and software computer skills. Excellent people skills and organizational skills with adults and youth. Proven leadership in challenging work situations or environments. Results-oriented and driven to help others succeed.
scenario
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The scenario chosen by Brianna is " You are an instructional designer at a university. You work with faculty to create online courses. Your university has a peer review system in place to ensure quality in online courses. One concern you and your ADA compliance officer are concerned about is the importance of being 508 compliant in all of your online courses. You know the importance of using a variety of media assets enhances student learning but are these accessible to everyone. Your Vice President of Academic Affairs told you that all online and blended courses must meet the 508 compliance requirements. Your job is to not only learn what these compliance requirements are but also implement these in all online and blended courses."
intended audience
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The intended audience for this training is Higher Education Faculty
Solution
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To solve this problem I have created a check list for faculty to reference when designing thier online course to insure it is 508 compliant.
Explanation of Section 508
and tips on How to be in Compliance
Transcript of Video
Research
Section 508 is defined by Margaret Rouse of Tech Target as an amendment to the United States Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that mandates all electronic and information technology courses and material that are developed, procured and maintained by a government funded agency be fully accessible to people with disabilities.(Rouse, Margaret 2010)
Section 508 applies to all software application and operating systems. The standards of section 508 are thoroughly defined on the United States access board website. There are roughly 10 points listed in the standards that need to be consider when one is designing their eLearning course to assure it is accessibility to all students with or without an disability. (Trivantis Corporation Inc.,1999-2016)
To solve this problem, I used the information presented on the United States Access Board website. I went though the points listed on the site and complied the information into small bullet points that are easily assessable for faculty to reference when designing their online classes. With presenting the information in the form of an easily assessable info graphic this should help the faculty as well as all who have to review the course once the design is completed to ensure the course meets the requirements of section 508.
Evaluation
To evaluate the effectiveness of the checklist, the peer review team for the course, that was created will also be given a modified version of the checklist given to the course designer. The checklist provided to the peer review team will have sections next to each point to fill out and provided an example from the course on how the creator fulfilled each 508 compliance requirement. The academic affairs department will be able to take the documents from the peer review team and tally up the response to be able to determine if the course is 508 complaint or not. If the course is found to be 508 compliant it will be a direct reflection of the successfulness of the design. If the course is found to not be 508 complaint revisions will be made to the checklist design.
To train professors on 508 compliance and how to effectively use the checklist, an online training video will be provided. The training will outline the importance of 508 compliance show tips on how to guarantee one’s course is 508 compliant and explain how any course found not to be 508 complaint will not be offered to the students.
Bibliography
What Does Section 508 Compliance Mean for Your eLearning Course? (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2016, from http://trivantis.com/what-does-section-508-compliance-mean-for-your-e-learning-course/
United States Access Board. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2016, from https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-section-508-standards/guide-to-the-section-508-standards/software-applications-and-operating-systems-1194-21
SortSite, Accessibility checker and validator. (n.d.). Retrieved July 30, 2016, from http://www.powermapper.com/products/sortsite/checks/accessibility-checks/
Jake Huhn, (2013), 7 steps to 508 compliance: why it's important and where you can start. Retrieved July 30, 2016, from http://www.bottomlineperformance.com/508-compliance-and-eit-accessibility/