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Christopher Douce

Accessibility: AL Professional Development

Friday, 29 Nov 2024, 09:15
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Edited by Christopher Douce, Monday, 2 Dec 2024, 16:48

On 24 April 2024 I attended an AL professional development event that was all about accessibility. What follows is a short blog summary of the event, sharing some of the key points that I found of interest. I’ve written this summary as a part of an eSTEeM writing project, which has the aim of providing useful help and guidance to tutors.

Twenty Tips for more Accessible AL practice

This first session was facilitated by Simon Ball, Associate Lecturer for the faculties of WELS and STEM. The sub-heading for his session was: quick wins and essential adaptations. Simon worked for the Jisc TechDis accessibility service. For a while, we worked together, tutoring a module about accessible online teaching.

He also made the point to me that there is a lot of detail that lies underneath each of his tips, which I’ve tried to summarise concisely as I can:

1: Set up documents. When you create, use, and share documents, always use the Word in-built headings. This makes them navigable for users of assistive technologies, such as screen readers. Plus, it makes documents easier to work with then they get bigger.

2: Images - Inline or floating? Make sure that images, tables, charts, or anything else are embed within Word document ‘inline’ rather than floating. This makes sure that the navigability of a document is clearer. You can check this using the Word Accessibility checker.

3: Punctuate bullet points. Add a full stop at the end of a bullet point. This adds a pause and will make documents more understandable if read through a screen reader.

4: Don’t convey information by visual means alone. In other words, don’t use colour to convey information. If you find that colours are useful in a diagram to share information, make sure that the information presented in the diagram is shared in another way. Screen readers won’t be able to pick up on colours.

5: Avoid relative instructions. Simply put, to use Simon’s words, ‘avoid using only phrases like ‘the box on the right’ or ‘at the bottom of the page’ as learners using a screen reader will not have a clue what is on the right or at the bottom’. This applies to both documents, and to instructions shared within tutorials.

6: Choose accessible fonts. Use sans-serif fonts, and ‘never use smaller than 12 point (RNIB recommends 14 point), or 20 point on slides’.

7: Avoid footnotes. The add complexity when trying to navigate through a document. Simon shares a clear option that they should only be used ‘for providing supplementary information that isn’t essential to the reader, so they can safely be ignored without material loss’.

8: Avoid obliques. In other words, avoid slashes, such as ‘and/or’, since this can cause screen readers to read them as ‘and slash or’. If you can, try to ‘phrase the sentence without the oblique’. It is obviously okay to use them within web addresses and within the subjects that specifically use them.

9: Alt text. Provide alt text, or alternative textual descriptions; ‘all images or graphics that contain useful information (as opposed to purely decorative images) must have alternative text (alt text)’. Give only the essential information that is needed.

10: Set up tables carefully. If you can, do prioritise rows over columns since a screen reader will read a row at a time.

11: Avoid adding textboxes. There is a simple reason for this: they are not read by screen readers. Even if a screen reader did read them, the reading order would be ambiguous.

12: Colour contrast. To ensure readability there must be a good level of contrast between foreground and background colours.. The following specific guidance is offered: ‘for body text you need a ratio of >7 to 1; for headings or isolated words you need a ratio of >4.5 to 1.’ To help, there are some useful free tools available.

13: Make feedback usable. Tell students how they can find on script comments; ‘say where it can be found, and what colour it is’ also invite feedback from students about whether the approach you use is accessible. Give dates of next events and TMA cut off dates, and provide explanations if a student has not gained full marks. Don’t say “9 out of 10, very good”, say something about what needed to be done to get the final mark.

14: Inclusive feedback. Ensure that feedback is ‘directive, constructive and clear’ whilst avoiding ‘metaphors or colloquialisms’. Offer helpful examples. Always consider how your feedback can be read.

15: Keep in touch with students. Keep an eye on which students have disability marker – ask your student about their specific needs, and be driven by them. Check in before assignments. A key point that Simon shared was that the personal touch cannot be overstated.

