You are on page 1of 5

+

Your Course Syllabus


as an Accessible Learning Tool

Develop a Scannable Document


Appearance How it Reads

Format How it Scans

Organization by Design Be deliberate about font choice, point size, white space & parallel construction of elements. Cue by key words to move students through the syllabus and set learning tone/climate. Align images and text for visual and conceptual congruency. Blind/low vision learners and learners with various disabilities will need alternative text with images when converting information with screen readers.

First write your syllabus in a traditional word doc format. Provide an electronic copy of syllabus / course materials. Tables, figures, images require descriptions: alt text. Let students know where to find descriptions of images. Essential elements need to be clearly identified. Standard scanners read single columns of text.

Develop Visual & Audio Entry Points

Huh? Thats a lot to read and know: Where do I begin?


Graphically map connections between:


outcomes & assignments informal & formal tasks

Technology

Where & how to participate


Preview 1st week Set a task for Day #1 Incorporate sequential tasks leading to global requirements to keeps in focus

Learning tasks to be done


Tasks completed Pathways to learning Aids both students & teachers

Provide audio or video element:


Human voice Multiple learning routes

Cultivate a willingness to let all policies and practices flow from central learning objectives and from a mutual respect and agreement between students and teachers.
Embed Official policy statements within passages about your expectations, learning and practices. If a policy is important to learning in your class and to setting up the classroom climate you value, speak about it with students. Enact the modes of teaching and learning documented in your syllabus on the first day. Make space for authentic questions about learning in the course, as written in the syllabus; about the field, in general.

+ Develop a Learning Syllabus

e email to the class before you meet: Send is a good idea. self; incorporating a video a Welcome email to the class before you meet: * Introduce yourself; incorporating a video is a good idea. books/supplies and places to find them. * Name required books/supplies and places to find them. o get started information for technology tools. information for technology tools. * Provide how to get started

abus: Unlock your syllabus: ronic syllabus students Share an electronic syllabus students can rearrange. * can rearrange. * Organize a learning rning syllabus with outcomes keyed to syllabus with outcomes keyed to assignments, classroom policy, and lassroom climate linked to course policy, and climate linked to course timelines. all aligned to clear grading criteria & assignment ear grading criteria & assignment timelines.

Provide a learning context g context for university example, withpolicies for university and course policies and course a plagiarism policy: For a plagiarism policy: * Acknowledge students will need to build communication skills. students will need to * Address academic integrity concept rather than just list rules. build communication skills. * Acknowledge list rules. emic integrity concept rather than that no one is a native speaker of academic." hat no one is a native speaker of academic."

You might also like