SUNY Empire State and SUNY Buffalo State have created a MOOC that addresses the issues of inaccessible education and provides support to those designing and teaching in an online environment. Access MOOC helps participants understand civil rights issues surrounding accessibility and empowers them to design learning experiences that promote inclusive learning environments through the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility guidelines and standards. The MOOC will be facilitated as a live session February - March 2016 and will continue to be available in an “on demand” format within Canvas. The design allows institutions to use the course as a professional development resource and all resources within the MOOC are available to reuse under Creative Commons.

Accessibility MOOC - Promotional Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxmaKKCn1vo

With increased urgency, higher education, the federal government and advocacy groups insist that online courses rightfully meet strict accessibility thresholds for all learners. The online modality can provide liberating access to those learners for whom traditional, campus based learning is not feasible. If not universally designed, however, it presents just as many barriers to access and academic success as does inaccessible architecture. In order to design online learning experiences with accessibility in mind, we must prepare our faculty and staff to understand the challenges that students with disabilities face, the ethical and legal obligations we must meet, and the technical requirements for using online learning spaces.

Access MOOC effectively addresses the accessibility challenge in online teaching and learning by providing engaging, effective, and current information about the challenges faced by students, our responsibilities according to federal laws and rulings, and “how-to” information so that participants can leave the course with the skills and knowledge needed to design with accessibility in mind.

Access MOOC is offered as a free and open course in Canvas LMS. Beginning February 22nd 2016 , it will be a 6-week facilitated course. Accessibility experts from SUNY Empire State and SUNY Buffalo State will serve as facilitators.
Course Outline:
Week 1 - Why Accessibility Matters. Here the participants will explore barriers to academic access, success, and completion that students with disabilities often face.
Week 2 - Integrating Faculty and Staff Roles. In this week, the participants will learn the difference between proactive course design and making accommodations. They will also analyze what individual and group efforts are necessary to create barrier-free learning environments given the complexity of and overlap between faculty and staff roles.
Week 3 - A Blueprint for Equal Learning Opportunities. In week 3, the participants will be introduced to Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Participating in this module will help the participants design a learning environment that is flexible and allows for equal learning opportunities.
Week 4 - Taking Action to Provide Equal Learning Opportunities. In this week, in addition to exploring how UDL is implemented in real-life learning environments, participants will be introduced to Backward Design and examine how it fits into the bigger picture of Universal Design for Learning and accessibility.
Week 5 - Methods for Compliant Content Creation. During Week 5, participants will learn about the most commonly used methods for creating compliant learning content. These methods are based on the Section 508 standards and the WCAG 2.0 AA guidelines.
Week 6 - Content Creation Tools and Assistive Technology. Utilizing step-by-step guides, participants will learn to create content while maintaining compliance with the standards and guidelines discussed in week 5.

Participants can participate as little or as much as they like and have the opportunity to earn a badge each week and an Access MOOC badge if they meet the goals for each week. In early May, an on-demand version of the course will be available for individuals and for campuses who may organize cohorts who will complete the MOOC together. Participants can choose how they engage in either the facilitated or on-demand sessions. In addition to providing information and skills support, and the MOOC serves as a model of a well-designed, accessible course including captions, alternative text, and multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression. All MOOC resources are available to reuse, adapt, and redistribute through a Creative Commons license.

To register for the facilitated version of the course, access: https://www.canvas.net/. Locate the course by searching Accessibility: Designing and Teaching Courses for All Learners. Enrollment is free.