Brief Description
The course is easily navigated and accessible through the availability of alternative materials and media to facilitate use by all learners.
Definitions
Accessible
Information is provided in formats that allow all users to equally access and comprehend content. For Penn State courses, the course must be optimized for accessibility. Technologies used in the course must either be approved by Penn State or an equally effective alternate access plan (EEAAP) that supports the learning goals must be developed and used. Please read the other sections of this document for a fuller understanding of this term.
Course Navigation
The controls (e.g., menus) used to move from one location to another in a course.
Ease of Use
The course should have navigation controls at both the course level and the individual component (e.g., pages, videos, simulations, etc.) level. The student should be able to use these controls via clicking, touching, or a keyboard.
Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan (EEAAP)
The Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan (EEAAP) is a required by Penn State’s legally binding agreement with The Office of Civil Rights, Department of Education. It asks, “What will you do if a person with a disability is suddenly admitted to your program/class and is impacted by the lack of accessibility on this technology.” It is intended to be a “Plan B” that is created and then implemented when pre-planning and then optimizing a course for accessibility was not possible. It usually involves creating alternative but instructionally equivalent course materials.
LMS
Learning Management System (e.g., Canvas).
Multimedia
A combination of at least two of the following: text, graphics, animation, audio, and/or video.
Readability
The ease with which a reader can successfully decipher, process, and make meaning of the text read. Typographical features of the text are critical; letter shape, size, and spacing all meaningfully impact fluency and comprehension.
Screen Reader
A screen reader is a technology that helps people who have difficulties seeing to access and interact with digital content, like websites or applications via audio or touch. The main users of screen readers are people who are blind or have very limited vision.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
An approach to teaching via engagement, representation, and action and expression, aimed at meeting the needs of every student in a classroom. This includes the ability to access a course via multiple technologies (e.g., laptop, tablet, smartphone).
Vendor Accessibility Statements
Also named Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs), these are statements from a vendor on how their product conforms to the Revised 508 Standards for IT accessibility. VPATs for alll officially accepted software at Penn State are reviewed prior to acceptance. If you are using a non-official product, you (as the instructor) should review the VPAT to determine if the product meets the revised 508 Standards.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium, the main international standards organization for the Internet.
Improving Readability – Normal Versus Instructional Text
The following excerpt is from “The Stage In Action” by Helen Manfull and Lowell L. Manfull, copyright 1988. It is presented here as an example of “normal text.”
The Nature of Drama
Aristotle, then, conceived of tragedy as being the imitation of a major deed or action depicting through its enactment the striving of the human soul toward some goal with the intention of purging negative emotion while teaching oblique lessons of life. In examining the art form with his students, the Greek teacher concluded that tragedy contained six elements or components–plot, character, thought, diction, music and spectacle. Of the elements, three–plot, character and thought–were essentially the subject of plays; that is to say, plays are about stories and people and ideas. Two of the elements–diction and music–represent the tools or materials playwrights use to fashion their drama. Dramatists employ words, sound and symbols as well as verse and rhythm and music to create the play script. And the final element, spectacle, relates to the manner in which the art is presented to the consumer–in this case a staged production in a theatre.
Of all the elements, according to Aristotle, plot was the most important; he referred to it as “the first principle,” “the soul of tragedy,” “the first and most important part of Tragedy,” and “the first level of all imitation,” He was convinced, it would seem, that a play needed a strong storyline in order to accomplish its purpose. He probably reasoned that if you wished to write a play imitating a major action such as “to re-establish God’s order in the realm,” then the most expeditious and practical way to accomplish your aim was to find a story that could be used to demonstrate such a quest–just as Shakespeare did in Hamlet. “Plot,” he said, “is the imitation of the action.” By “action” in this instance he meant the one major profound deed that the play will depict; and plot now becomes the primary means of depicting or imitating that deed or action.
The example below is based on this same text, but illustrates how the same information could be more clearly conveyed in an instructional environment. The example begins with an introduction that contains an advanced organizer (a tool aid the learner’s understanding of new information by first connecting it to already existing knowledge) and lists the instructional objectives. The next section breaks down the text into a series of smaller chunks and bulleted lists, an effective way to present text online. Styles are used where appropriate. The example concludes with several key questions to check understanding and a summary.
To improve readability, one can break down a text for an instructional environment. In the example below that is based on the same excerpt, the instructor begins with an advanced organizer and lists the instructional objectives, then breaks down the excerpt into a series of smaller chunks and bulleted lists (the most effective way to present text on the Web). Headers are used where appropriate. The text is followed by several key questions and a summary. Here is the resulting “instructional text”:
Introduction
The purpose of this reading is to introduce you to the key elements of a Greek tragedy according to Aristotle.
When you complete this reading, you should be able to list without error the six elements of a Greek tragedy. You should be able to describe in writing Aristotle’s conception of the plot, including all four of his descriptions.
The Nature of Drama
Aristotle, then conceived of tragedy as being the imitation of a major deed or action depicting through its enactment the striving of the human soul toward some goal with the intention of purging negative emotion while teaching oblique lessons of life.
