accessibility - Educational Technology at Langara College

Accessible Video Creation

June 11, 2024June 19, 2024 Luke McKnight

Creating videos that are accessible to all viewers is not just a concern for a niche audience; it’s a craft that enhances the overall viewing experience. Learn how to create accessible video content in the newest chapter of the Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning. This comprehensive guide explains how to plan, script, record and distribute your video.

Apart from the basics of recording setup and adding closed captions, this chapter has a special focus on integrated audio descriptions. This practice seamlessly adds audio descriptions of visual information into your video script. This accessibility and universal design for learning practice ensures everyone, from blind or visually impaired users to those watching on a phone, can engage and understand the video’s content.

Read about video accessibility before you record your next video lecture, screen capture, or announcement video. With a little planning and attention to detail, anyone can produce videos that are not only informative but inclusive and accessible.

Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning

June 3, 2024June 3, 2024 Luke McKnight

Langara’s Educational Technology Department is excited to officially launch the Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning. This free book is a comprehensive guide to digital accessibility explaining key concepts such as colour contrast, alternative text, and closed captioning. Foundational knowledge of digital accessibility is complemented with detailed, step-by-step instructions to create accessible content in platforms like Brightspace, PebblePad, PowerPoint, and Word.

With the introduction of the Accessibility British Columbia Act, post-secondary institutions will be required to adhere to accessibility standards for service and education. Langara has formed an accessibility committee and created an accessibility plan to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility. To meet those goals educational materials must be accessible and inclusive. Creating accessible material will require a consistent effort and refocusing of how digital content is created.

Screenshot of quick guide from the handbook

Accessibility is not a feature, it’s a necessity. The Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning provides faculty, staff, and students with the knowledge and tools to incorporate accessibility into their existing workflows. Inside this deliberately structured and fully accessible web book, readers will find an extensive resource including quick start guides, step-by-step instructions, demonstration videos, and links to further resources. Best of all, this guide is supported and frequently updated by Langara’s Assistive Technologist, Luke McKnight.

The Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning empowers all Langarans with the knowledge and tools to make accessible digital content. Accessible content is essential to learner success, democratic access to information, and minimizes feelings of othering. Creating and choosing more accessible content is essential to ensuring inclusivity is a reality for your team, in your classroom, and for your classmates.

The handbook is available for free under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, allowing you to use, share, and adapt the material as needed.

Contact Luke McKnight or assistivetech@langara.ca for more information including direct support in creating accessible content.

Digital Media Creator: Spark your creativity with us!

April 16, 2024June 24, 2024 Julian Prior

EdTech and TCDC are excited to announce the upcoming sessions of our Digital Media Creator (DMC) series, tailored specifically for both instructional and non-instructional staff. This enriching series of workshops is designed to immerse you in the world of digital media, helping you become proficient creators and users of engaging, multimodal content. The best part is that you don’t need to be good at art to join in; creativity is for everyone! By participating, you will not only enhance your teaching toolbox but also be in a better position to provide your students with diverse means of expression in their learning, a cornerstone of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

What to Expect?
The DMC series begins with the foundational workshop, Create/Engage/Share: Introduction to Digital Media Creator (Module 1), scheduled for May 3, 2024, online via Zoom. This initial module sets the stage for exploring how digital media like images, audio, and video can transform the learning experience.

Following the introductory session, the series offers several modules, each focusing on a unique aspect of digital media creation:

ePortfolios as Creative Practice (Module 2): Dive into ePortfolio creation using PebblePad, enhancing your professional development and showcasing your creative practice (May 7, 2024).
Accessible and Effective Slide Design (Module 3): Learn to design compelling presentation slides that are not only visually engaging but also accessible and inclusive (May 16, 2024, Zoom).
Sound Teaching (Module 4): Discover the art of podcasting to make your teaching content available to students anytime, anywhere (May 22, 2024).
Create and Edit Video with Tools You Have at Hand (Module 5): Gain practical skills in video production using everyday technologies that we have access to (May 31, 2024).
Prompting AI for Creative Output (Module 6): Explore the innovative realm of AI in generating creative content for various media (June 6, 2024).

To participate in these transformative workshops, registration for the Introduction to Digital Media Creator (Module 1) is a prerequisite. This requirement ensures that all participants have a solid foundation from which to explore more advanced topics. You can take as many or as few of the modules as you want after taking Module 1.

Earn a Digital Badge!
Completing at least four of the six modules earns you the DMC Digital Badge, evidence of your commitment and skill in digital media creation.

We invite all Langara instructors and staff to join these workshops. Let’s harness the power of digital media to create more engaging and inclusive educational experiences. Register today and spark your creativity with us!

Featured image generated with DALL-E as part of ChatGPT-4

Digital Practice - a collaborative approach

Build Brightspace Better

March 25, 2024March 25, 2024 Luke McKnight

The Build Brightspace Better workshop series is designed to empower instructors with the knowledge and tools needed to enhance the student experience in Brightspace. This series comprises three engaging workshops. Each workshop is centered on a different aspect of Brightspace and the tools and features available to create a more enriching and accessible learning environment for students.

