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Instructional Materials Accessibility Plan - DRAFT
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis ObispoJune 15, 2007
This is a DRAFT plan subject to change based on review and input by campus constituents
IMAP-SLO-061507-DRAFT
PDF Version of the Plan
Table of Contents
- A process for timely adoption of textbooks by faculty
- A process for identification of textbooks for late-hire faculty
- A process for early identification of students with disabilities who require instructional materials to be provided in an alternate format
- A strategy to increase use of the campus LMS for delivering technology-enabled courses, and for posting syllabi and instructional materials online for traditional face-to-face and hybrid and blended courses
- A process to incorporate accessibility requirements in the purchase of digital or multimedia instructional materials (captions on videos, for example)
- A method to incorporate accessibility (where required) in the educational policy addressing course development and delivery
- A plan to support faculty in the creation of accessible course content
- A communication process and training plan to educate students, staff, and faculty about the campus Instructional Materials Accessibility Plan
- An evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the campus IMAP
- Identification of all campus personnel involved in implementing or overseeing the campus IMAP
- Chronological listing of all IMAP deliverables (policies, timelines, milestones)
4. A strategy to increase use of the campus LMS for delivering technology-enabled courses, and for posting syllabi and instructional materials online for traditional face-to-face and hybrid and blended courses.
4A. Overview
Notes: This provision emphasizes providing students who require alternate format instructional materials with access to their materials through an accessible, electronic infrastructure. This reduces the time necessary to convert instructional materials into an accessible format and provides alternate media personnel with a central location to obtain these materials.
BlackBoard is currently available to every faculty member for every course. Courses are provisioned automatically on a quarterly basis for every section offered. However, faculty members are not required to use BlackBoard to post course materials. ITS, the Library and the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offer training and support to faculty on use of BlackBoard, including how to create and post accessible content. The Library is planning to convert E-Reserves to BlackBoard which should further encourage faculty to use BlackBoard to post accessible content. Changes are planned that should improve the functionality in BlackBoard. These changes should facilitate content management, workflow and other practices which can be applied to creating, converting and posting accessible instructional materials in BlackBoard.
4B. Procedures/Practices
Deliverables |
Status |
Initiation Date |
Completion Date (exp) |
Discussion |
The establishment of procedures to provide faculty with access to an LMS course site (or accessible website) into which they can post instructional materials |
Y |
N/A |
N/A |
ITS currently provisions every course section in BlackBoard prior to the start of each quarter. Students and faculty access BlackBoard via the campus portal. |
The development of procedures to encourage faculty to post their instructional materials in an electronic format |
IP |
Fall 2007 |
TBD |
Faculty orientation, training and development programs include information on BlackBoard and accessibility. However, more needs to be done. Introducing new functionality and changing the E-Reserve process will provide opportunities to increase faculty awareness. Online documentation will be modified as needed. |
The establishment of procedures to provide alternate media producers with access to these print-based instructional materials |
IP |
Fall 2007 |
TBD |
It is the responsibility of the faculty member to create and post accessible content to BlackBoard. DRC does not require direct access to provide accommodation. However, E-Reserves may serve as a model for giving DRC or others direct access to BlackBoard materials. |
4C. Resources
What technical and financial resources will be utilized to implement these business procedures and academic practices?
BlackBoard and related infrastructure (hardware, network.) including My Cal Poly Portal to authenticate users so they can access content (ITS)
Online documentation and training materials created and maintained by ITS, including the BlackBoard support website, accessibility website and Web Authoring Resource Center, and the California State University system
ITS, CTL, and Library personnel to train and support faculty on use of BlackBoard and creation and posting of accessible content
Faculty, TAs, student assistants and/or technical and administrative support staff in colleges to create, convert and post accessible content
4D. Milestones/Measures of Success
Milestones |
Effective Term |
Discussion |
The implementation of procedures to provide faculty with access to an LMS course site (or accessible website) into which they can post instructional materials |
N/A |
Process exists but is not mandated. Initial effort will focus on informing faculty about accessibility and the advantages of using BlackBoard to post accessible course related content such as the syllabus. Online documentation will be modified as needed to incorporate accessibility concepts. |
The implementation of procedures to provide alternate media producers with access to these print-based instructional materials |
TBD |
E-Reserve process may provide a model for providing direct access in the future. In the meantime, if conversion is needed, it will be done outside of BlackBoard and provided to the faculty member or student to post. |
Baseline Measure |
Response |
Discussion |
The number of courses that used non-LMS campus-hosted websites in the last year (note: the number of LMS course sites will be pulled from Measures of Success) |
Unknown |
Cal Poly does not have a mechanism in place to capture this data. It would require surveying each faculty member or manually locating and auditing every individual faculty website. For Cal Poly, using the LMS data from MOS is not a good measure since all courses are created in BlackBoard but this does not mean BlackBoard is being used by faculty. |
The percentage of courses that used individual websites in the last year |
Unknown |
Same as above |
4E. Exemptions/Equally-Effective Access
If a student who requires alternate format print-based instructional materials enrolls in a section or course for which the instructional materials have not been posted in an electronic format, how will the campus provide that student with equally-effective access to this material?
The Disability Resource Center (DRC) will continue to accommodate students as needed using existing processes. DRC will work with individual faculty and students to obtain and convert materials into accessible formats. Students have access to scanners and other self-service resources.