Accommodating Students with Disabilities in the Online Education Initiative (OEI)

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1 Accommodating Students with Disabilities in the Online Education Initiative (OEI) The California Community Colleges Online Education Initiative is an effort to create a consortium of colleges through which an exchange of online courses and educational resources will be provided for students and faculty, in order to increase the successful completion of degree and transfer programs. Overview For serving students with disabilities within the OEI, there are two basic areas of concerns: the accessibility of the digital technological infrastructure, or digital ecosystem, and the accessibility of instructional content, including full interactivity with media and interpersonal communications technologies that occur within the digital ecosystem. The intention is to avoid needing individual accommodations by ensuring maximum accessibility and usability of instructional content and communications/interaction resources from the onset. However, it is impossible to foresee every possible usage need that might arise, and there needs to be a plan for accommodating students within the OEI. This plan needs to address all of the pertinent aspects of the DSPS process to ensure proper support is provided for OEI students. Following is a simplified listing of the basic DSPS business process: 1. Student identifies themselves as a disabled student to faculty and/or DSPS 2. Student requests an accommodation 3. Verification of disability must occur 4. Determination of appropriate accommodation is made 5. Accommodation is put into place, communicating with relevant faculty as necessary 6. Monitor accommodation and report amount of student contact throughout term. The purpose of this document is to examine the details and requirements associated with the above business needs, in order to ensure appropriate student support is effectively provided within the OEI while avoiding undue stress and sustainability issues for local DSPS departments. Digital Ecosystem A central concept of the OEI is to have an extensible digital ecosystem that is comprised of a common course management system and an assortment of services (portlets) that individual campuses may or may not choose to offer to their students. Throughout this assortment of digital ecosystem services, an awareness and sensitivity to the student perspective and technological context must be maintained in order to provide an optimal experience for learning. The goal is for the overarching interface and information architecture to not be cognitively overwhelming, but rather streamlined and responsive, with relevant information close at hand based on the given activity or digital context. Matching Data and User Supporting the need for individual accommodations in this digital ecosystem will involve expanding on the concepts of responsive design to create an environment where user preferences and technology Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 1

2 options (including accommodations) can be represented by an array of system variables. Effective implementation of meta-data schemas within the digital instructional materials will allow for automatic organization and delivery of appropriate resources based on the individual student's preferences and needs. In this way, the needs of the student are used to automatically coordinate the delivery of appropriate digital media and facilitate effective interactions between the student, the instructional technology, and all of the humans involved in the educational process, regardless of different abilities and disabilities. Streamlined, Transparent, and Effective The basic process for accommodating students within the OEI must be automated as much as possible, and be transparent in terms of who is responsible for providing the accommodation, who is the contact person to deal with issues/complaints/commendations of excellence, etc., and providing answers to questions on the status of any requested accommodation (pending, in process, completed, and according to who)? Automated logging, reporting, and focused analytics of student contact and services provided will help facilitate local MIS reporting as well as providing essential data for understanding metrics on success of students with disabilities. Possible Business Need Scenarios to Consider There are many issues to consider in providing accommodations within the OEI. The following list represents an initial effort to begin identifying business needs that require clarification and/or development: Common level of DSPS services regardless of specific campus, memorialized in consortium-level agreement (students must receive consistent services across the OEI!) Intake processes Identification of students with disabilities Ability for DSPS departments from different campuses to see an aggregate record of student data, detailing all accommodations and requests for service Understanding of user-preference options that support accessibility within the digital ecosystem Understanding of CMS accommodation options Determination of appropriate and effective accommodations in the OEI Digital Ecosystem Dealing with Learning Disabilities in the OEI Unexpected need for accommodations mid-stream in a course Unsatisfactory accommodation or experience - complaint and resolution process Provision of local services related to accommodation or required course activities (proctoring, sighted assistance with computer technology, specialized tutoring, or equipment-specific services such as 3-D printing) OEI Accessibility and Accommodations Support and Resolution assistance (funding, instructional design help, emergency council of access experts, instructional designers, and alternate media specialists?) Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 2