Session 1 September 20th

Navigation and Layout Design

This interactive session will empower you to seamlessly integrate strategies that reduce excessive scrolling, clicking, and searching for your students. Together, we’ll work to highlight essential course elements, making content, assignment requirements, and due dates prominent and accessible.

Session 1 registration

Session 2 September 27th

Optimizing Course Readings

This hands-on workshop explores the Brightspace Reading Lists tool. Leverage library support and technology to seamlessly integrate diverse educational resources, from scholarly books to essential websites, into a singular, user-friendly digital Reading List format. Gain practical experience by curating a Reading List that exemplifies clarity, accessibility, and engagement for your students.

Session 2 registration

Session 3 October 4th

Packaging Your Brightspace Content

Transform your Brightspace course into a seamless and engaging learning experience with our hands-on workshop. Discover the best practices for organizing and presenting your course materials. Learn how to create visually appealing and interactive web pages, manage various content types, and build a repository of reusable elements. Elevate your course design and make your content more accessible and engaging for your students.

Bring your content and a laptop to create or update Brightspace content with expert support.

Session 3 registration

Session 4 October 11th

Implementation Support Session

Sign up to get help bringing your course to the next level. Whether you’re looking to update your course layout and design, organize your content, or set up Reading Lists, our experts are here to provide personalized support. This hands-on session is the perfect opportunity to implement what you’ve learned throughout the workshop series, receive immediate feedback, and ensure your Brightspace course is optimized for student success. Join us and leave with a polished, engaging, and student-friendly course.

Session 4 registration

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your online course material into dynamic and engaging learning environments that prioritize student satisfaction.

Improve Digital Accessibility: May Accessibility Workshops

March 25, 2024June 2, 2024 Luke McKnight

EdTech is excited to announce a series of upcoming workshops dedicated to improving the accessibility of Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint presentations.

Why Accessibility Matters

In today’s digital age, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and understand information is crucial. This is where accessibility comes in. It’s about making sure that everyone has equal access to information and functionality.

What Our Workshops Offer

Our workshops are designed to provide you with the tools and knowledge to create accessible Word documents and PowerPoint presentations. We believe that with a little effort and the right guidance, we can make a significant difference in making information more accessible to all.

Who Should Attend

These workshops are for everyone! Whether you’re a content creator, an educator, or just someone looking to learn, these workshops are for you. No prior experience is required.

Let’s Make a Difference Together

By participating in these workshops, not only will you enhance your skills, but you’ll also contribute to a more inclusive and accessible digital world. So why wait? Join us to learn how to make information accessible to all.

Learning Lab: Enhance Accessibility with AI

Date: May 15

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: Hybrid (C202 or Zoom)

How to Create Accessible PowerPoint Slide Presentations

Date: May 22

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: Hybrid (C202 or Zoom)

Learning Lab: Improve the Accessibility of Existing PowerPoint Slides

Date: May 27

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: C202

Learning Lab: Improve the Accessibility of Existing PowerPoint Slides Drop-In

Date: May 29

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: C202

Using AI to Enhance Accessibility

March 25, 2024March 25, 2024 Luke McKnight

The Langara Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning has a new chapter on AI Generated Alt Text. Generative AI chatbots have rapidly improved their ability to recognize and describe images. CoPilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini have shown to be useful tools to describe images and provide a starting point for writing alternative text (alt text). This new resource explains:

How to upload images to CoPilot, ChatGPT, and Google Gemini.
Effective prompts to get image descriptions.
How to refine output to write effective alt text.
What alt text is, when to use it, and how to write it.

In addition to this new resource, EdTech is offering a workshop on using AI to enhance accessibility. Join EdTech on May 15th for this interactive session perfect for anyone creating content using visual elements. Adding alt text to images is essential to creating accessible content. AI can be a useful tool to help start the process of writing alt text and this session will introduce effective tools and prompts.

The session offers a blend of theory and practice, providing hands-on exercises to master the art of crafting prompts that yield precise and useful outcomes. This workshop will equip Langarans with the skills to harness the potential of generative AI, paving the way for accessibility and inclusion. EdTech AI and accessibility experts will be on hand to help. Participants are encouraged to bring visual material that needs alt text.

Accessibility Quick Start Guides

March 18, 2024March 18, 2024 Luke McKnight

The Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning has added quick start guides to help you make content more accessible.

The quick start guides introduce core concepts of digital accessibility in a concise format. The guides preface chapters that expand on and explain the steps necessary to create accessible material in Brightspace, Word, and PowerPoint.

Screenshot of Brightspace Quick Start Guide

This latest addition to the Accessibility Handbook includes:

These guides will introduce to the importance of digital accessibility and help you integrate better practices into your content creation workflows.

Inclusive Content Delivery

February 5, 2024February 5, 2024 Luke McKnight

Creating accessible content is important to ensure an inclusive and welcoming experience. What you do with that material is equally important. Enhance your delivery—whether in-person, online, or during conversation—with new Langara resources.

The Accessibility Handbook for Teaching and Learning now has a chapter on Inclusive Content Delivery.

