Course Syllabus

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Course Information:

Johnson County Community College

Connecting with Everyone - Accessibility at JCCC

Academic Support

Instructor Information:

  • Dr. Ed Lovitt – Director Educational Technology & Distance Learning

  • Phone: 913-469-2775

  • Office: LIB 375D

  • E-mail: elovitt@jccc.edu

Professional Development Training:

At JCCC the Information & Communication Technology Accessibility Committee (ICTA) and ADA Instructional Committee (AIC) are recommending the participation and completion of these training modules.

The Connecting with Everyone course will combine all the eight instructional modules found in the:

This course can be self-paced and is designed for individuals unable to attend the Face-to-Face sections. Staff and Employees who do not teach are welcome to learn more about Canvas and Accessibility in general.

Textbook:

All the required reading materials will be found inside the online course.

Course Caveats:

You will need reliable access to the Internet and a computer which you may set preferences for pop ups, security, java, and and other browser settings. Visit the Student Support site for help with username, password, and other technical issues. You may contact JCCC Technical Support Center to help you configure your computer, if need be. If your computer goes "in the shop," you'll need to get to class by alternative means (i.e., a friend's computer, a computer in one of JCCC's labs, etc).

You will need your JCCC Username and Password.

You will need a reliable word-processing program which can set margins, double space, and do other standard word-processing functions and save files in RTF (rich text format).

You may also want other software available through the Education Technology Center, depending upon how you would like to create your course materials. Some software that is available, but not required, includes Camtasia, and Microsoft Office 365, YuJa and Zoom.

Course Description:

The Connecting with Everyone course is composed of multiple micro-courses (modules) that will focus on a specific topic or software program. 

A major focus of the training is on identifying the course content in your Canvas course that may cause issues with your students with disabilities.  Once these issues are identified deciding upon a plan of action to update the files or course content.

Course Objectives:

Faculty and Staff who complete "Connecting with Everyone" should be able to:

  • Differentiate between access and accommodations.

  • Identify common technology barriers for people with disabilities.

  • Identify common types of assistive technology.

  • Differentiate laws and policies around accessibility in higher ed and accessible technology.

  • Acknowledge the benefits of Universal Design.

  • Identify the main principles of Universal Design for Learning.

  • Identify strategies that support Universal Design.

  • Identify the core principles that support accessible content creation.

  • Identify the purpose of page structure, alt text, descriptive hyperlinks in supporting accessibility.

  • Evaluate appropriate alt text for images.

  • Differentiate design decisions that support and hinder access.

  • Overview of how Ally can be used in Canvas

  • Review the Ally Instructor Feedback

  • Review the Ally Course Accessibility Report

  • Overview of how UDOIT can be used in Canvas

  • Review of how to access and run UDOIT Scan

  • Review the  results of the UDOIT Scan

  • Use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker and manual checks to identify accessibility errors in a document.

  • Working with Publisher Content.

  • Use and apply slide layout templates correctly.

  • Evaluate and adjust slide read order, if necessary.

  • Convert a scanned document to real, searchable text.

  • Use the Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Wizard or Accessibility Report and manual checks to identify accessibility errors in a document.

  • Identify if a video has accurate and properly formatted closed captions.

  • Identify which closed-captioning platforms are used based on video ownership.

  • Describe the difference between audio description, closed captions, and transcripts.

Course Evaluation and Grading Scale:

Of course there are no "grades" in our course, but any syllabus worth posting will at least note such an element. Still, we do have some graded items for you, so that you can see how Canvas works from the student perspective. If your department requires completion of this course, you must achieve a minimum of 80%  or  190 Points in the course!

Online Discussion:

We will have many opportunities for you to participate in online discussions. Discussions help students create a community and can facilitate critical thinking. Occasionally, we may ask you to post some text or document that you might use in your class; such an opportunity gives you a chance to share ideas with colleagues. We'll also be demonstrating how the peer rating and instructor scoring work from the student perspective in these lists. Also, these rating and scoring options are set by the instructor, so if you don't like one or the other--or neither--you won't have to use them. It is important to note that grades will never be posted publicly. You should note that in some cases you will not have permission to read postings made by your classmates until you post your own work. You'll also learn the different formatting you can expect from your students.

A Caveat about Discussions:

There are two different types of discussions in our course. The first type is rather straight forward, though not engaging for a group. Instead, in some discussions, you will post your text or file, and then you will select a peer's posting and respond carefully, thoughtfully, and fully to the draft. (Be sure to select a peer who has no response yet, unless you are responding in conversation or to multiple peers.) Clearly, you are not expected to read all of your classmates' postings. In some cases, we may have everyone enrolled in our online class postings in these "discussions." They are the equivalent of your facilitators collecting your writings and peer responses!

The second type of discussion is one in which we engage a question related to our lesson. These discussions are mostly run in small groups for two reasons. First, if the group is small, you can read all of the postings and keep track of the conversation. Second, many students find it more comfortable to be in small groups when exploring new ideas.

Please also note that this online course has a special circumstance; we have students who are only online, students who are in a face-to-face course, and students who attend both. And, we have no authority to require our students to participate (but we hope that you will!) . We also wish to demonstrate the varied discussion possibilities. Thus, we anticipate some discussions may become unwieldy because, for example, we'd like to demonstrate the post first function in Canvas. However, in your practice, we encourage management of discussions in direct consideration of the discussion objective(s).

Quizzes:

Quizzes are intended to help you master the course material. There are a variety of question types, including short answer occasionally.

Assignments:

We also have some assignment drop boxes for you to submit your work. Some of the drop boxes will enable peer review, meaning that you'll both be sharing your work and viewing the work of others. Try it out and see how it might work in your class, and don't forget to submit the assignment we asked for--peer feedback is often more helpful than first anticipated. You'll also learn the steps to upload work.

Assignment Points

Each Assignment, Quiz, and Discussion is worth 10 points, except where noted

Here are the anticipated points, which may be altered as needed throughout the course.

Total points possible = 240

Course Grade

  • 100 - 90% = A 215 – 240 Points
  • 89 - 80% = B 190 – 214 Points (Passing)
  • 79 - 70% = C 170 – 189 Points
  • 69 - 60% = D 144 – 169 Points
  • 59% and below = F 143 under

For a list of current assignments, please go to the course calendar.

Class Communication Guidelines for Correspondence

E-Mail

Course Mail:

We all know how much e-mail we may get in a day and how easy it can be to overlook a message; therefore, please communicate in Canvas. This policy also allows us to document our progress and to be sure everyone gets timely feedback rather than getting lost in a long in-box. Also, if you send your messages to all of the course faculty, then we can answer your questions just a little quicker. You may set your Course Mail preferences to forward to your personal e-mail account; however, you will not be able to reply to those messages from your personal account.

Finally, remember that course mail (and all e-mail) generates a permanent record of correspondence. Cornell University offers more guidelines for sending e-mail.

Netiquette:

We hope our online class is hospitable, but for it to be, consider working within these basic guidelines. First, assume the writer is writing with good intentions. We do not have the advantage of smiles, fretted eyebrows, or intonations in voices to interpret the words. Yet, we are often writing quickly. Hence, assume the best of the writers, and ask a question before responding with hostility. We often use emoticons because they do communicate tone better than the words on the screen. (Of course, we understand that emoticons are not appropriate in all situations.) Second, do not say anything online that you would not say in a face-to-face conversation. Third, assume that everything you do in the course is monitored because, well, it is.

Review the Core Rules of Netiquette by Virginia Shea. Please follow the link for each rule to read about it. http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html

Discussions and Class Conversations

We will have discussions in this course and you are expected to follow the netiquette guidelines and use conventional spelling, grammar, and punctuation when posting to these communication tools.

Getting your Questions about our Course Answered

When you Mail us through Course Mail:

You can expect to a response to your questions within 24 hours of the asking Monday through Friday. This means that if you post a question on Monday morning, you'll have an answer no later than Tuesday morning. Any questions posted after 3 PM on Fridays will be answered no later than the following Monday.

When you e-mail through the JCCC account:

You should use the Course Mail unless technical problems prevent you from accessing the course through Canvas and you have contacted the help desk in an effort to resolve the problem. Our JCCC e-mail addresses, in case you have problems in Canvas, are: Ed Lovitt: elovitt@jccc.edu

Canvas Live Office Hours:

We can schedule an online meeting using Canvas Live Office Hours. Mail us to schedule an online appointment.

When you call us:

The quickest way to get an answer is via Course Mail or by posting in the “I Need Help!” discussion forum. However, sometimes it's advantageous to speak to Ed Lovitt, ext. 2775

When you post in the “I Need Help!” Discussion Forum:

We encourage everyone to post questions in the “I Need Help!” forum. This list may grow quickly at the beginning of the semester until the routine of navigating the course is established. Also, if you know the answer to a question, please post the information! While you are posting, please remember the rules of netiquette.

What Students Can Expect from the Instructor

It is reasonable that students can expect:

  • to be assessed fairly and consistently with the Syllabus
  • to be treated with kindness and respect
  • to have access to your instructor (email, discussion boards, phone, meeting) with reasonably-prompt responses
  • to have well-prepared and logically organized online material
  • to have assignments graded and returned in a timely manner
  • to not give you or others unfair breaks that not offered to every other student.