3 There are doubtlessly more issues that will arise upon further examination. The nexus of Education Planning and Online Education will also provide an opportune means for identifying DSPS students, and for allowing students to gain more information about services, advocacy, and other factors that could be relevant to succeeding with a disability in online education. Business Need: Common level of services, unity in agreeing to level of accommodations (students must receive consistent level of quality in DSPS services across the OEI) An agreement to establish common standards of quality, policy, and process must be shared by all OEI DSPS departments. This agreement should include, but not be limited to, details pertaining to the following concerns identified in this document. Business Need: Intake Process General questions that come to mind surrounding intake processes: If a DSPS student signs up for a course in the OEI exchange, do they automatically get flagged as a student with a disability in the ecosystem? Who can see this status (student, teacher, staff, analytics, etc.)? If a student is taking courses from multiple teaching colleges and an accommodation is requested at a certain teaching college, should the same accommodations be requested for all of the courses- including at other teaching colleges, or can the student select which courses they want the accommodation for? Can there be reciprocity for release of information and verification of disability within the CCC system? Does there need to be any adjustment to the amount of support provided to a campus for each of the disability categories in the context of providing online services for the OEI? (is the nature of accommodating online students more difficult/expensive?) Once a student has been identified as having a disability, how long does this status stay intact? Is there a need for periodic review, or validation of status? If a student utilizes a lot of the "access" features within the digital ecosystem but is not identified as a student with a disability, should the CCMS recognize them as potentially being disabled and present them with information about requesting disability services? (Is it contrary to our due diligence to ignore a situation with a student who is exhibiting signs of being disabled, based on analytical data and behavior?) Will we have an intake process where a student completes the process independently, and then awaits for approval, or will there be a requirement for synchronous consultation with a DSPS counselor or director, or a mixture of both? Will there need to be special hardware to participate in the OEI DSPS process and receive services, such as a webcam, headset, etc.? What is the equivalent of a digital curb-cut vs. a digital wheelchair, when Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 3

4 determining minimum technological specifications for online education? Do we say that people can't access the OEI if they are relying on a cellphone, tablet, or other "non-computer" for online access? Basic Intake Support Needs Multiple opportunities must be available for a student to self-identify throughout the duration of a course. Development of a Student Services "portlet" for intake, tailored for both student and DSPS Staff needs. Include a module in the readiness for online learning WORLD pilot. Consistent placement of information for obtaining information and support must be provided throughout the ecosystem, including within each extensible service. A completely online process for intake needs to be created and established within the CCMS, and at each of the pilot colleges. This process needs to be consistent across all participating colleges, to avoid confusion and frustration in addition to disrupting essential components of the intake process at different colleges. Idea to address intake process awareness and facilitate verification: Develop a module within the CCMS (local CMS for pilot colleges) for students and DSPS Directors to independently work through the process of: learning about different DSPS services that are available and how to request them identifying themselves as a student with a disability describing their disability coordinating releases of information for verification of disability (secure login and tutorial for doctors' office staff on what is needed and how to submit it) addressing any issues with quality of service. Certain options and information could be visible if the student's disability made it a relevant concern. Links to resources and community organizations that might be of assistance could also be provided, based on the student's data and need (strengthening partnerships in the brick and mortar world through virtual connections and collaboration for the sake of better service to students with disabilities). Business Need: Identification of OEI Students with Disabilities Students should be able to identify themselves as a student with a disability, and be directed to the correct office through various means built into the OEI digital ecosystem: Create a "Master" Accessibility page for the OEI, detailing information about accessibility, requesting accommodations, notifying someone about inaccessible content, explanation of policies and procedures, and tutorials for various aspects of getting help with disability issues within the OEI Reference to master Accessibility page within each course syllabus and beginning of each course shell. Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 4