In this resource find information, tips, and tools to guide you with:

Setting up for an in-person, hybrid, or remote session
Tips when speaking, presenting, or otherwise delivering content
How to consider your audience
How to account for disability and diversity
Bimodal delivery
Creating content that can be reused, remixed, and repurposed

Inclusive content delivery is not only a matter of respect and empathy, but a powerful way to increase the impact and reach of your material. Read Inclusive Content Delivery to learn more about creating inclusive and engaging experiences for everyone.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) Resources

January 10, 2024March 13, 2024 susanbonham

AI generated image of a humanoid robot teacher with a pointer in a classroom, standing in front of a blackboard with equations — Image generated by DALL-E.

Whether you are a superuser or a novice, the number of resources on generative artificial intelligence can be overwhelming. EdTech and TCDC have curated some that we’d like to recommend.

How to access Copilot (Microsoft)
- Interested in trying a generative AI tool or using it in your course? ChatGPT and Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) are currently available in Canada. Langara College students and employees have access to a premium version of Copilot through Microsoft Enterprise and the Edge browser. Microsoft’s FAQs provide information on how to access Copilot through Microsoft Edge.

Practical AI for Instructors and Students (Ethan Mollick/Wharton School, August 2023)
- If you’re looking for a great primer on AI, this series of five videos is worth the watch. Each video is approximately 10 minutes so the whole series can be viewed in under an hour. Topics include: 1) an introduction to AI; 2) what large language model (LLM) platforms like ChatGPT are and how to start using them; 3) how to prompt AI; 4) how instructors can leverage AI; and 5) how students can use AI.
- Note: this series references four LLMs: ChatGPT, BingCopilot, Bard, and Claude. Bard and Claude are not yet available in Canada.

AI Primer by Educause
- This article is a reading (and viewing) list that links to resources that do a deeper dive into generative AI. A good resource for those who know the basics and would like to learn more.

Welcome to AI in Education (University of Sydney)
- This is the University of Sydney’s AI resource for students. It can also be a good resource for faculty who want to start with the basics. The modules include: Introduction to AI, Prompts to Help You Learn, Prompts to Help you Create, Prompts to Help you Progress, and Guidelines for Using Generative AI.
Incorporating AI in Learning Assessments: A Guided Pathway (Sean McMinn, June 2023)
- This dynamic flowchart can be a guide for educators who are interested in incorporating AI tools into assessment activities. According to the creators, the chart “begins with a decision on AI usage, then splits into two routes: one explores the pedagogical impact and appropriate use of AI tools, while the other offers a range of traditional assessment techniques. The chart emphasizes ethical considerations, academic integrity, and equal tool access throughout.”
What to do about assessments if we can’t out-design or out-run AI? (Danny Liu and Adam Bridgeman, University of Sydney, July 2023)
Are Your Students Ready for AI?: A Four-Step Framework to Prepare Learners for a ChatGPT World (Oguz A. Acar, Harvard Business Publishing, June 2023)
- A short read that’s practical and clear. The article argues that students will be using generative AI in their careers and outlines a framework on how to prepare them.
Advancing Meaningful Learning in the age of AI (Oregon State University Ecampus)
- This article reconsiders Bloom’s Taxonomy given the existence of AI.
AI-generated misinformation: 3 teachable skills to help address it (Jaigris Hodson, The Conversation, October 2023)
An introduction to prompting generative AI like ChatGPT for teaching and learning (Seb Dianati and Suman Laudari, The Times Higher Education | Inside Higher Education, August 2023)
Flowchart: Quick Start Guide for Using Artificial Intelligence (UBC)
- UBC adapted this flowchart from a UNESCO resource and is designed to help students approach AI use with academic integrity.

EdTech and TCDC also regularly offer professional learning opportunities on AI topics. Check the PD Events Calendar for current offerings.

As always, if you’re planning to integrate AI into your course, please be aware that:

There are privacy concerns with AI platforms. We recommend using caution when inputting – or having your students input – private, personal, or sensitive information (e.g. resumes or other identifying data).
For those using assistive technology such as screen readers, some AI platforms are more accessible than others. For more information, please see Accessibility of AI Interfaces by Langara Assistive Technologist, Luke McKnight.

If you would like more recommendations for AI resources, or any other AI-related support, please contact EdTech or TCDC.

Empowering Accessibility: Register to Join Our Upcoming Workshops

December 14, 2023March 18, 2024 Briana Fraser

EdTech is excited to announce a series of upcoming workshops dedicated to improving the accessibility of Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint presentations.

Why Accessibility Matters

What Our Workshops Offer

Who Should Attend

These workshops are for everyone! Whether you’re a content creator, an educator, or just someone looking to learn, these workshops are for you. No prior experience is required.

Let’s Make a Difference Together

Learning Lab: Create an Accessible Word Document

Date: January 19

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: C202

How to Create Accessible PowerPoint Slide Presentations

Date: January 26

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Location: Zoom

Learning Lab: Improve the Accessibility of Existing PowerPoint Slides

Date: February 16

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM