Your Course Syllabus

1. Your Course Syllabus as an “Accessible Learning Tool”

2. 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 informationwith 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.

3. Develop Visual & Audio Entry Points Huh? That’s a lot to read and know: Where do I begin? • Technology • Where & how to participate • Preview 1st week • Set a task for Day #1 Provide audio or video element: • Human voice • Multiple learning routes Graphically map connections between: • outcomes & assignments • informal & formal tasks Incorporate sequential tasks leading to global requirementsto keeps in focus • Learning tasks to be done • Tasks completed • Pathways to learning • Aids both students & teachers

4. More Than Words More than words 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.

5. Develop a Learning Syllabus Send a “Welcome” email to the class before you meet: * Introduce yourself; incorporating a video is a good idea. * Name required books/supplies and placesto findthem. * Provide “how to get started” information for technology tools. • “Unlock” your syllabus: * Share an electronic syllabus students can rearrange. * Organize a learning syllabus with outcomes keyed to assignments, classroom climate linked to course policy, and all aligned to clear grading criteria & assignment timelines. Provide a learning context for university and course policies For example, with a plagiarism policy: * Acknowledge students will need to build communication skills. * Address “academic integrity” concept rather than list rules. * Acknowledge that no one is a native speaker of “academic."