5 Within the Student Passport panel (portlet) - an option to request services or assistance Create a section for DSPS intake inside the WORLD module Create a connection within the tutoring environment (also, look at analytics and counseling nexus with tutoring for diagnosing learning disabilities, and automating the delivery of services for students with learning disabilities) Identification of disabled status needs to be possible throughout a course, and receive emergency priority attention. What happens after a student has identified themselves as disabled? The DSPS intake process... Information for students with disabilities that explains the policies and procedures for identifying as a disabled student, what you can expect in the way of services, and how to request accommodations, is linked within the student passport panel. This information can be automatically delivered to students who request help as an auto-response message to their first time asking for help at each teaching college, so that appropriate and college-specific guidance is provided for each course/campus. Business Need: Analytics for automated reporting, student satisfaction, accommodation effectiveness, and student intervention Implement features and capabilities of analytics system to automate reporting and linkages between grant programs. As part of the analytics framework, include a means of gathering student satisfaction ratings throughout the educational process. Enable the students to provide an evaluation of discreet components of the process such as the LMS module, the content, the instructor interaction, etc. Obtaining detailed data on student interactions with digital content and their behavior while interacting within the digital ecosystem will allow for the identification and development of data that represents a student's key factors for success. Using this data, the OEI can examine ways to facilitate the automatic provision of certain resources based on a student's behavior, and help increase student success. Included within the analytic framework shall be a metric for determining the effectiveness of any given accommodation, taking into account other variables of student success. This is in support of a larger effort to increase the success of traditionally under-represented students. We need to understand more about the student context, in isolation and in conjunction with provided services and accommodations. Deliberate and thoughtful usage of this analytic capability gives us a tremendous opportunity to define best practices and increase disabled student success in online education. Ultimately, the cumulative results of this analytic endeavor will allow us to better understand the critical points in a student's educational career. These points are where an intervention of appropriate resources can help a student master whatever challenges they are facing at that point, and be the difference between success and failure. Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 5

6 Business Need: Ability for DSPS departments from different campuses to see an aggregate record of students showing all accommodations and requests for service Automatic reciprocity of verification of disability must be established between all teaching colleges. When student agrees to receive services, they agree to each DSPS department being able to access common disability record profile. Faculty cannot see information that is not related to accommodations for their course. Student can see when DSPS staff or faculty access their file (timestamp). Business Need: Understanding of user-preference options that support accessibility DSPS Directors will need to become familiar with the panel for user preferences that support accessibility for all OEI students (once it is developed- and there needs to be some DSPS Director input into the development process). Develop a training module for independent mastery of user preference settings to enhance accessibility. Business Need: Understanding of CMS accommodation options DSPS Directors will need to be familiar with the options for their CMS in terms of facilitating accommodations. DSPS Directors will need to be able to verify that appropriate settings are in place within the CMS. Business Need: Determination of appropriate and effective accommodations The typical process for determining effective accommodations involves assessing the student disability, assessing the student capabilities and skills with assistive technology, and then matching appropriate services to address the issues of the disability. This process requires a sophisticated understanding of the requisite skills and abilities for any technology or service that might be provided to the student, as well as an understanding of the specific manner the accommodation will be employed as part of the education process. This core capability must be expanded to include the context of online education within the OEI. An inventory of typical accommodations provided to students of different disability populations in a campus setting needs to be explored, and then considered in the context of online education and the OEI. An accurate assessment of the student's capabilities to utilize certain technologies will also be required to provide appropriate accommodations. It might be beneficial to establish certain functional criteria for end users of assistive technology in addition to the basic computer skill assessment of the OEI WORLD modules, and then a baseline would exist to define minimal competencies for participating in an online class. Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 6