16: Synchronous sessions (lectures and tutorials). Give each slide a title and a number. Consider using the camera, but do check on student needs and bandwidth. Use anonymous activities such as polls, and encourage the use of raised hands. If you are making a recording do dedicate some time for some unrecorded Q&A discussions at the end of a session. Finally, consider sharing slides before a tutorial.

17: Breakout rooms. Breakout rooms are difficult. Make sure you practice before running a session that has a breakout room. Make sure that students are clear about what is going to happen before moving them into a breakout room. Ensure that there is a helpful slide that describes the task within each room. Allow time; some students may be using assistive technology. Check to make sure there are no sound issues. Give a clear warning before brining students back to a plenary room.

18: Supporting deaf students in synchronous sessions. Allow time for an interpreter to convey messages to and from a student. Ensure that your webcam is on and the pod or window that is used is as large as practically possible; this is to facilitate lip reading. Be sure to summarise any questions asked by students. Ensure that tasks are written onto text chat areas. An additional tip is do turn on any subtitling or transcription tool.

19: Ask about language. Ask students how they would like to be referred to. Different students will have different preferences.

20: Get creative, be a voice. Some subjects will require creative solutions. Consider the challenges that exist within your own discipline. Do contact module teams and line managers for advice and guidance.

20.5: Bonus tip: every tutor always does their best. Don’t worry if you get things wrong. Learn from the experience, and move on.

Proactive motivational support

The second presentation was by Annie Storkey, Associate Lecturer for the Faculty of WELS, who is also an EdD student. Her presentation had an important subtitle, ‘online students with mental health challenges’. Annie shared a number of useful recommendations, which I hope I have summarised effectively:

  • Make early contact with students, especially those who may have disclosed difficulties. Make sure that regular contact is maintained.
  • Use data analytics tools, such as OU Analyse, to find out which students are at risk of withdrawing, and make contact, especially at important points in the module such as TMA cut off dates.
  • Communicate regularly: send regular emails; this can be motivating.
  • If the module addresses sensitive subjects, make sure that students are told of these in advance. In other words, embed resilience into your teaching.
  • Remember that tutors are only able to provide academic support to students, but do feel able to signpost and refer students to the student support team and other support resources.
  • It is really important that tutors look after their own mental health and wellbeing.

I found Annie’s thought provoking. She referenced a former IET colleague, John Richardson and work carried out by Kate Lister, who wrote about barriers and enablers to student mental wellbeing.

AL Support for Dyspraxic Students

The final session was by Angela Eyre, Associate Lecturer from FASS. Angela spoke about a FASSTEST scholarship project, Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder): Understanding students’ requirements, which carried out a survey to explore the barriers and enablers that are faced by students who are dyspraxic. 

Students who are dyspraxic face a number of barriers, which may include memory difficulties, time management, and find it difficult to find information from resources such as module websites. Other challenges may include reduced confidence about articulating thoughts and ideas, and difficulty proofreading and decoding questions.

I made a note of some key enablers, which can include the positive impact that tutors can make, the design of a module, and early access to module materials. Tutors can help by sharing direct and clear encouragement, share checklists for the completion of TMAs, and help students to decode the TMA questions through one-to-one sessions. 

I noted the following words: “give students permission to try [their study approach] their way”; everyone is likely to be an expert in their own condition. Since all students are different, seek guidance from them in terms of their needs and preferences. I also made a note about feedback: model solutions to illustrate alternative ways of forming solutions.

Towards the end of the session, I noted down a couple of resources that were specific to dyspraxia:

Resources

What follows are some useful resources which address some of the themes that were shared during this session:

Reflections

I really enjoyed Simon’s session; I liked how he shared a lot of detail in a concise way. His tips offer a useful practical framework. I’m mindful that I don’t always follow all the points that he highlighted, but I really ought to. When it comes to accessibility of teaching resources, there is always room for improvements.