INFORMATION ON STUDENT ACCESS AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

JCCC Student Handbook

Topics available for Student Code of Conduct, Social Networking Guidelines, College Emergency Response Plan, Grading System and Academic Policies. http://www.jccc.edu/student-resources/student-handbook.html 

Disabilities - ADA

If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact the Student Access Center. (913) 469-8500, ext. 3521 or TDD (913) 469-3885. The Access Services office is located in the Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center.

The Student Success Center will recommend any appropriate accommodations to your instructor and his/ her Academic Director. The instructor and Academic Director will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged. Students with disability or health-related problems that would require special attention during an emergency evacuation may file an Individualized Evacuation Statement (IES) through the office of Student Access. Assistance in completing the IES can be obtained in Student Access (253 Student Center)

You need to contact me via the JCCC email system if you need any special arrangements such as extra time on exams.

ADA Compliance: http://www.jccc.edu/about/leadership-governance/policies/accessibility-statement.html

Inclusivity/Alternative Formats

To help ensure you have access to your digital learning materials in formats that work for your different device and unique learning needs, a tool called Ally is available in Canvas. Ally focuses on making digital course content more accessible to all students. You will now be able to download course material in this course in the format that fits best with your learning needs. PDF, HTML, ePUB, electronic Braille, and audio versions are now available for most content items. Visit https://help.blackboard.com/Ally/Ally_for_LMS/Student for more information on the formats available as well as what each format offers. Should you have any questions or experience issues while using Ally, please contact Technical Support at techsupport@jccc.edu.

Student Code of Conduct – 319.01

Students enrolled at Johnson County Community College are expected to conduct themselves as responsible individuals at all times while participating in any course or college activity or event, and while representing the college either on or off campus. Students are subject to the policies and procedures of the college during their period of enrollment, and the college reserves the right to take disciplinary action in accordance with college policy 319.02-Student Disciplinary Action if in the judgment of the college a student has violated any provision of college policy 319.01-Student Code of Conduct or has not acted in the best interest of other students, faculty, staff, or the college as a whole. In addition, the college may refer a student conduct matter to appropriate authorities if determined necessary by the college.

Copyright & Ownership Notice

All course material (including our postings) is copyrighted. No one may download, make copies, or use large portions of course materials for profit or distribution without permission. (You may print course materials as needed for personal use.) Similarly, all work you create (including all course postings) is copyrighted by you. No one may make copies and/or distribute your work or use large portions of your work without your permission.

You may wish to read JCCC's explanation of Copyright. 

http://www.jccc.edu/about/leadership-governance/copyright/index.html 

Cheating or Plagiarism

No student shall engage in behavior that, in the judgment of the instructor of the class, may be construed as cheating. This may include, but is not limited to, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty such as the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic materials and/or distribution of these materials. This includes students who aid and abet, as well as those who attempt such behavior.

(Additional examples of cheating include unauthorized sharing of answers during an exam (including an online exam), use of unauthorized notes or study materials during an exam, altering an exam and resubmitting it for re-grading, having another student take an exam for you or submit assignments in your name, participating in unauthorized collaboration on coursework to be graded, providing false data for a research paper, using electronic equipment to transmit information to a third party to seek answers, or creating/citing false or fictitious references for a term paper. Submitting the same paper for multiple classes may also be considered cheating if not authorized by the instructors involved.

Examples of plagiarism include any attempt to take credit for work that is not your own, such as using direct quotes from an author without using quotation marks or indentation in the paper, paraphrasing work that is not your own without giving credit to the original source of the idea, or failing to properly cite all sources in the body of your work.) This includes use of complete or partial papers from Internet paper mills.

Note to couples, roommates, and siblings: you can study together, but you must submit your own, independent work. You cannot share a computer for submitting exams or assignments, nor can you use computers in close proximity in a lab. The only exception to this is use of the computers in the Testing Center. Canvas registers the IP address of the machine of each user. To avoid any suspicion of cheating, my advice is for one of you to enroll in another instructor's section of this class.

Student Privacy

Student Privacy Rights under the Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act, every student attending a post-secondary institution has a right to privacy. This act prohibits the release of information concerning a student’s grade, progress, etc., to anyone other than that student. Thus, grades are not posted on walls, discussed over the phone or sent via email A student can however, discuss his/her grade in private with the instructor on a face-to-face basis.

In support of FERPA requirements, all email class correspondence will be done via Canvas.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due