7 Issues of student preference vs. effectiveness of prescribed accommodation should be considered in the context of online education, and policy should be developed to address this inevitability with appropriate guidance. In order to provide effective and appropriate accommodations within the OEI, the DSPS Director will need to understand the options for configuring the OEI digital ecosystem and the range of available accommodation supports available, so that each student can be provided with a solution they can actually use as part of the educational process, and not create undue cognitive load or distraction. DSPS Directors will need to be able to: understand what should be "NORMAL" for OEI instructional materials and ecosystem in terms of accessibility understand what services are available for students within the OEI as accommodations (time for tests, number of attempts, etc.) get an accurate report and understanding of who the student is and what they are requesting differentiate between services and technology that are the student's responsibility as opposed to the OEI It will be essential to interact with DSPS Directors and determine what they recommend in the way of features and services of the CCMS, in order to assist them in managing accommodations and the related information available within the OEI. Business Need: Dealing with Learning Disabilities in the OEI The impact of print-based learning disabilities is still an emerging issue in terms of defining standards for creation of digital content. The development of the OEI digital ecosystem provides a unique opportunity to provide support for students with learning disabilities in a way that has never been done previously. Addressing the range of issues surrounding learning disabilities and how to address them with computer software is a subject that has already been addressed by the High Tech Center Training Unit under the direction of Carl Brown, with the Selecting Software for Students with Learning Disabilities project ( Expanding on this work to include design guidelines for creating digital content, technical specifications for rendering digital content, and functional performance criteria for the OEI digital ecosystem, could be a critical factor in boosting the success of a major student population that has been traditionally underrepresented in the ranks of successful online learners. In addition to benefiting students with learning disabilities, this work would also help support the students dealing with basic skills, as well as workforce students. Business Need: Unexpected Identification and Need for Accommodation Mid- Stream in a Course Faculty should be notified as well as DSPS, and if necessary, any Academic Emergency Response team we have available (See final business need). Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 7

8 Delivery of intake information and enrollment process instructions can be automatically invoked upon student providing notice of their desire for accommodation/service. DSPS Director and Faculty are both ed HIGH PRIORITY message advising of situation and need for timely response, with OEI Access Resolution contact information also provided. Student verifies receipt of information, (they are also confronted with notification each time they login to the system, until they complete the intake process, verify that the information has been received, and indicate that the accommodation is in place). Business Need: Unsatisfactory Accommodation or Discrimination Experience - Complaint and Resolution Local campus process for resolving complaints must adhere to a common norm in terms of timeliness and ease of initializing. Students need to understand the nature of accommodations coming from different colleges, but not be bothered with the logistics. When they have an issue with a course, the CID needs to be the determining factor to ensure communications are routed to the proper institution. Automatic invocation of student remediation process in the event of an unsatisfactory rating on any service. Working in coordination with teaching college (or/and service college), with a human being calling/ ing to find out what went wrong, what can be done, and make sure the student feels heard and respected in addition to getting proper resolution. Business Need: Provision of Local Services Related to Accommodation The following services will need to be aligned with the OEI context: Provision of accessible proctoring service Provision of accessible computer lab Provision of LD testing Provision of specialized equipment to render accommodations, such as 3D printer, Braille Embosser, Thermoform, etc. Potential drop point for physical documentation and equipment checkout Provision/coordination of Scribe, Reader, Interpreter, sighted computer assistance, or other assistance to remedy an unexpected failure of access in a learning activity or instructional material. Business Need: OEI Accessibility and Accommodations Support and Resolution assistance (funding, instructional design help, emergency council of access experts and alternate media specialists - or, The Academic Emergency Response Team) In the event a local campus DSPS is not able to live up to the challenge of providing accommodations, what are the centralized services and support available from the OEI? Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 8

9 In the unlikely event that a campus DSPS department invokes the litigious wrath of a student, what can be done to protect the OEI? Network of Service Colleges EXPLORE: Concept of facilitating a means for participation in the OEI as a "Service College", wherein these colleges provide resources and expertise as part of a system-wide network of vetted experts. In exchange for their services, CCCCO amends existing reporting and compensation process to facilitate granting MIS credit (or other compensation) to colleges supporting the OEI. In event of geographic proximity forcing a college to be a focal point for delivery of services, the above scenario could be used to entice them to participate. If participation is not optional (?due to legal mandates based on geographic proximity?), then the above scenario would simply be the means of keeping books and making sure appropriate compensation is provided for services rendered. Preliminary Draft in Progress - Jayme Johnson pg. 9