Annie’s session emphasised the importance of mental health. Her session covered a lot of ground which related to her EdD research, and I took away a number of helpful suggestions. It was interesting that Angela’s presentation described research that considered the barriers and enablers, echoing Lister’s research about student wellbeing.

These three presentations have made me remember another lesson that I once learnt: positive adjustments for one group of students are also likely to help everyone.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to all the presenters. Thanks are also extended to the ALSPD team who organised this event.

Tags: accessibility, mental health, tutor guide, esteem, esteem project, cpd, professional development, dyspraxia
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Christopher Douce

Staff tutor focus group: tutorial observations

Tuesday, 23 Oct 2018, 10:26
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Edited by Christopher Douce, Tuesday, 23 Oct 2018, 10:27

On 7 November 2017, I facilitated a number of focus groups for STEM staff tutors to elicit views about tutorial observations. During this session, I asked the following open questions:  (1) What is the most important reason to carry out an observation? (2) What procedure or procedures do you follow? (3) How do you record an observation? (4) What do you look for? (5) How do you share feedback? (6) Is there anything special about online observations? And (7) Should there be standardised guidelines for STEM?

This blog has taken quite a bit of time to prepare, since I’ve been involved in all kinds of other things, most notably, trying to get everything sorted for the October starts. It seems that November is a month when I can start to do other things.

In some respects, this post is a sister post to the one that I made about some tutor focus groups, that had the title: Tutorials and tutorial observations: what works and what helps tutors?

During this session, each group was asked to make notes about the discussions that took place, and to summarise some of the key themes in a plenary session. What follows is a summary of some of the themes that were discussed in each of the groups, followed by a brief summary of the plenary discussion.

Since a number of discussion points were common between different groups, I have chosen to highlight sections from each group that appear to be the most significant.

Group 1

Group 1 began with the first question: why is it important to carry out observations? Observations can be linked to and connected with staff development; it can facilitate a two way process that is also linked to quality assurance. It also represents an opportunity to get to know associate lecturers. There are other reasons too, which is: staff tutors can get a feel for what is happening ‘on the ground’ and understand how distance learning materials are being used and interpreted by students and whether the tutorial strategy (which is sometimes designed by a staff tutor) is working as planned. Also, observations can help facilitate discussions during a tutor’s appraisal.

Group 2

Group 2 gave a very notable answer to question 4, what to look for: the answer will depend on the level of study, i.e. whether they had recently started at the university, or were coming to the end of their studies. For introductory level (level 1) students, staff tutors would look for: encouragement, enthusiasm, positivity, bounce, involvement, thank students for attending, and whether they were motivating. For final equivalent (level 3) students, staff tutors would look for expertise and subject knowledge, competence, confidence, ability to respond to questions encouragingly and supportively, using the question well, understand where the students ‘are’ and the range of abilities, and how to address any gaps of understanding between where student is and where a student needs to be.

Group 3

Regarding the question of procedure or procedures, group 3 mentioned that observations could relate to an associate lecturers probation period (which lasts for two years), but an observation need not necessarily take place in the first year. A related reflection is that the idea of a ‘one off visit’ to provide support or to ensure that teaching quality may be okay could now be outdated due to online tuition; it is now possible to look at a ‘bigger’ picture (and more points of interactivity).

Group 4

This group gave some reflections about online tutorials, stating that a staff tutor or line manager watching the recording can also be considered as a form of online observation. It was also reflected that online observations does offer unique challenges, in that it is very difficult to observe the effectiveness of online group work. In terms of feedback to tutors, it shouldn’t be in the form of a formal report, but there could be verbal feedback which is then supplemented by written feedback.

Group 5

Group 5 emphasised procedures. A memorable suggestion was: don’t visit the first tutorial for a new associate lecturer. Also, ask tutors which tutorial they would like their line manager to visit so they can showcase a session that they might have been particularly proud of, and also include a visit to the tutor’s tutor group forum to gain a complete picture of their online teaching. Gather observation feedback using a form and if the tutorial is good, send the form to the tutor and give the tutor a copy of the feedback form in advance, so they know what they staff tutor is going to be looking for. If there is a need for development, have a discussion with the tutor. 

