What is accessibility peak?

Accessibility Peak is designed to strengthen professional skills in course design in such ways as to increase the quality of ALL student learning. After completing the modules in this course, participants will have the tools and knowledge needed to design engaging, effective, and accessible courses using the features of Canvas.

The Accessibility Peak Workshop consists of five synchronous Webex meetings (2 hours each) as well as an asynchronous Canvas component. For first-time participants, Accessibility Peak is approved for 28 hours of Faculty Professional Growth and 28 hours of Adjunct Faculty Tier Progression Credit.​
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What is Universal Design for Learning? (UDL)

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework is used to proactively address the needs of diverse students in such a way that is beneficial for everyone. When UDL is practiced well, it efficiently and effectively provides a wide range of students access to high-quality learning  (Meyer, Rose & Gordon, 2014)

The UDL Framework may be expressed as a process of:

1. Clearly identifying goals (objectives) for student mastery.
2. Identifying barriers that may inhibit access for predictably diverse students to access the said objective(s).
3. Utilizing appropriate research-based practices as organized by the UDL Guidelines to ensure that courses are providing multiple means of engagement, representation, and of action and expression to maximize your students' ability to learn and express their learning.

This framework can be applied at all levels of course design including individual course design, unit planning, and lesson planning.
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Accessibility Peak Format

Accessibility Peak is divided into 4 modules:  

• Module 1: Conceptual Foundations
  • ​An overview of accessibility and the UDL framework
• Module 2: Engagement
  • ​Provide options for variable learners
  • Facilitate peer feedback
  • Promote learner organization and time management
  • Provide mastery oriented feedback
• Module 3: Representation
  • ​Use audio/video options to complement text
  • Create graphic organizers
  • Use closed captioning
  • Provide multimedia feedback
• Module 4: Action and Expression
  • ​Utilize modules for student self-pacing
  • Implement Canvas Wikis for student collaboration
  • Use Canvas MasteryPaths to differentiate instruction

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