Creating an Accessible Syllabus

Research related to the Universal Design for Learning https://udlguidelines.cast.org/ reminds us that creating accessible material is a win for all students. One of the access points that students may have to you and your course is the syllabus. The course syllabus communicates more than just due dates and contact information. You can set a tone of respect and inclusivity in your course by providing a syllabus that includes IU’s disability accommodation statement with a personalized touch and in an accessible and usable format.

The Accessible Syllabus Website: https://www.accessiblesyllabus.com provides examples, as well as advice to consider about how to present text, images, rhetoric, and policy in an inclusive manner. These approaches can also be used in the development of lectures and other course materials.

Additionally, the site embeds multiple resources within each topic area. For example, the section on Policy compares traditional and inclusive policy statements, discusses approaches to expanding deadlines, and addresses various types of grading practices.

Again, all approaches mentioned on this site may not work for your course; as inclusive teaching emphasizes that there is no one size fits all approach. The advice, as presented, may require modification to best support your teaching goals.

You can also find additional resources related to syllabi creation in this IU Expand course: https://iu.instructure.com/courses/1716451/pages/the-syllabus-a-must-have, and in this IU Pressbooks chapter: https://iu.pressbooks.pub/semesterchecklist/chapter/add-your-syllabus/

Pre-Course Survey

One way to improve engagement with your students is to learn more about them. A precourse survey is one way to help develop a connection with your students, and get to know them beyond what is shared in an introduction discussion.

What do you want to know about them?

Diligent student in college with classmates, taking notes of teacher lecture.

A survey can help you conduct a needs assessment about where your students are at in terms of prior knowledge, demographics, mindset, learning preferences, goals, content confidence level, preferred feedback style, and/or access to technology.  Because this takes place “behind the scenes” and is only shared with the instructor, rather than in a public discussion forum, you may be more likely to receive candid responses.

What strategies and skills will students need and/or develop in your course?

These kinds of questions can help students flex metacognitive skills and become more aware of their learning habits. As an instructor, this can help you provide more specific feedback on student work, suggesting similar strategies and stretch goals.

• Reflection on Strategies: Metacognitive reflection questions ask how students get things done. Do you take marginal notes or highlight as you read? What conditions do you need to do your best work?

• Planning Ahead: Beyond what has worked for students in the past, you might ask about strategies they will use specifically in this class. What times each week do you have earmarked to work on this course?

• Setting Goals:You might ask them to review the learning objectives, asking what they will commit to accomplishing. And beyond the learning objectives for the course, are there other skills or competencies they plan to work on in the course? Do they have any suggestions for the instructor about strategies for helping meet those goals?

During the first week of your course

Providing students with an opportunity to quiz themselves not on the course topic but on the course itself–how to get started in the course, how to navigate the course, what the course should help students accomplish, and how the course is structured–can help instructors send fewer emails saying, “It’s in the syllabus!”

Given multiple choice or true/false question types, these kinds of pre-course surveys can be automatically scored. Don’t forget to compose feedback for incorrect responses and allow multiple attempts!

What tools are available?

IU supports the Qualtrics survey tool and Canvas includes a dashboard feature that allows instructors to create a type of quiz called ‘ungraded’ that can be used as a survey. In Canvas, once the survey, or ‘ungraded quiz,’ is published online, students can login to their Canvas course page and participate. IU also has access to Google Forms and Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Forms are Available in the Channel and Chat features) for quick survey and quiz creation.

If you’d like support implementing a pre-course survey or questionnaire in your online class, or in any other aspects of teaching and learning, please contact me at your earliest convenience with your availability.