Accessibility considerations for live sessions

This is for staff at R(D)SVS.

Prepared by: Dr Louise Connelly, Digital Education Unit (Oct 2017, updated July 2020).

Live sessions (synchronous discussions) can be delivered via Collaborate. There are a variety of benefits and barriers of using live sessions.

Benefits include: community building, Q&A opportunity, guest lectures, interactive engagement etc.

Barriers: To ensure the sessions are accessible as well as pedagogically enhancing the academic content and providing a good student experience, the following are course design and accessibility considerations.

Dyslexia

Text only live sessions provide a barrier for some students to fully engage. See Woodfine et al. (2008).

Suggested solutions:

  • Provide lecture notes / slides in advance of the live session.
  • Allow time for typing / thinking.

Sight impairment

Text only live sessions provide a barrier for some students to fully engage. See Freire et al. (2010).

Suggested solutions:

  • Repeat questions typed into the text chat before answering them.
  • Recording of session.
  • If possible: Transcript provided afterwards, so that the student can use a screen reader.

Hearing impairment

Audio only sessions may not be accessible to students. See Slike et al. (2008); Long et al. (2011).

Suggested solutions:

  • Closed captioning (instant and recorded in Collaborate).
  • Transcript (difficult and time-consuming to produce).
  • Course design: to include a live session + handout / overview of the live session.
  • Full solution: to include a live session + handout / overview of the live session + close captioning / transcript.

Slow typing speed / unable to think quickly

Text only live sessions could be a barrier. See Durham University.

Suggested solutions:

  • Enable audio facilities.
  • Allow time for typing / thinking.
  • Design: session content to be provided in advance, so students can consider content.

ADHD

Using too many features / tools in Collaborate can be distracting.

Suggested solutions:

  • Minimise the amount of tools used in one session e.g. polls, screen share, white board writing, slides, etc.

Sense of presence / identity of the facilitator

Lack of community formation, lack of identity online, and impact on engagement (and attrition?) See PTES comments 2017.

Suggested solutions:

  • Video switched on (even to say hello).
  • Photograph of facilitator on first slide.
  • Profile pictures uploaded to Collaborate.
  • Photograph of facilitator on Learn course beside the link to the live session.

Training / Support

Course design is crucial for online / remote / hybrid distance learning courses, so that content and activities can be delivered to a diverse range of students with mixed abilities and preferences.

Synchronous sessions can be one of the areas which can be challenging to ensure accessibility. If this is not considered, it can become a barrier to learning. The following should be considered and support can be provided.

  • Is a live session the most appropriate form of delivery (fit for purpose)?
  • Should the style of the live session be considered / re-designed e.g. flipped classroom approach and/or shorter session?
  • Is the content accessible or is there other means for the student engage with the content e.g. lecture notes provided?
  • Are there specific requirements that need to be implemented to ensure content is accessible?

References

Durham University & Bournemouth University – Disabled students and synchronous communication tools in a VLE (link no longer available)

Freire, Andre P., Linhalis, Flavia, Bianchini, Sandro L., Fortes, Renata P. M., & Pimentel, Maria de Graca C. (2010). Revealing the Whiteboard to Blind Students: An Inclusive Approach to Provide Mediation in Synchronous E-Learning Activities. Computers & Education, 54(4), 866-876.

Long, Gary L., Marchetti, Carol, & Fasse, Richard. (2011). The Importance of Interaction for Academic Success in Online Courses with Hearing, Deaf, and Hard-of-Hearing Students. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(6), 1-19.

Slike, Samuel B., Berman, Pamela D., Kline, Travis, Rebilas, Kathryn, & Bosch, Erin. (2008). Providing Online Course Opportunities for Learners Who Are Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or Hearing. American Annals of the Deaf, 153(3), 304-308.

Woodfine, B. P., Nunes, M. Baptista, & Wright, D. J. (2008). Text-Based Synchronous E-Learning and Dyslexia: Not Necessarily the Perfect Match! Computers & Education, 50(3), 703-717.