Creating accessible hybrid college courses

Published September 12, 2022

In early 2020, college instructors worldwide suddenly found themselves teaching online. Many instructors and students struggled at first. Some lessons, such as science labs, do not lend themselves well to online learning. Many students and instructors prefer in-person for a variety of reasons. 

Before the pandemic, in addition to officially online or hybrid courses, most instructors used their college’s learning management system (LMS) to post readings and PowerPoints from lectures and grades. Some were also already using the LMS to have students submit assignments. In addition to continuing these practices, college instructors can consider using hybrid learning to use the best of both settings.

Online learning provides both opportunities and challenges for students with disabilities. A hybrid course provides opportunities to use both modes' strengths. This article gives tips to college instructors on hybrid learning, starting with information applicable to all instructors making use of their college’s LMS and then continuing to tips for hybrid courses.

Accessibility tips for all instructors posting online content

While many college instructors have been using their college’s LMS  to post materials for years, they haven’t necessarily ensured that content meets digital accessibility standards. Any online materials instructors post must be accessible for students with disabilities, including just posting readings and PowerPoints.

One of the most common ways instructors use their college’s LMS is by posting PDF versions of readings and other documents. A simple scan of a paper document will not be accessible because it will read as an image to screen reading software. For a screen reader to read a PDF, instructors must use a file with actual text in the document. 

When dealing with something the instructor wrote, such as a syllabus, exporting an accessible Word document typically creates an accessible or mostly accessible PDF. For journal articles and electronic books, an article downloaded in digital form should have readable text if the publisher followed WCAG standards. Instructors should consider consulting their college’s librarians for help ensuring content is accessible because librarians can also help instructors with copyright laws.

Instructors may also post PowerPoints from presentations. Having PowerPoints available before class helps students with visual, hearing, learning, and cognitive disabilities. These PowerPoints must also be accessible. Instructors can make use of PowerPoint’s accessibility features to do basic accessibility. For example, both easy tasks are adding alternative text to images and tables and ensuring the correct reading order. Instructors should also ensure they have high contrast between the background and text color.

Designing hybrid courses with accessibility in mind

All of the above apply to truly hybrid courses, which blend in-person instruction with online learning. Hybrid courses make use of the benefits of both modes of learning. The flexibility of the online portion benefits students with chronic conditions that flare up. The in-person portion gives students direct interaction with the instructor. 

How should instructors decide what material and activities to do in person and which to do online? Some considerations include activities that can’t easily be replicated online, like a science lab or group work. However, to best meet all learners' needs, instructors should also use an accessibility lens when making decisions.

One major advantage of online learning is the possibility for each student to control the pace of activity separately. Self-pacing is especially beneficial for students with cognitive and learning disabilities. Instead of students attending lectures and doing activities outside the classroom, instructors can consider a flipped classroom

In a flipped class, instructors post videos online for students to access at the time and pace that is best for them. Videos posted online need closed captions and transcripts for students with hearing, cognitive and learning disabilities. Instructors should make short videos covering one topic at a time to support students' self-paced ability. A flipped classroom also benefits students with chronic conditions that flare up and cause them to miss classes.

Opportunities for active online learning

Instructors should also consider more interactive learning options for the online portion of the course. Most LMS platforms have features like quizzing and discussion boards instructors can use to support students' learning, especially those with disabilities. 

Most LMS platforms have a quizzing feature that instructors can use for formative or summative assessments. A formative assessment helps the instructor and students see how well they understand concepts. Breaking videos into bite-sized sections can help students better manage a self-paced course and synthesize the content. After teachers review assessment results they can adapt their teaching to help students with concepts they have difficulty understanding. Summative assessments are a better source for assigning grades. Having summative assessments online allows students who need extra time due to a disability to have that time without needing to request an accommodation.

A discussion board offers an opportunity to set students with disabilities up to participate in a more in-depth discussion in person. Students with learning and cognitive disabilities benefit from the added time to process and think about the discussions. Students with social anxiety may find it easier to think about discussions when not in the classroom and have an easier time participating when they arrive at class. When the students come to the classroom, the instructor can follow up on points of confusion and continue discussions started online.

Interactive eLearning modules are an ideal way to use the methods eLearning can benefit students with disabilities. Interactive eLearning allows instructors to create individualized opportunities for interactivity and opportunities for students to customize their learning experience to best meet their needs. These possibilities benefit all learners but are especially beneficial to those with learning and cognitive disabilities. Instructors likely will not have the skills to develop an eLearning module, but their college might have developers on staff to support them.

All of this allows instructors to focus on activities ideal for the in-person portion of the course:

  • Follow-up on points of confusion
  • Labs or other hands-on activities, if applicable
  • Group work
  • Discussions.

The in-person portion of the course also has accessibility considerations. For example, the room needs to be accessible for students with mobility disabilities and students who are hard of hearing or deaf may need sign language interpreters and/or transcripts. Colleges often have disabilities coordinators to support instructors with these accommodations.

Conclusion

Hybrid learning allows instructors to combine the best aspects of online and in-person learning. Instructors can select the best modality for each learning experience by considering the needs of their students with disabilities. However, instructors need to ensure the content they post online is accessible, including instructors online using their LMS for posting materials like PowerPoints and readings. 

 

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