Accessibility in Action: Practical Strategies for Inclusive Teaching
Miriam Markum and Katie Healey
Thursday, September 12th, 2024
10:00-10:45 am
Description
Accessibility is crucial for ensuring all students can fully engage with course materials. In this session, we will explore why accessibility matters, focusing on the diverse needs of students, including those with disabilities and English language learners.
We will also introduce several high-impact strategies and tools designed to improve accessibility. Learn how to use SensusAccess on Canvas to convert documents into accessible formats and explore auto-captioning services, such as Otter.ai and Verbit, to make video content accessible. Additionally, discover the potential of Generative AI (GenAI) in creating inclusive educational environments. These tools not only support students with documented disabilities but also enhance learning for a broader student population.
Participants will be provided with detailed guides on implementing these tools and directed to further resources for continued learning. Participants will also be invited to contribute their own successful tools and strategies to a shared collaborative document. This session aims to equip instructors with practical solutions to make their courses more inclusive and accessible, fostering a supportive learning environment for all students.
Access the presentation slides (PDF)
Access the Accessibility Collaborative Resource Guide (PDF)
Access the Accessibility Collaborative Resource Guide (Google Doc)
About the Presenters
Dr. Miriam Markum (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Microbiology and Molecular Genetics Department. She got her first taste of teaching as an undergraduate teaching assistant (TA) at the University of Oregon. She subsequently developed her teaching skill, first as a graduate TA at Indiana University, Bloomington, and then as an adjunct faculty member at community colleges in the Sacramento Area, prior to teaching at UC Davis. Through these experiences, she has developed more awareness of challenges that students may face and an appreciation for their determination to learn. She has implemented a variety of approaches to make her courses more accessible, and is eager to share them with the teaching and learning community and learn of more. Her scholarly activity is focused on student-centered instructional practices that promote learning, such as collaborative assessment and teaching with undergraduate Learning Assistants.
Dr. Katie Healey (she/her) is the Education Specialist for Hybrid/Online Pedagogies with the Center for Educational Effectiveness at UC Davis. A Sacramento native, she earned her PhD from Yale University in the Program for the History of Science and Medicine in 2019. Her research examines the intersections of disability, deception, and technology during twentieth-century warfare. She was Visiting Assistant Professor in the department of Science, Technology, and Society at Rochester Institute of Technology from 2019-2021, where she taught courses in environmental studies; science, technology, and gender; biomedical issues and epidemic disease; and social consequences of technology.
She is a champion of Universal Design for Learning, an instructional framework that reduces educational barriers for all students through flexible instruction and assessment. She is excited to collaborate with instructors on accessible and equitable instruction and is dedicated to promoting a more inclusive academy.
