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What you will study

On this postgraduate microcredential, you’ll learn how to make online teaching accessible and plan, design, and deliver inclusive learning and teaching online. Over 12 weeks, you’ll cover the following topics.

• Online learning experiences of students with disabilities (diverse stories, benefits and challenges of learning online)
• Understanding accessibility, including definitions, models, rationale and what this means in practice
• How assistive technologies are used in online learning
• Current trends and innovations in assistive technologies
• Making common forms of learning material accessible
• Strategies of inclusive and universal design for learning
• Making online learning activities and assessments accessible
• Fulfilling our responsibilities, covering laws, policies and expectations in online accessibility
• Evaluating the accessibility of websites, platforms and tools
• Working with students – needs assessment and gathering and responding to accessibility feedback
• Institutional approaches to ensure online learning accessibility, including – roles, responsibilities and stakeholders

You will learn

By the end of your learning, you’ll be able to:

• design accessible learning materials and activities for online learning
• evaluate the accessibility of websites, online platforms, and interactive tools
• reflect on the common challenges and benefits that students with disabilities find with online learning
• synthesise understanding of innovations in assistive technology to support learners in new and effective ways
• lead and develop effective processes to achieve accessibility in educational institutions that meet legal and policy requirements.

Skills you will gain

• Understand disabled student experiences
• Choosing platforms and tools
• Developing policies and processes for accessibility
• Evaluating accessibility
• Understand and apply Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• Making accessible online activities and assessments
• Assistive technologies
• Respond to accessibility feedback
• Making accessible learning materials
• Developing institutional approaches

Vocational relevance

The course will benefit anyone working in or looking to work in universities, colleges, further education, and workplace learning settings. It will enhance the employability of teachers, trainers, lecturers, learning designers, education technologists and specialists, heads of departments, and institution leaders and managers. The course is also highly relevant to those responsible for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in their department or institution.

Created by leading experts and practitioners from ¿ìèÊÓƵ

• Dr Leigh-Anne Perryman leads the OU’s Masters in Online Teaching programme. Her research explores the relationship between equity, social justice, online teaching and open pedagogies.
• Kate Lister is a global expert in accessibility, inclusive pedagogy and mental health. She managed inclusive practice at the OU and co-led Advance HE’s Mental Health in the Curriculum project. She actively contributed to the OU’s Student Mental Health Working Group and the Mental Health Research Group, as well as chairing the Open and Inclusive Special Interest Group and cross-faculty Accessibility Working Group.
• Dr Simon Ball is an OU tutor and consultant researcher, specialising in inclusive online learning, educational technologies and accessibility.
• Dr Tim Coughlan is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Technology at the OU, researching the design and evaluation of technologies for inclusion, participation and accessibility in learning.
• Dr Ian Kenny is a visiting fellow at the OU with an interest in assistive technology and real-world applications of machine learning.

Teaching and assessment

Assessment

You’ll take part in weekly tasks and discussions with co-learners to support and consolidate your learning. Towards the end of the course, you’ll submit a project or assessment demonstrating the skills you’ve acquired. This will be marked and graded by subject matter experts and make up 100% of your final mark.

Study support

• Learn 100% online on the OU’s learning platform with a mix of video, audio and written materials
• Engage in interactive learning through self-assessment questions, polls, tasks and reflection
• Share ideas and experiences in discussion with other learners, building skills, confidence and knowledge
• Receive support from mentors who guide discussions and answer questions
• Study at a time that suits you with the flexibility to access the course from your desktop, tablet or mobile device

What you will gain

15 UK credits at postgraduate level from ¿ìèÊÓƵ*. Academic credits are awarded on passing the final assessment. These will be at postgraduate level 7 of the Framework for Higher Education (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) / level 11 of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework.

*Academic credit may be used towards selected OU qualifications. For more details, including eligible qualifications, visit Counting microcredentials towards OU qualifications. The credit awarded may also be used at another university, subject to the agreement of the receiving institution.