Group 6

Group 6 referenced the use of peer observation, which could be used in situations where staff tutors might not have sufficient time to carry out their own observations. There were differences in terms of how tuition observations were recorded: 2 line managers used a proforma with space for qualitative feedback, 3 line managers write notes and then write a summary, and 2 line managers use of a loose proforma to provide semi-structured notes. 

Group 7

Following on from the discussion about recording observations, group 7 noted that the former Faculty of Science used a form. A form should also help to emphasise what went well (within a tutorial), what not so well, and what might be potentially improved. Like the previous group, peer observations was also referenced, in the sense that tutors could present to other tutors. 

Group 8

This final group raised many of the points were highlighted earlier, but placed particular emphasis on online tutorials. Some key points that line managers would look for included: whether or not tutors were prepared, whether they were clear vocally and had a relaxed attitude, whether they encouraged interaction from students and designed interactions. After an observation, members of this group would have an informal chat with a tutor which would be followed by an informal letter. The tone of this correspondence is important: suggestions rather than instructions for improvements would be offered. 

Plenary discussion

Towards the end of the session, there was a facilitated discussion to draw out key discussion points from each of the groups. What follows is a brief summary of the main points, any commonalities between the groups and implications for practice.

An early comment was that observations are important not only in terms of quality, but they also help to develop the line manager’s relationship with the tutor. A useful perspective was that a line manager’s view of tuition of teaching should not begin or end with an observation. Instead, an observation should contribute to a holistic view of tuition practice. One participant made reference to the concept of a ‘learning walk’. 

There were also messages that were common between the groups. In terms of practice, the importance of an informal conversation with the tutor after an observation was emphasised, followed by a letter or an email. There was also the view that there should not be a ‘ticklist’ or standard form that staff tutors should apply to complete observations. Instead, there should be guidelines rather than mandated procedures, to offer flexibility. 

Regarding online tutorials, tutor managers should look for interactivity. Since observations can also be through recordings, it was also noted that the choice of the recordings could be directed by the tutor. 

A further point acknowledged the challenge of online teaching. Online teaching using synchronous tools and live environments requires significant skill, knowledge and experience. Reflecting the TPACK model, tutors need to acquire and apply technical, pedagogical and content knowledge, and dynamically respond to the needs of students. Acknowledging these challenges, one tutor manager reported that it important to tell the tutors that it is okay not to present or deliver a session that is ‘technically perfect’, and what really matters is whether student learning is taking place. Put another way, the tutor line managers cannot only have a role in developing practice and teaching quality, they can also have a role in developing tutor and teacher confidence too.

Reflections

One of the tasks that I have to do in my day job is to carry out tutorial visits. I’ve seen a variety of different sessions, ranging from very informal sessions, sessions that are tightly structured around a PowerPoint presentation, and sessions that showed the use of software tools that are taught within an Open University modules. There have also been these occasions when I’ve been left astonished and the skills and abilities of tutors to convey technical concepts in interesting and creative ways.

In my career as a tutor, I’ve also been observed during a tutorial. I think I’ve been observed three times; once during my first year, and another occasion when only a single tutor arrived at a tutorial. My line manager did some of the things that were mentioned by my peers: there was an informal chat, there were suggestions (and not instructions) about how my teaching might be improved, and I was sent a letter that summarised the observation (and also what happened during the tutorials that I facilitated). Importantly, this always felt like a positive process. I really felt that my line manager had taken the time to listen to and respect what I had done.

I’m sure it comes across in this post that I think that tuition observations are important. My own view is that they should be about developing and supporting tutors (and teachers) first, and about institutional and organisation management second. They should also be fun too.

Tags: tutorial visits, esteem, esteem project, tutorial observations
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