Education for a Digital World Advice, Guidelines and Effective Practice from Around Globe, 2008a

11 – Accessibility and Universal Design
asset they would prefer to submit or how to best show
their knowledge or skills. This last idea exemplifies the
principle of “multiple means of expression.”
Individuals
When asking individual students to demonstrate knowledge,
skills, and/or attitudes using online mechanisms, it
is important to determine to what degree of difficulty
you are asking the students to achieve the objectives.
There are numerous websites that list the different levels
of difficulty related to the three learning domains: Cognitive
(knowledge), Psychomotor (skills), and Affective
(attitudes) (see description of learning domains and
degrees of difficulty http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark
/hrd/bloom.html). Once you determine what you want
students to do, then you can determine how they will
demonstrate it. This book contains more information
about student activity (Chapter 20, Instructional Strategies)
and assessment (Chapter 14, Assessment and Evaluation).
The first step is to identify alternatives that are
equivalent. Taking a multiple choice test does not usually
demonstrate the same level of proficiency as writing
an essay or performing a task in front of a video camera
for evaluation later. Therefore, take a close look at the
learning objectives, and then make a list of different
ways that students could achieve those objectives. Consider
the following example objective, “Students will
translate Hamlet’s famous ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy
into modern English (with or without slang).” Equivalent
online assessment alternatives might include writing
a translation in a discussion forum, posting a
translation as an attachment, making an online presentation
using Skype or other synchronous conference
tool, making and posting an audio recording of the student
reading their translation, or making and posting a
video presentation. The same evaluation guidelines or
rubric could be used to evaluate each one. Hypothetically,
then, students could choose how they want to
show their ability to translate the soliloquy. This accommodates
students with disabilities as well as students
with different learning preferences. It also creates
an avenue to engage students at a higher level, which is
described in depth below.
Of course, you will find that certain alternatives may
be less equitable. For example, technologies like video
cameras and video editing software could be equally
difficult to use due to limited access, unequal proficiency
levels, or physical disabilities. This does not mean that
you have to immediately remove it from the list of options.
However, it might require that you identify a lab
that checks out cameras to students and that has computers
with video editing applications. Another option
might be to have students work in small groups, so they
can give each other feedback, share technology resources,
and help each other with the technology skills
that are not part of your course objectives. For an assessment
strategy to be universally accessible, students
must be able to attempt each alternative, so you may
need to limit the options to those that you know all students
can try if they wish.
Even within a standardized test format, there may be
ways to offer options to students. In a face-to-face environment
there are ways to accommodate different needs
without giving test answers to the student. For example,
on a test requiring students to identify the different
bones in the skull, the instructor can provide a threedimensional
model of a skull for a blind student to use
instead of a flat image (see Figure 11.1 below). The same
option is possible for an online test, but it would still
require the student to have the model skull at an online
testing location.
Figure 11.1 Test format options
2-dimensional skull diagram
3-dimensional skull model
As stated earlier in this section, activities that involve
specialized software or online environments should be
tested for accessibility and assessed related to how many
students have access to the software or environment
itself. However, many of the tools go beyond the simple
process of creating and automatically grading test questions.
Learning Management Systems (described in
Chapter 7, Learning Management Systems) offer a variety
of testing options, such as creating separate versions
of a timed test to accommodate students who need extra
time for exams. The Biology Success! Teaching Diverse
Education for a Digital World 151