In examining the art form with his students, the Greek teacher concluded that tragedy contained six elements or components:
- Plot
- Character
- Thought
- Diction
- Music
- Spectacle
Of the elements, three – plot, character and thought – were essentially the subject of plays; that is to say, plays are about stories and people and ideas.
Two of the elements – diction and music – represent the tools or materials playwrights use to fashion their drama.
Dramatists employ words, sound and symbols as well as verse and rhythm and music to create the play script.
And the final element, spectacle, relates to the manner in which the art is presented to the consumer – in this case a staged production in a theatre.
Of all the elements, according to Aristotle, plot was the most important; he referred to it as:
- “The first principle”
- “The soul of tragedy”
- “The first and most important part of Tragedy”
- “The first level of all imitation”
He was convinced, it would seem, that a play needed a strong storyline in order to accomplish its purpose. He probably reasoned that if you wished to write a play imitating a major action such as “to re-establish God’s order in the realm,” then the most expeditious and practical way to accomplish your aim was to find a story that could be used to demonstrate such a quest–just as Shakespeare did in Hamlet.
“Plot,” he said, “is the imitation of the action.” By “action” in this instance he meant the one major profound deed that the play will depict; and plot now becomes the primary means of depicting or imitating that deed or action.
Follow-up Questions
- What are the six elements of a Greek tragedy?
- How does Aristotle describe a plot? List all four ways.
Summary
Aristotle believed that a Greek tragedy contained the following elements:
- Plot
- Character
- Thought
- Diction
- Music
- Spectacle
Of these, he believed that plot was the most important. He referred to it as:
- “The first principle”
- “The soul of tragedy”
- “The first and most important part of Tragedy”
- “The first level of all imitation”
Optimizing graphics for Accessibility
When incorporating graphics into instructional materials, it is important to optimize them for those who have disabilities. These optimizations ultimately aid all students in better understanding the nature and purpose of the graphic.
Example:
Figure 1: The Mona Lisa Painting by Leonardo da Vinci.
This painting is an example of the technique known as sfumato. When translated from Italian, Sfumato literally means “vanished or evaporated,” where imperceptible transitions between light and shade, and sometimes between colors, are painted. Today’s graphic programs label this technique as a “color gradient.”
Alternative (ALT) text was added to this image to describe it to students who have visual disabilities. ALT text is non-visible text that is “attached” to the image (i.e., it is part of the HTML) so that screen reader software is able to read the description aloud to the user. ALT text should only be several sentences in length. When writing ALT text, consider what you would say to people over the telephone if you were describing that image to them. Always consider the context in which the image is used when writing the ALT text. For example, the ALT text for this image reads “The Mona Lisa painting. A smiling woman in an outdoor setting.”
A caption (“Figure 1: The Mona Lisa Painting by Leonardo da Vinci”) was also added to the image. Captions are short text descriptions/labels for an image that are displayed on the page, thus providing both sighted and non-sighted users information about the image.
As shown in this example, additional explanatory text may be needed if your ALT text is more than several sentences in length or if you need to provided both sighted and non-sighted users with more information about the image. If so, this should be included either immediately before or after the graphic as part of the normal text on the page.
Optimizing Tables for Accessibility
Improperly formatted tables can render screen reader software almost useless. Here are some basic rules to follow when creating tables.
- If possible, use bulleted or numbered lists in place of simple tables.
- Don’t use tables to force content to appear in columns, etc.
- Don’t merge cells.
- Use table captions and header labels.
- Do not leave a cell blank. Put a dash or N/A in blank cells instead.
Optimizing Videos for Accessibility
All videos should have closed captions (CC). This provides an on-screen text transcription of the audio for students with hearing disabilities.
If there are complex visual activities that are not explained via existing audio or CC, Audio Descriptions (AD) should be added. ADs are short spoken audio segments that describe the on-screen activities.
All videos should have easy to use controls to start, stop, and navigate to any point in the video.
Optimizing Other Media
Please refer to Accessibility: Accessibility and Usability at Penn State for information on optimizing for accessibility other media types.
Additional Resources
In addition to the previously mentioned Accessibility: Accessibility and Usability at Penn State, the following are additional resources for more in-depth information:
- Nondiscrimination Statement – All online courses should include the Penn State “Statement of Nondiscrimination” (including contact information for the Affirmative Action Director) on the syllabus, on the course home page, or in some other prominent location.
- AD69 Accessibility of Electronic and Information Technology
- WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
- Penn State’s Student Disability Resources
- Contacts for Disability Services at all Penn State Campuses
References
Bixler, B.(2020). Educational Multimedia Overview. Last accessed on May 5, 2022.
Ability.net. Last accessed on October 26, 2023.
accessibility.psu.edu. Last accessed on May 5, 2022.
This resource was created by Penn Ralston-Berg, Amy Kuntz, Donna Bayer, Danielle Harris, Brett Bixler, and Renee Ford. For more information about our quality standards, see Penn State Quality Assurance e-Learning Design Standards.
Page Contact: Penny Ralston-Berg