Pizza? No, Piazza!
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
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It’s not just about the Nutella: Building a partnership between learning designer and instructor
One of my favorite parts of being a learning designer is working with instructors. It’s not only a chance to create a new course with ideas, but it’s an opportunity for a new work partnership. The idea-sharing, the collaborative work, and even the thrill of reaching a goal too close to a deadline are enriching.
Here are a few tips I’ve gathered over the years on building partnerships among designers and instructors:
Considering Vygotsky in Relation to Course Design
Many of our online courses feature discussion activities and group work, but could they be designed to be more beneficial to students? Yep. Try adding a little Vygotskian theory to your diet.
Beach Reading: Best Blogs for Online Learning
Credit: Michael Mol via Flickr
The sound of waves crashing onto the shore…
The feeling of wind blowing through your hair…
The crisp taste of a refreshing beverage as you sit in the hot sun…
And a list of e-learning blogs to add to your news feed….
What Do You See?
The probability of encountering a student with color deficiency (color blindness) in your online course is higher than you might think. By following accessibility best practices you can eliminate potential issues with image interpretation from the start. However, what about images from outside sources that you require the student to analyze? Are there strategies that you can employ to assist a student with color deficiency? The answer is “yes.”
Maps You Can Hear and Touch
As I was considering the topic for this month’s accessibility blog, I came across a great article, “Maps That You Can Hear and Touch” by Laura Bliss. Given the College’s emphasis on STEM material and use of all types of maps (GIS maps, Geography maps, weather maps, etc), and the University’s growing interest in 3D printing, I thought this would be the perfect topic.
Accessibility: Using Headings on Your Webpages
Please note that using proper headings is one of the MOST IMPORTANT tools for screen reader users.
Making your Videos, Narrated Screen Captures and Audio Files Accessible
Videos, narrated screen captures, and audio files need three things to be accessible to all students.
- transcripts
- notes before the video referencing the topic and length of the video
- closed captions
If you have NOT created the content yourself and the original author has not included accurate captions, a transcript will suffice. NOTE: You can NOT rely on YouTube automatic captions.
Visual Recording on the iPad
This is a great video that shows different tools that help you to do visual recording on the iPad. Her visual recording style is interesting and engaging, too! If you want to put together a quick and dirty demonstration of a topic, thoughts around an example, or cartoon-like demonstration for your class, this is an excellent place to start.
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